Bloomingdale's Assistant Buyer Interview Questions & Reviews

Interviewed May 2011 in New York, NY (took 4+ weeks)

Bloomingdale's stresses that they like to promote from the inside first. I took a job here with the hopes of advancing to a more well-suited position.

The first thing I noticed was that many of the managers/assistant managers I spoke with had less education and experience than I did. I asked many how they were able to get their positions, because I wanted to advance to a higher position more in my rank. Many readily admitted that they obtained the position partly or solely because they knew someone (an uncle, for example). High levels of nepotism? I don't know, you can decide after speaking with people.

I could not secure an interview for the position I wanted, so I started to network like a madman. I finally realized I also had a family friend who knew someone who worked at the company. He was able to secure me an interview. Which made me wonder- did I only get the interview because I was able to find someone with an "in."

The interview process is very long- unnecessarily. And, HR will not get back to you on whether or not you have moved onto the next step in the process. I had to actually call to find out, which in my opinion is extremely unprofessional and inconsiderate (had other offers on the table too!) since I had been in the interview process for about a month - AND was an internal candidate.

My advice: get to know people who can advance your career. Do you expect to be promoted based on your skills, advanced education, work experience and potential. It's about who you know - and how much they like you in my opinion.