I have about a year of customer service experience, but none specifically in retail. I applied online for a position as a Seasonal Sales Associate in BP at my local Nordstrom. About a week later on a Friday I received an e-mail to schedule a phone "screening" with Human Resources. Went to the link to schedule a date and time. Monday at 1 p.m. The woman I spoke with called right on time and was very polite. She asked basic questions covered here. Why do you want to work for Nordstrom? Name a time when you went above and beyond for a customer? What is your availability? etc. It was about 5 minutes long, super short. At the end of it she asked me to schedule an in-person interview with HR for the next day. I met with a very nice man from HR who took me down to a room in Customer Service for the interview. He asked me many of the same questions, including one about why I wanted to work in BP. He told me he would go get the department manager if she was available so I could meet her in person. He came back and said she was busy with a customer, but that she would call me soon to discuss if she wanted to move forward. He basically explained that he weeds out people to talk to the department manager and she decides if she wants to meet with them based on his notes. The assistant department manager called me the next day and explained that my availability didn't fit in with what they needed, but she could refer me back to HR to find another position. I told her my availability was flexible and we worked it out. She asked me to come in for an interview the next afternoon. I met with her and the department manager for the interview. Slightly intimidating, but they were both young and super friendly. They asked me the same kinds of questions as HR. Mostly behavioral questions about how I have dealt with customers and coworkers in the past. They took me out to the sales floor and asked me to pick out 3 outfits for a girl on a first date. There wasn't a time limit or anything specific about the outfits. I picked out 3 outfits I thought were cute and came to show them. They asked me why I picked them and asked questions about how I would handle the customer. These questions were mostly about how to close the sale and how to communicate with other people. Not too difficult. They said they would get back to me soon because I was the last person they interviewed and to expect a phone call. When I got home I had already had an e-mail from Nordstrom asking for more information from me. It was a form asking birthdate, SS number, and references. As far as I know, they didn't call my references. The next day I got a call from the department manager in the morning offering me the job! My training starts next week. Overall, it was a positive experience. I tend to be nervous in interviews, but everyone was very nice and open to answering any questions I had during the entire process.