It was about a month long process in total. I had four interviews in total. I applied online for a Chanel Cosmetics Artistry position on a Saturday and received an email the following Monday to pick a time for a phone interview. I selected that Friday at 10:30am but they warn you that you may receive a phone call at any time during the two hour window (i.e. 10:30-12:30). On Friday an HR representative from the Seattle HQs called around 12. I was asked basic questions like "Why do you want to work at Nordstrom?" and "Describe a time you dealt with a difficult customer and how you handled it." At the end of the phone call she asked if I could go into my store for a group interview the following Monday. She suggested I dress "business professional" but to display my sense of fashion as well. The phone call was about 10 minutes. When I arrived it was actually not a group interview. We checked in with an employee and were called in individually to interview with our respective department managers. I was interviewed alone by the Cosmetic Department Manager. She asked me to describe my work history. I had no background in cosmetics but plenty in retail. She said that wouldn't be a problem as we are trained on the specific cosmetic line we work for. She said cosmetics was a very competitive department and asked how I felt about competition. I responded that competition made me perform at my highest levels because I wanted to be the best. Then she asked what I thought were important qualities to have for the job. I responded excellent customer service and the ability to upsell. She said she only had part time available and that she felt Lancome would be a better fit for me. She asked if I would be interested in that. I responded of course! She said she would pass me along to the Lancome Vendor and that I should hear from her in about a week. This interview was about 20 minutes. A week and a half passed and I still hadn't heard anything so I called the Dept. Manager that had interviewed me and asked if the position had been filled. She asked if I had ever heard from the vendor. When I told her I had not she said she would get in touch with her and see what was going on. Two days later I finally got a call from the vendor. She apologized for having taken so long, stating that an email about me had accidentally gone to her spam folder. She wanted to set up an interview for the following Monday. On Monday she called and interviewed me for about 40 mins. Her questions were much more specific to Lancome itself as one would expect. I did plenty of research on the brand and admitted that although I didn't have much experience using it I knew a lot about it and would love to be a representative. She asked what I thought made for a luxury experience. I responded with cleanliness of the counter, excellent customer service, and maintaining an attractive image. She said that image was actually very important and asked how I maintained my image. Then she asked if I was comfortable with applying makeup to faces. She said this was a huge part of the job and most people didn't realize that. The interview went well and she told me I'd hear back from the Cosmetics Manager soon. Three days later I got an unexpected phone call. It was the Lancome Counter manager whom I had never spoken to before. She interviewed me over the phone on the spot. She asked what I knew about the brand and what my favorite product was. She was friendly and the interview was brief - about 7 minutes. Again I was told I'd hear back from the Dept. Manager soon. The next day I got a call from the very person I was hoping for. The Cosmetics Dept. Manager asked how my interviews had gone. Then she asked if I could see myself as a Lancome girl. When I said yes she offered me a position. A month long and four interviews. My best advice research Nordstrom and the specific brand/department you want to work for and prepare interview question answers in advance.

Meet a hiring manager, meet the specific manager for your role, answer some simple questions. No demonstration of skills required. Expect to meet a few people before signing a contract.