Sales Associate applicants have rated the interview process at DSW with 2 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 75% positive. To compare, the company-average is 74.1% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Sales Associate roles take an average of 10 days to get hired, when considering 423 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at DSW overall takes an average of 12 days.
Common stages of the interview process at DSW as a Sales Associate according to 423 Glassdoor interviews include:
One on one interview: 33%
Background check: 15%
Group panel interview: 10%
Personality test: 10%
Drug test: 9%
Skills test: 8%
Presentation: 5%
IQ intelligence test: 5%
Phone interview: 5%
Other: 0%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
I applied online. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at DSW (Northbrook, IL) in Nov 2012
Interview
I applied online, and afterwards was asked to take an online evaluation. This consisted of a few questions about my character and work ethic, and a test on basic arithmetic. Afterwards I was called by the manager of the store to come in for an interview. The interview was friendly, brief, and very strait-forward. I was pretty much just asked how I would respond to various situations that may occur on the job.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I was asked to give examples of situations from previous jobs and I how I handled them (Tell me about a time you had to work with a group to accomplish a task). There were a few questions like this.
What you’d expect for a PT sales associate position — 15-30 minutes long, one-on-one with the manager, and questions that you’d expect to answer for a retail sales associate job.
I applied through other source. I interviewed at DSW in Jun 2026
Interview
Easy! The manager listed times when she was available, and I was able to choose when to come in. The questions were really straightforward and conversational. I was also able to ask a lot of questions to see if it was a right fit for me!
I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at DSW (Maple Grove, MN)
Interview
Easy. Waited for a manager in the front took me to the back on for store and had the interview in a little room off to the side. Quick process called when I got the job.