I applied in-person. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at DSW (Arlington, VA) in Mar 2013
Interview
You must set up an online account and take the questionnaire. The questions determine how well you would fit into the culture they are creating with their values. There is no sense in answering how you think the manager wants you to. They are quickly able to tell if you have been dishonest once you get to the actual interview. The interview is set out with a manager (possibly a second) and you are asked direct questions about your past, how you can provide best customer service, etc. If you have no experience, it may be difficult to answer but try to relate it to volunteer work or possibly school.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How will you be objective when being approached by an angry customer?
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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