I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Gap (Indianapolis, IN) in May 2012
Interview
Filled out an application online, and I received a phone call a little less than a week later. We set up an appointment for the interview about 5 days later. Dressed professionally, arrived about 10 minutes early, and met with the store manager. We stood off to the side of the store while she interviewed me (odd location). Asked questions about my past retail experience, how I would handle meeting sales and credit card quotas, how to handle products I don't know much about (there is a GAP kids attached to the GAP), why the GAP, and how I work well with others.
I made sure I did some research on the company before I went to the interview. I typically shop at the big three (Old Navy, GAP, Banana Republic) so I knew quite a bit about the clothing line. She asked me if I had a GAP card, and I said no and explained that I didn't want any additional credit cards because that was my personal financial decision. She then asked how I would handle a customer who didn't want a GAP card. I was honest - I told her that I more than likely wouldn't push a customer to get a credit card. In this economy, people are wary of going more into debt, so I would be sensitive to that because not everyone would be willing to open a GAP card. I then mentioned that, in order to have someone sign up for a card, you have to focus on the positives - the fact that the card offers a discount. It's the company's way of saying 'thank you' for the customer's loyalty. She seemed pleased with that answer.
Was offered a position about three days later. The assistant manager called me and said that the manager must have "really liked you because we weren't going to hire any part-time or seasonal sales associates." I thought this was odd because they had posted a need for a part-time sales associate. He wanted to start training the next day, but I asked him what the position was, the salary, and my responsibilities. He said I would be a part-time sales associate, I would make $8/hr, and I would be in the front of house. I asked for three days to think about it, and then I called back to decline the job offer.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you convince a customer to sign up for a GAP card?
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Gap (Broomfield, CO) in Mar 2012
Interview
After applying online I received a call from the Assistant Store Manager with in days, requesting to set a date for my first interview. The interview with the ASM was 1:1. I was asked to give examples of how I would interact with customers in different scenarios. Example..."What would you do if you were the fitting room attendant and multiple customers needed you to get them various styles and sizes of clothing"
The interview was surprisingly & extremely short, seemed more like a casual conversation than a job interview.
My first impression of the ASM was very good. She seemed to enjoy her job, she spoke highly of the GAP as a whole and was very friendly.
I got a call with in a few days from the Store Manager for a second interview. This interview was 1:1 also, not very detailed and took about 15 minutes. My first impression of the SM was similar the that of the ASM. Cheerful, happy, friendly, welcoming. Within a week I was offered the job, I accepted on behalf of the good impressions I got from the managers.
On the job...The store operates in a militant sort of way, every move you make needs to be reported over Walkies to managers. The ASM schedules employees for 4hr shifts regardless of availability so no one gets breaks. When I was hired I wish they had told me all my shifts would be 2-4 hours long, as a commuter I was spending more time coming and going than working! When I spoke to the SM about this inconvenience she rudely told me "this is the way it is done here, it's so that we don't have to schedule any one to cover your breaks". The schedules come out weekly, two days in advance of coming Mondays. Not enough time in advance to make any plans or keep appointments what so ever. On-call shifts are common at the GAP. Generally 4 out of 5 shifts every week would be on-call, meaning until 2 hours before my scheduled shift I would not know wether I would be working or not. It's incredibly stressful to have your life at the mercy of a ill spirited manager. It seemed like Leader on duty(or manager)'s mood determined wether or not I would be working.
During my interview with the Store Manager I was told GAP has a very low turn over rate. I respect that in a company, it means they treat their employee's well! It was part of the reason I accepted the job in the first place.
Here's the truth: With in my first month 13 hourly employees quit. Two ladies who were both hired at the same time as my self resigned with in weeks. Every employee I spoke with in the break room complained of unfair treatment, the stress of working under an unpredictable schedule and boss made this job unbearable. It was a bad sign.
In short, this is definitely a temporary kind of job. Very high turn over rate. Unpredictable schedule. Strict militant unhappy managers. Not the best situation.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
How would you handle multiple customers in the fitting room?
I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Gap in Nov 2009
Interview
I applied online and I walked in and spoke with a manager and let them know I was interested. I then got a call that week for an interview and was offered a job.