Nordstrom store candidates in 2025-26 describe one 30-minute interview with a department or store manager, sometimes after a short phone call, with behavioral questions about customers and teamwork and, for many selling roles, a role-play where you sell a product to the interviewer. Hiring Day walk-ins interview with one to three managers in a row and are often hired the same day. Seattle software engineers report a phone screen and a four-interview loop with coding, system design and behavioral rounds.
Store candidates describe the interview as easy and friendly. Complaints are about logistics: a manager missing on interview day, timed interviewers at a crowded event, and confusion over which role or department was being filled.
Nordstrom interview rounds by role
| Role | Rounds reported | Typical length |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Associate | Phone call or email, then one manager interview | About 30 minutes |
| Commission Sales | Manager interview plus a role-play sale or outfit pick | 30 minutes |
| Hiring Day walk-in | Short interviews with one to three managers | About an hour on site |
| Nordstrom Rack | Phone interview, then department and store manager interviews | 30 minutes each |
| Software Engineer (Seattle) | Phone screen, then four 45-minute interviews | Two to three weeks overall |
Nordstrom interview process in 2025-26: store reports
These are self-reported Glassdoor reviews. Each is one person’s account.
- Sales Associate, October 2026 (accepted offer). Basic questions about difficulties at past jobs and getting to know the candidate, then an attempted sale with a fake customer, which they found easy.
- Sales Associate, October 2026 (accepted offer). A round table with multiple departments and several candidates at once. Afterwards you are placed in the department that fits you; the candidate advised matching the customer profile of the department you want.
- Sales Associate, Lynnwood, WA, September 2026 (accepted offer). Mostly behavioral: a time you worked on a team, a time you had to manage multiple deadlines.
- Sales Associate, Charlotte, NC, September 2026 (accepted offer). HR set up the interview clearly; the candidate sat with a manager in the store, then got a tour of the store and department.
- Sales Associate, August 2026 (accepted offer, three days start to finish). A 30-minute interview with experience-based scenarios that ended with a role-play: sell a product to the interviewer under specific circumstances. Also asked about competitions won or notable achievements at past jobs.
- Sales Associate, August 2026 (accepted offer). The manager who set up the interview was not in the store, so a manager from another department ran it in the store cafe. Questions were about selling situations, including how to drive sales when traffic is low, and the manager explained how commission works.
- Sales Associate, Austin, TX, April 2026 (accepted offer). Interview at the Barton Creek mall store; the hiring manager asked how they would handle difficult customers and about relevant past experience.
- Sales Associate, Boca Raton, FL, April 2026 (accepted offer). Walked in on National Hiring Day from a job at a nearby store, talked about their sales numbers at that store, and was hired.
Detailed interview experiences
Experience 1: Hiring event, Los Angeles (July 2026, accepted offer)
The candidate went to a hiring event rather than applying for one posting. Interviews were repetitive but easy, with a question about a time they made a customer happy. Their main advice was to ask to interview for more than one department, since that improves your odds of getting a department you want. A May 2026 Thousand Oaks candidate had a similar job fair experience and was hired on the spot; they said the questions were about personality and who you are, plus “how would you sell a product”, and that Kids was the easiest department to get into because it needed people.
Experience 2: Retail Sales Associate, Austin hiring event (interviewed June 2023, posted February 2026, accepted offer)
The event was full and two people asked the questions. Interviewers were timed and had a line of applicants, so each conversation was brief. Nordstrom was hiring seasonal, full-time and part-time staff at once, and the interviewers were unsure which role the candidate was being interviewed for. They still received an offer within about a week.
Experience 3: Commission Sales Associate, Aventura, FL (2023, accepted offer)
A first conversation with one person, then an interview with the manager of the department they seemed suited for. The department manager asked the candidate to pick out an outfit for a pretend customer and explain each piece. The question they recall: talk about a previous great experience you gave a customer. A Skokie, Illinois commission sales candidate (interviewed 2019) also had to sell a product to the manager after a series of questions about overcoming a difficult situation.
Experience 4: Walk-in interview event (interviewed June 2023, posted November 2025, accepted offer)
A manager interviewed the candidate on the spot for about 15 minutes and said they would most likely get the position. A different manager called a few hours later with basic questions and hired them. The question recalled: tell me about a time you handled conflict.
Experience 5: Nordstrom Rack (2015-2016 reports)
Rack reports on Glassdoor are mostly from 2015-2016. A Columbus, Ohio candidate had a phone interview about availability and work experience, then a 30-minute in-store interview with the department manager and the store manager; they called the store after not hearing back and received an offer. A Chino, California candidate said the second interview sometimes happens the same day and that a call usually comes the same day or the next. A Chicago candidate with no sales experience was offered the job about a week after an in-store interview. Process details may have changed since.
Experience 6: Software Engineer, Seattle (2025-26)
Five Glassdoor reports from 2024-2026, all in Seattle or listed as US. A February 2026 candidate had a phone screen and a four-interview loop: an architecture panel, two behavioral interviews and two LeetCode-style questions, one about implementing a sorting algorithm; no offer. A June 2025 candidate had four 45-minute interviews (behavioral, a “trendsetter” round that turned into system design, a LeetCode medium coding round, and system design) and was asked to describe a product they deployed. A May 2025 candidate had system design, behavioral, a bar raiser and coding, and said the system design round was the tricky one.
Nordstrom interview questions that come up often
Store and Rack
- Why do you want to work here? What do you know about Nordstrom?
- Tell me about a time you made a customer happy, or went above and beyond.
- Tell me about a time you worked on a team, or managed multiple deadlines.
- Tell me about a time you completed a task under pressure.
- How would you handle a difficult customer?
- What would you do to drive sales when traffic is low?
- How do you keep up with fashion trends?
- Sell me this product, or pick an outfit for this customer.
- What is your availability?
Software Engineer
- A LeetCode medium; implement a sorting algorithm; code the 2048 game
- System design or an architecture panel
- Tell me about a product you deployed
Sample answers are on the Nordstrom behavioral interview questions page.
Nordstrom interview tips from these candidates
- Practice the role-play. At least four of the reports above included selling a product or styling a pretend customer.
- Ask about more than one department at a hiring event.
- Match the department. Dress and talk like someone who would shop there.
- Bring numbers. The Boca Raton walk-in was hired after talking through what they sold at a previous store.
- Follow up. The Columbus Rack candidate only got the offer after calling the store.
How long the Nordstrom hiring process takes
Glassdoor lists an average of 11 days to hire for Sales Associates, 10 days for Retail Sales Associates, 11 days for Commissioned Sales Associates and Rack Sales Associates, and 21 days for Software Engineers. The company-wide average is 14 days. Hiring event candidates often had an answer the same day.
Sources
- Glassdoor interview reports: Sales Associate, Retail Sales Associate, Commissioned Sales Associate, Sales Associate- Rack, Software Engineer
- Illinois workNet: Nordstrom Oakbrook Hiring Event, June 11, 2026
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