Clinique Sales Associate Interview Questions
& Process

My friend who is the Clinique Counter Manager recommended me for the job since we had good sales chemistry at the Ulta. My first interview was with her manager, and it was super easy. She even gave me some tips for the Esteé Lauder Talent Plus phone interview. A couple days later, I had the phone interview. The interviewer had good energy at first, but then had to switch to a neutral tone for the objective interview, so she couldn't explain the questions much. Some questions felt a bit weird. It was a stressful interview because Esteé Lauder seems to prioritize personality over work ethic. I think I did okay, but I didn't get the job. Apparently, they thought I wasn't interested in growing with the company because when asked 'where do you see yourself in 5 years?', I said I wanted to grow with Clinique and eventually work in graphic design for the corporate team.

I first sent a short cover letter and my resume in response to a Craigslist ad. Then I got an email back asking for an interview, which I scheduled. The first interview was one-on-one and included scenario questions about helping customers with makeup choices. It went well and the interviewer was professional. At the end, I was asked if I'd be willing to do a phone interview with Estee Lauder Talent Plus, and I agreed. A few days later, Talent Plus called and scheduled an interview. About three more days passed before I had this interview. It was a group interview with 4 applicants total, and the best one would get the job. The interview was 45 minutes and had questions about thinking about work outside of work and how organized I am. It went well, and I was then asked to interview for a management position, which I accepted. After a short break, I was interviewed for about an hour and a half. The questions were similar but more focused on management situations, like handling employee conflicts and making scheduling decisions. After the two-hour phone interviews, I was told I'd hear back in two days or less. Five days later (I interviewed the day before Thanksgiving, so I get it), I got an email from the original interviewer asking me to come in. I agreed and scheduled a time. When I went in, she asked if I'd interview with the store manager, since I'd be hired by the store. I agreed and scheduled that. I interviewed with the store manager and was offered the job. That final interview was basic, asking about honesty and being a team player. Afterwards, I met with the counter manager again, signed papers, and got introduced to the job.

The Talent Plus interview was tough because the interviewer couldn't explain the questions. Since I hadn't sold cosmetics before, I had to pull examples from other jobs about meeting sales goals, getting recognized for it, or handling unhappy customers. My past roles were in education, making it hard to find specific examples for some questions. They also asked me to rate myself on honesty, loyalty, and having a positive attitude. They asked how many hours I worked daily in prior jobs and how I deal with negative people. Some people said the Talent Plus interviewer seemed cold, but mine seemed sorry she couldn't explain things and repeated a question when I missed part of it. The best prep was reading others' comments, writing down the questions, and thinking about my answers. I guess I passed because I got to interview with the cosmetics line's account rep. But during that one-on-one, I realized this high-stress cosmetics sales job wasn't for me due to the expectations: daily sales targets, weekly credit card sign-up goals, follow-up calls (a thank you 2 days after purchase, checking in 2 weeks later about a follow-up appointment and product performance, and calling 2 months later because they might be running low), making calls to pre-sell products before promotions, and working 12-14 hour shifts for Black Friday. As a frequent cosmetics buyer, I wouldn't want calls 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months after buying something. I'd know they value my business if they were nice and thanked me during the sale. I'd go back if I had questions or issues. If the initial sale was genuine, I'd return when I needed more. Post-sale calls would feel like spam.