Nordstrom Commissioned Sales Associate Interview Questions & Reviews
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Updated May 22, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.
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Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 25 ratings 
“Average” Interview
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Interview Experience [?] Based on 25 ratings
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| 1–10 of 25 Nordstrom Interviews | Sort by |
Commissioned Sales Associate at Nordstrom
Posted May 22, 2012
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed May 2012 (took 6 days)
My interview experience with Nordstrom was excellent. I applied for a job back in January and recieved a phone call about a week later from the Human Resources Manager. She started asking me a few interview questions (i.e. why Nordstrom?) but I interrupted her to tell her that I would be at school until May and wouldn't be able to start until then. She told me to call back in April which I did and we set up an interview for the day I got home from college. When I called she remembered me right away and said she had been expecting my call. I went in for an interview and started with the same Human Resources Manager who asked me some pretty general interview questions. I was not as prepared as I should have been and was a little nervous with my responses. After about 15 minutes she told me that there was an opening in the Men's Rail Department and set me up with an interview with the Department Manager right away. I interviewed with her and felt much more comfortable the second time around. We then toured the Rail department and I had to act out a scenario and pick out an outfit for her "boyfriend". I do not believe this is an actual test of your style and product knowledge, just a personality test. The Department Manager then set me up for an interview with the Store Manager which went extremely well and I was contacted 4 days later via phone with a job offer. If you are prepared, know your answers to common interview questions and are a personable, friendly person, you will most likely be hired. Everyone I spoke with was extremely easy to talk to.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Background Check, a Personality Test and a 1:1 Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Commissioned Sales Associate at Nordstrom
Posted May 8, 2012
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed May 2012 in Troy, MI (took 2 days)
I applied online and was offered a phone interview within an hour. My phone interview lasted about 10 minutes, it was your basic questions: Why Nordstrom? Explain a time when...?, etc. At the end of the phone interview I was offered a one on one with the same person from HR that I spoke with on the phone. The next day we met for another interview, she basically asked the same questions and then at the end of that interview with HR I spoke with the manager from the department I applied for. She showed me around her department and explained everything about the job, pay and etc and then she asked me to sale her a product. I found the entire process positive. I was informed about three days later that she moved forward with another candidate. Bummer, but I still had a pleasant experience.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Personality Test, a 1:1 Interview and a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Commissioned Sales Associate at Nordstrom
Posted Apr 18, 2012
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed May 2010 in Bloomington, MN (took 2 weeks)
Phone interview followed by in person interview with HR, then department manager
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
They essentially just offer you and tell yo it's commissioned and it's up to you to make $$. Fair enough, since it is a commissioned position.
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Background Check, a Personality Test, a 1:1 Interview and a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Commissioned Sales Associate at Nordstrom
Posted Apr 18, 2012
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Mar 2012 in Chicago, IL (took 2 days)
Prospective employees fill out an extensive online application, then complete a detailed personality assessment. If that is passed and the prospective employee is selected, he/she undergoes a phone interview with HR. Upon successful completion of the HR phone interview, applicant is invited for an in-person interview with the HR associate followed by an interview with the potential hiring manager. The hiring manager may ask the prospective employee to role play selling the merchandise and to put together outfits from the merchandise for an imaginary customer.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
There was no wiggle room on salary.
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview, a Skills Test, a Personality Test and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Commissioned Sales Associate at Nordstrom
Posted Apr 4, 2012
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Mar 2012 (took 3 weeks)
Very prompt reply to my resume submission, followed by a phone interview. The phone interview will be followed by an open interview process. The HR employee I contacted for more information was very helpful and offered advice for proceeding.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview and a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Commissioned Sales Associate at Nordstrom
Posted Mar 20, 2012
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Negative Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Mar 2012 (took 2 weeks)
I've applied countless times before to various positions and always got an email that they were going forward with other people. Then to my surprise I got an email for a phone screen. Scheduled it for 2 days later and thought I did really bad. Got a call 2 days later about a one on one interview for a different department than I originally applied for. I said OK because I was willing to work anywhere. I got to the interview 15 minutes early and waited in the customer service area. They informed the manager I was there and said she'd be there right at my interview time. Well no, she was 10 minutes late and she didn't have the nerve to apologize. Beyond that, she seemed very unprofessional and uninterested. She looked very young. No questions asked about myself, just 5 q's related to the job and act out how to sell something. The interview lasted a total of 10 minutes. So 2 days after that I got a call for another interview with a different manager and I said yes. She was nicer and on time, had the same questions but no acting out a sale. This one lasted around 20 minutes. I thought it had went very well but then got a message about 5 days later that they were going through with other people. I was definitely disappointed. Needless to say I won't apply here anymore.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Personality Test.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Commissioned Sales Associate at Nordstrom
Posted Mar 16, 2012
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Jun 2010 in Santa Barbara, CA (took 2 weeks)
I applied online for the sales associate position in Men's Clothing and Furnishings as a summer job (they were hiring a lot of positions because of the anniversary sale) and got a call back about a week later to schedule a screening phone interview. The phone interview was 15 minutes or less and was just about why I wanted the job -- extremely easy, basically just to weed out the people who clearly weren't a good fit.
