I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Nordstrom in May 2013
Interview
First you'll be contacted by an HR representative for a phone interview. I found that she most enthusiastically responded to 1) anything emphasizing the importance of customer service (Nordstrom is known for being big on this) and 2) being motivated to set goals and then exceed them. Because many sales associate jobs are commission based and can be competitive for getting sales, they want to see someone who is motivated by this type of environment and who wants to succeed in maximizing sales. Then they schedule you to come in for an interview with the department manager you'll likely be working with, who will ask similar questions. Be prepared to be knowledgeable about the brands and products sold in the department you're interviewing for. They'll then bring you out to the floor and have you do a mock sale (put together an outfit and try to sell it to the manager). It really helped me to go on the Nordstrom website prior to the interview and see what kinds of pieces were being put together in the catalog, so that I could put together something that I knew the manager would approve of. Of course always be polite, and enthusiastic about selling your product. You'll do great!
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
"If you weren't meeting your sales goals, what would be your course of action?"
Contacted me via email. Interviewed me and then wouldn’t return calls. We have been playing phone tag for weeks. AI is used for hiring and I think that should be revisited.
I attended during the hiring day, it was busy but the interview process was pretty straightforward and received an offer same day. I recommend attending early so you don’t have to wait so long.
Waited on a long line outside of the store for nearly three hours just to be met with a condescending bunch of hiring personnel. They seemed more annoyed at having to do their job as if they're on a high horse of some sort than actually caring, or pretending to care at the very least.