Calico Interview Questions
& Process

The interviews were pretty laid back. Started with meeting the manager, then the assistant manager and the person doing the job, and finally the regional manager. I felt good about it until they offered an hourly rate much lower than what I put on my application. It took 3 weeks with interviews spread out, and I felt like my time was wasted. It was pretty insulting, and not a living wage for the area. It looks like profits are only for the owner or higher-ups, with no chances for growth or real bonuses or raises over time.

I initially spoke with the regional manager since the new local manager was out of town for management training. She made a special trip to Texas just to interview candidates. When I did meet the manager, my impression was that although friendly she was out of her element. She had no design experience and very limited fabric knowledge. Our needs did not match up. Calico fills it's employee slots with part-timers.

It started with a phone interview where they set up a visit to the store for a face-to-face interview. Even though it was for a part-time role, they gave me a test on really basic math. During the interview, they asked about fabrics, my sales approach, how I'd connect with customers, and how I'd follow up. They emphasized furniture sales and discussed goals, including an hourly rate goal even for part-time staff. I'm not totally clear on how quotas work if a client you closed comes back when you're not working. Not meeting the quota could lead to being reprimanded and potentially let go. The store didn't seem very busy, so we walked around, and it's a pretty environment.

First, you'll meet with the store manager. You'll discuss your background, career aspirations, and your reasons for applying to Calico. Following that, you'll tackle a really enjoyable exercise. This involves selecting samples from the store's inventory to create a design for a hypothetical room.