I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at DSW in Aug 2013
Interview
Applied online and got an email about 4 days later asking if I was still interested in the position since she was conducting interviews that week. She asked me to pick a date and time within that same week so I thought that it was really nice that I got to pick since I wanted to be well prepared for the interview. On the day of the interview, I arrived 15 minutes early and informed the cashier that I was there for an interview and she said I could sit down on the chairs up front. The interview itself was about 15 minutes and she asked the typical questions like, "Why do you want to work for DSW?" "What shoe would you be and why?" "What is your biggest strength?" Which DSW value (accountability, humility, passion, and collaboration) do you most identify with?" After the interview, she informed me that they usually do 3 interview before hiring someone and asked if I can come back for a second interview with another manager. My second interview was surprisingly a little bit more laid back than my first. Some of the questions she asked were the same ones asked before. Make sure to at least have 2 questions ready when they ask if you have any questions for them. Shows that you're involved in the conversation and that you're interested in working there. After talking with the second manager, the store manager came over and just double checked my availability and said that I should be getting an email to sign off on a background check and after that I can start my training.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time where you had to work with a group and had to persuade them because what you were saying was right and what they were saying was wrong.
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.
DSW interviews FAQs
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%
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