The Gap Sales Associate Interview

Interview Details – Application was online; took 30 minutes to an hour. At the end was a few questions relating to fashion like "how often do you read fashion magazines?" etc. I put that I don't read fashion magazines and that I'm not really that much into fashion, but I got a call anyway within about a week.

Didn't find out until I got to the interview that it was a group interview, but that was OK. The manager asked the same questions to all candidates, giving you time to prepare your answers, if you weren't asked first. It was a three-part interview. The first part was the question-answer. Didn't really ask personal questions, more about previous experiences and how you would handle certain situations. This process took about 20 minutes.

The last two parts were on the floor. First, the manager asks you to pick out two outfits consisting of at least five garments (accessories also!), then you talk about why you chose the items and where you would wear the outfits.

The last part of the interview was a role-playing exercise. The manager pretends to be a customer while you greet him, discuss promotions, asks if he's looking for something in particular, and help him with his shopping. In my specific role-playing situation, he was shopping for men's plain t-shirts. At the end, he told me what I did well, which was ask questions about his preference (does he like bright colors or basic/neutral colors?) and suggest how he could wear them (this t-shirt would go great with a dark jean for the day and throw a blazer on it for a quick night-time transformation).

After all that, he answered all the questions the candidates had. He called to offer me the job after about a week.

Negotiation Details – No negotiation, but I was offered $1 over minimum wage.