Urban Outfitters Manager Interview Questions
& Process

Started with a chat with the HR manager, who was great. Then had a zoom call with the Head of Design. She was also really nice and easy to talk to. She asked about my background and then asked me to put together a project. The project was to research and present trend boards for the upcoming season, covering key shapes, prints, and fabrics for Urban Outfitters' different customer groups. After that, I went in person to present the project to the Head of Design. From there, I moved on to meet and present to the Managing Director and Design Director of the brand. This was the most nerve-wracking part because they're so senior at Urban Outfitters. But they were polite, professional, and made me feel comfortable. They really liked my presentation and asked about my career and experience. They also shared some of their own career journeys and their vision for Urban's growth. It was a really good meeting. My only gripe was the time it took to schedule each step, though I get that hiring at a management level takes time. Getting feedback after the interviews also took a while. HR let me know that someone internal applied last minute, and they went with that person. They thought my experience might be a better fit for a senior creative role, which I agreed with after the interview. Overall, it was a positive experience.

The whole process took about 2 months and had 4 stages: a phone interview with recruitment, an in-person interview with someone from recruitment, an interview with the store manager, and then an interview with the womenswear department manager. After the final interview, they said I'd hear back by Monday with a decision, but I didn't. I emailed recruitment about the decision status but got no reply. I called the next Monday, a week after they said I'd hear back, and was told the store manager hadn't decided but would call me by the end of that day with an outcome. Again, no call. I called the following Monday and was assured I'd hear back with a decision, successful or not... still no call. The next week, still nothing, making it 3 weeks after my final interview and being told 3 times I'd be contacted by a certain time and not hearing anything. I made one last call for a straight answer and was told my interview was unsuccessful. I really think they were waiting for me to stop contacting them to avoid telling me I didn't get the job. If you're thinking of applying to Urban Outfitters, be careful, I don't recommend it at all; they wasted my time and were so unprofessional. Getting ignored after positive feedback from the store manager is outrageous. The recruitment office needs an investigation or serious training on how they treat candidates.

I interviewed for the Assistant Women's Manager role with the Store Manager and Women's Manager. The interview was held at a coffee shop nearby. They asked me about my previous experience, my motivation for joining the company, my reading habits regarding blogs, and my insights on current fashion trends.