francesca's Store Manager Interview Questions
& Process

Got a call from the District Mgr the day after I applied. After a quick 10 min chat, we set up an in-person interview for the next week at the Woodbridge, NJ store. The interview was pretty standard - they talked about company culture and asked about my past experiences. Then, I had to put together two outfits for a customer. I was there for about 3 hours because she also showed me their store reports and floor-set docs. It felt like training, which was cool. She mentioned setting up a phone interview with her Regional for the following week but I haven't heard back. The interview was Oct 1st and it's now the 28th. I've called twice. With 25 years of experience, I expect better communication. My policy is to always respond within 2 weeks, even with a rejection, because how you handle it reflects on the company.

I sent in my application online and it took about two weeks to hear back. A district manager called me and set up an interview with her. After that, she arranged a phone interview with a regional manager! My interview with the district manager went really well; she seemed like a nice and professional person who genuinely cared about her job and the company. The phone interview with the regional manager was great too! She was interested in understanding my personality and my working style and even asked how I presented myself, which I found interesting! I was quite nervous and even though I knew the answers to some questions, I struggled to articulate them perfectly. However, my positive experiences with both managers made me really want to work for this company. I'm looking for a place that values passion and loyalty, and I'm not someone who complains much.

I applied on April 1, 2011. HR contacted me about two weeks later for a phone interview. Two weeks after that, they called to schedule an in-person interview, which required a six-hour drive. The Monday before the Tuesday interview, HR confirmed the location and time via email, and asked me to print and fill out an application to bring. The interview time was moved up by 30 minutes, and the email was sent after 10 am, so I didn't get it until late that evening at my hotel. The next day, I couldn't print the application. As I was heading to the interview, the regional manager 'S' called to say she'd be late due to GPS issues. I had already scouted the location the previous evening, so I was on time. I waited 20 minutes for her at a busy restaurant. Once she arrived, she seemed disappointed, barely greeted me, and went to the restroom. While waiting, I noticed another woman who seemed to be interviewing as well, and people at nearby tables were listening. This made it hard to concentrate. I was worried about not having the application, as I assumed I'd fill it out there. I gave her my resume and a reference list, but she confused them and assumed I lacked retail experience. She dismissively told me to email her the application and that she had other interviews. I knew I wouldn't be hired. I said I would email it and started to leave, but she seemed surprised and started talking again. I sat back down, confused, but she dismissed me again. I left feeling my time and effort were wasted. I emailed the application and was waiting for a reference when they emailed me that the position was filled. It was a lie; they reposted the job a week later. The regional manager's territory is huge, and there are no D.M.'s, so I question how much support store managers get. The pay is low for retail management. I suspect if you're taller or prettier than 'S', you won't get the job. Don't mention kids, as she rolled her eyes. HR wanted me, but 'S' didn't from the start. She didn't have my resume or anything to take notes with.