I applied online. The process took 1+ week. I interviewed at Nordstrom in June 2013
Interview
I applied for the position online on 6/06 by filling out an application and answering a few personality questions. I received an email on 6/07 to schedule a phone interview. I followed their instructions to pick a time online. My phone interview was for the 6/11 in the morning. They called me on time and only asked me three basic questions about why I was picking Nordstrom and my history in customer service. The woman who called me was very nice and professional. They told me they would let me know within a week about the next phase of the process. I received a call at the end of business that day to schedule an in-person interview. I scheduled it for 6/14 first thing in the morning. I went to the store that morning and the interview started on time. The interviewer asked me a series of questions about my history of work experience. All the questions were very basic. The interviewer then showed me where I would be working but told me that I would not be working long there because they move people up very fast through retail sales. I was taken aback by this since I was not interested in retail sales and there had been no mention of this in the job posting. At the end of the interview, I was told they would make a decision by the 6/17. On 6/17 I received a call offering me the position. I declined because I am not interested in retail sales.
I will say that everyone was very nice, professional, and prompt. An interview process should be as swift as possible as to not waste anyone's time. However, if the only way to advance within Nordstrom is to do so through retail sales, that needs to be made apparent on the job posting.
I have one big problem with the job hiring process. We, the job seekers, need to stop the idea that talking about money during the process is taboo in its tracks. The reason a person seeks employment is to earn money. To act like asking about salary is wrong during a job interview process is silly and needs to be changed quickly. We, as job seekers, have the power to do that. I would not have applied for this position if I thought I would not be able to know about the money before the final stage of the process or if I knew that this was a gateway to retail sales. If you do not want to work in retail sales, do not apply for this position.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
There were no unexpected questions. They were all very basic.