I applied in-person. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at DSW in May 2009
Interview
it is a group interview and they ask you about your other experiences in your previous jobs. they ask you why you chose DSW. They ask you about difficult situations that you went through and how you overcame them. And also they ask you about difficult customers that you had to deal with in your previous jobs. They were pretty much asking basic questions that would be asked at any other interview. Just be careful, since it is a group interview you do not want to be too talkative or too shy. Just be yourself and have confidence. Make sure you say you've been in the store shopping before and you noticed how the associates are with the customers and you like feel you are qualified enough to be part of the team. GOOD LUCK.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
what was the most difficult situation that you've ever faced in your previous jobs? and how did you resolve it?
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%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -