California Closets Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process felt pretty long. First, I went to the showroom for an interview and some spatial reasoning tests. Then, I had a Zoom interview with a sales manager. After that, I met another designer and had to do a field measurement and a homework assignment, which was designing a closet.

The interview was over a video call. California Closets is a franchise, and they were very attentive during the call, leaving room for questions. The interviewer explained what they do and the basic process from start to finish.

Typically the process is pretty simple. A recruiter or someone will call after you apply, then the manager will call. After that, there's a spatial test that doesn't really measure actual design understanding. I did this test for a company in Ohio, and even though the manager said they were ready to hire me, I never heard back. Very unprofessional. Then I interviewed in another state, and it was the same thing. I do think they have a racial bias there, because I know I'm qualified. I read about it when I was thinking about applying. Before they knew I wasn't white, they seemed interested in hiring me, but afterwards, no communication.

This was an interview that was scheduled but ultimately didn't happen. I'm sharing this because the handling of it was disappointing. The interview was set for Wednesday at 11:30 AM. On the morning of, at 8 AM, the interviewer contacted me saying something came up and they needed to reschedule, asking for my availability the following week. I was bummed because I'd prepped for this interview and made sure my schedule was clear. But I get that sometimes things are out of your control. I let her know my available dates and times for the next week, as requested. I figured I'd hear back that day or the next at the latest, confirming a time. But I didn't. The next day, I checked my sent folder to be sure my reply went through, which it did. I decided to send a follow-up message, reiterating my availability and that I was still really keen on interviewing for the role. It's now been a month and I haven't heard back. I'm guessing the job's filled or been nixed by now, but a simple follow-up would've been nice. I think companies sometimes don't realize or appreciate how much effort candidates put into preparing for interviews, and this experience was a prime example.