I was invited in for a face to face interview. When I arrived (wear nice attire, like what you would wear if you actually worked there), I first met with the HR lady who I had been in contact with. We had a ~30 minute or so conversation where she asked me standard behavioral questions. She then brought me to the department manager for Men's Furnishings and Clothing, who walked with me to the cafe on the top floor. He was really nice and offered to buy me a pastry or coffee or whatever, I politely declined and just got a water to sip on during the interview. The interview with the manager was basically the same as with the HR lady -- he asked me standard questions about past experiences and about how I would react under certain circumstances, all the while jotting down little notes here and there (try not to pay attention to this, keep eye contact with the manager and smile frequently, these are the things they are looking for in a sales associate).
He then spontaneously asked me to sell him the tie he was wearing, acting as if he was a customer who had just walked in and was looking to buy some accessories. This was not at all about your knowledge of the item, but all about greeting the customer properly, smiling, and being confident with your words. He then gave me a tour of the department and I got to meet a few of the co workers that were on their shift -- at this point I was pretty sure I was getting the job. Sure enough, he told me at the end that he thought I would be a good fit, and I received an email shortly after with some basic information about my training sessions and what not. All in all, it was a very wonderful and relatively easy interview experience. Nordstrom is a really fun company to work for, especially as a summer job for a student home from college (don't tell them that during the interview! You will instantly be denied because they are looking for people who can make a long term commitment -- just tell them you go to the local community college). Hope this helps! Good luck.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
The pay was specified (hourly) and was not subject to negotiation.
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Personality Test.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Commissioned Sales Associate at Nordstrom
Posted Mar 2, 2012
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Aug 2011 (took a day)
I received a call from HR a few days after I applied for the job. We had an initial phone interview. It was very basic, mainly focusing on my resume. After that she asked if I would be able to go in for an interview that afternoon. When I went in for the interview I met with the HR woman I had previously spoken with. She was engaging and asked simple behavioral based questions. After she was finished asking me her list of questions she had the manager of the dept come and interview me. That interview was very similar to the HR interview. She then asked me to join her on the floor to pick out an outfit for a customer.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview and a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Commissioned Sales Associate at Nordstrom
Posted Feb 7, 2012
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Sep 2011 (took 1 week)
Applied on a Sunday afternoon, got an email response Monday afternoon about open interviews that Friday morning. Heard back from the manager who decided to hire within about a week.
Open/group interview process - all other potential candidates were sat down and a general introduction to the store was given by HR/hiring manager. A number of department managers were introduced, then HR employee asked each candidate individually what departments they were interested in, could be general (e.g., any men's department) or specific (e.g., only Bp shoes or men's sportswear). Then you are matched up with available manager for 1:1 interview in a room with most of the other managers:candidates. They ask questions about previous employment, retail, customer service, and open-ended ones as well (I.e., "tell me about a time when you reached or exceeded a goal," or "describe a time when you encountered a dilemma in a previous work environment," etc.). The manager may or may not take you to the sales floor to see how you would sell an item or garment.
Business to business casual attire would be recommended, but also show your sense of style (it is a higher-end specialty store)!
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Background Check, a Personality Test, a Skills Test, a Group/Panel Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Commissioned Sales Associate at Nordstrom
Posted Jan 26, 2012
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Mar 2011 in Newark, DE (took 2 weeks)
First had a phone interview then was asked back for a one on one interview with the hiring manager of the Juniors department. It was very laid back and casual. Then had a one on one interview with the store manager. I heard back a week later that I got the position. I have been with the company since April. It is a great company for advancement. Must be outgoing, personable and a hard worker or you will not stay with the company long.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
None
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
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