Nordstrom began as a ancestors shoe aggregation in Seattle in 1901. It's aback developed into a mega banker with a workforce of added than 61,000 employees. Nordstrom currently operates 280 food in 37 states, including 117 full-line administration food in the United States and one in Canada, 159 Nordstrom Rack stores, two Jeffrey boutiques, and one Last Chance Clearance Abundance in Phoenix. Nordstrom additionally owns the online clandestine auction site, HauteLook.com, which has offices in Los Angeles, and Trunk Club, a abandoned accouterment service, with locations Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C., and LA.
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The cardinal of locations is rapidly adding as Nordstrom is in the action of a above amplification beyond all stores. There are job openings beyond the aggregation in areas alignment from retail sales to e-commerce administration to engineering. "I can't anticipate of a time aback we're not attractive for new employees," says Mary Porter, Nordstrom's administrator of aptitude acquisition. She shares how to get in on the hiring frenzy.
What qualities do you attending for in every candidate?
We're attractive for individuals who are amorous about retail and our company, and those who appetite to assignment adamantine and booty affliction of our customer. We assignment actually adamantine to do actually well.
What areas of the aggregation are growing fastest?
Our Rack analysis is rapidly expanding. We apprehend to accessible 33 new Rack food from now through 2016. There will additionally be 13 new administration abundance openings from now until 2018, which includes bristles food in Canada, and our aboriginal food in Puerto Rico and Manhattan.
We additionally accept a lot of advance accident in e-commerce and technology. As our barter added about-face to arcade online, the accent of our Nordstrom absolute business — including Nordstrom.com, our adaptable arcade experiences, and archive — has affiliated to grow. Specific opportunities accommodate designers (both agenda and apparel), web developers, e-commerce merchandisers, and artefact managers. The majority of these positions are based in Seattle, but HauteLook in LA frequently has agnate positions open.
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What types of jobs are accessible to contempo academy graduates?
We are consistently hiring retail positions in our food beyond the U.S. and Canada. We accept a appealing able internship program, which is abundant way to get your bottom in the door. We tend to appoint our interns.
What types of internships do you offer?
Internships are accessible to enrolled academy acceptance in six areas: retail management, affairs and planning, technology, and fashion, as able-bodied as an MBA internship and a accepted address internship. Interested acceptance can chase for the internship — or melancholia job — that they appetite through our online apprentice center. This summer, we had 900 interns beyond our food in the retail administration intern affairs alone.
Do you action acquittal and alteration abetment for interns?
Each of our internships offers aggressive advantage and a Nordstrom commodity discount. Our retail administration interns assignment on commission, so their advantage varies based on how abundant they sell. There is no absolute to how abundant they can earn. We do accommodate apartment abetment for our Seattle-based internships.
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How can an internship with Nordstrom accord a applicant a aggressive edge?
I anticipate it's an befalling to get to apperceive our ability and see how we work. This helps interns accomplish a actually acceptable best about which administration they appetite to go in their careers. We've additionally begin that accomplished interns hit the arena alive already they're hired. They tend to aloof acclimatize faster.
Do best jobs crave a specific degree?
There are some actual specialized roles that do accept amount requirements — such as those in engineering and technology — but in best cases we are attractive at all of your abilities and acquaintance abnormally to appraise whether or not you'll be acceptable for the role, and for the company.
Where do interviews booty place?
Depending on the role, we alpha anybody with a buzz interview. If they are applying to a bounded position, they will accept an account in that store. For candidates in accumulated roles, we may fly them in for in-person interviews in Seattle or conduct them via video conference.
What do you apprehend candidates to apperceive about the aggregation afore an interview?
It's consistently astute if they apperceive article new that's happened with the aggregation afresh and they can allocution about it intelligently. I like to see bodies do their due diligence.
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Do you apprehend candidates to accept a able online presence?
We do advance LinkedIn, and we collaborate with candidates there actually a bit. But we don't attending them up on the Internet.
Where do you about attending for candidates?
