Macys retail sales associate interview questions and answers

How to Get a Job at Macy's

Macy's operates around 850 stores and uses the hiring process to fill vacant entry-level positions and professional careers. Most applicants report spending between one and three weeks in the hiring process. After making initial contact with hiring personnel to schedule job interviews, workers spend the next several days participating in face-to-face sessions to determine eligibility for employment. An interview may last as long as 40 minutes or as brief as 15 minutes. The specific position desired and relationships established with hiring personnel during the actual sessions often determine the length of each interview.

One on One Sessions

The Macy's hiring process features specific interview formats for job titles available. Seasonal workers often only encounter one, in-person job interview. Applicants looking for part-time and full-time year-round positions interview through one-to-one sessions. The average entry-level employee participates in a single job interview, as well. Managers typically participate in two or more interviews. Other career opportunities with the department store may feature three or four interviews, depending on specific qualifications.

Screening Process

Often personal and candid, job interviews include department introductions and question and answer sessions tailored to the specific needs of the position. Many Macy's employment opportunities use technology. Applicants should possess some familiarity with modern electronics in order to gain hiring consideration. Other characteristics hiring managers regularly screen for include accountability, sales experience, self-motivation, open availability, cheerful attitude, and team-player work ethics.

Questions Asked

Macy's hiring managers may ask applicants to, "name a time when you had to resolve a conflict," or to talk about, "a negative experience and how you overcame the issue."

What to Wear / How to Dress

The longstanding history and reputation of the department store chain should be reflected through answers to interview questions at all times. In addition to providing clear and well-thought responses, overall demeanor plays an important role in gaining employment. Applicants in the hunt for Macy's jobs should take care to prepare for all interviews during the hiring process. Well-groomed and appropriately dressed candidates leave lasting impressions on hiring personnel and may receive additional employment consideration over other candidates. The average workers should wear professional clothing and act in a manner that is presentable and respectable. Waiting for a turn to speak, allowing an honest and fair exchange of ideas, and limiting responses to matters of business and appropriate topics serve candidates best.

When Do You Hear Back?

Workers typically receive employment on the spot at interviews. Upon finishing up the final interview questions, managers may make hiring decisions or opt to pass on the candidate. If passed over, most applicants receive a phone call to reveal the determination a few days later, although some candidates receive offers of employment a few days later by phone, as well. In either case, express gratitude for the opportunity prior to leaving the final session. Contacting Macy's in follow up may also benefit prospective associates.

Interview Tips from a Macy’s Hiring Manager Video

Interviewer: What qualities do you look for in an applicant?
Macy’s Hiring Manager: Honesty. A lot of people are not honest when they interview. They say that they’ve done things, then you ask them about, and they stumble and they fumble because they haven’t really done those things. So, I think that an honest person, even if you don’t come with a lot of experience, you have to get experience sometime, so maybe the interviewer is willing to train you and invest time in you. So be honest, and also someone that is on time for their interview. If you’re late, or just didn’t call, didn’t show up, then showed up a day late, or after a week – not good.

Interviewer: What kind of answers do you look for in an interview?
Macy’s Hiring Manager: I look for answers that match the application. If you’ve already said something on the application, that’s pretty much what I’m referring to. So I want to make sure that we hit all of those points.

Interviewer: How can an interviewee tell if the interview went well?
Macy’s Hiring Manager: I think eye contact, a good handshake at the end, a “Call me” or “I’ll call you.” A second interview is always good. If they tell you to come back, that’s not a bad thing. If they want you to meet their boss or somebody else, it went well. And, you can kind of tell. If you were nervous or you were fumbling, or you were any of those things, you weren’t honest, or you were late, it probably didn’t go well.

Interviewer: What should an applicant do to prepare for the interview?
Macy’s Hiring Manager: Definitely have all of your paperwork in order. Know which jobs you worked at, what their addresses are, who a contact person is that you worked for, “John Smith” at blahblahblah company. Let “John Smith” know you used him as a reference. Know what dates you worked there and also know what you want to do at the new company because there’s a lot of different positions, and if you don’t know what you want to do, then that’s going to be tough.

Interviewer: What should an applicant do after leaving the interview?
Macy’s Hiring Manager: I always – corny – sent a thank you card, always for every single job interview that I ever had. When I got hired, they always said, “You know what, people used to do that, but they don’t do that anymore.” So, maybe a thank you card, thank you email.

Interviewer: Describe the advancement opportunities for someone just starting out.
Macy’s Hiring Manager: You can move up; you can start as a sales associate or you can start as an inventory clerk, and you can move up to be anything, anything that you want to be. I mean it’s wide open at Macy’s. Put in the time and show that you are a dedicated employee, show up for work, be there on time, and be willing to learn new things, and you can definitely move up.