We get a ample accumulation of candidates through our careers site. We additionally use LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and SimplyHired. We're additionally alive on academy campuses. We accept partnerships at dozens of schools, including Florida State University, Texas A&M, the Appearance Institute of Technology, Washington State University, LIM College, Appearance Institute of Architecture & Merchandising, Washington State University, UC Berkley, USC, UCLA, Columbia, NYU, and abounding more.
Do you appear any specific job fairs?
We accomplice with the National Retail Federation, and we appear altered career fairs throughout the year. We're consistently attractive to recruit an agent citizenry that reflects the chump we serve. Some of the career fairs we abounding this year accommodate the National Black MBA Annual Conference, Out for Assignment National LGBTQ & Ally Academy Apprentice Career Conference, Appoint America's Heroes, NRF Apprentice Affairs at Shop.org, and the National Retail Federation's Big Show.
Is it OK for a job applicant to collaborate with you on amusing media?
Absolutely. We actually appetite to collaborate with candidates in means they appetite to collaborate with us. Email us, alarm us, acquisition our recruiters on LinkedIn, which is area recruiters are best readily available. Contacting us through claimed Facebook and Twitter accounts is beneath effective.
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How important is it for candidates to accept appearance and retail trends?
I anticipate it depends on the role, but for some roles it's actually analytical that they accept trends and the retail business — such as in artefact development, affairs and buying, and design. In added areas, it's acceptable to accept a affection for retail and the appearance industry alike if it's not a job requirement. It helps you chronicle to our customer.
What types of questions do you about ask in an interview?
"Why do you appetite to assignment at Nordstrom?" "Where do you see yourself in bristles years?" "What are the abilities and capabilities you accompany to the role that we should be acquainted of and aflame about?" "Tell me about areas area you charge development and allegorize how you will assignment on that."
What's the best way to adapt for a job at Nordstrom?
I anticipate there's bags of admonition about our aggregation online. Spend time on the careers site. We accept videos and admonition that can actually help. Spend time on our e-commerce armpit to accept that ancillary of the business as able-bodied so you can affix how that role influences what happens online or in our stores. Walking through the food is a acceptable way to accept what we feel like. Collaborate with a agent and ask questions.
What questions should a applicant consistently ask in an interview?
It's so important to consistently ask questions. It's acceptable to ask, "What does success attending like in this position?" Ask the accuser to allotment some of the successes they've had in their career. And ask them what they like best about alive at Nordstrom. Ask them, "What admonition would you accord to a new appoint to accept a acknowledged career at Nordstrom?" Maximize the time to ask them admonition that would admonition you accept how to succeed.
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What questions should never appear up?
I don't anticipate there's a bad question. I'm a backer of allurement a lot of questions and agreeable as abundant as possible.
Is it OK to accompany up salary?
Sure. It's fine. I anticipate it's important abnormally if you accept a bacon expectation. It's bigger to acquisition that out aboriginal in the process.
What's a aberration bodies accomplish in interviews all the time and don't apperceive it?
One aberration is not accepting any questions able to ask. You've got somebody sitting there; advantage that opportunity. Another aberration is addition who doesn't appear beyond as alive the company.
What's the best memorable affair anyone's done in an account that landed them the job?
We were accomplishing a video account with addition who was actually aflame to assignment at Nordstrom. She took the camera into her closet to appearance off her shoes, and explain her affection for appearance and retail. We started as a shoe aggregation so it resonated. And it was actually nice to see that akin of enthusiasm.
Do you appetite to apprehend about a candidate's extracurricular interests or passions alfresco of work?
I anticipate it's actually absorbing to get to apperceive what bodies are amorous about, abnormally academy acceptance who may not accept a actually all-encompassing assignment history. It's acceptable to see if they're in appearance clubs or if they're complex in added types of groups on campus or in the association that shows their administration capabilities.
What should candidates abrasion to an interview?
I anticipate it's important to dress professionally but in a way that best represents you and your style. Be accurate and be yourself. You should attending able but unique.
Do acknowledgment cards or emails amount to you?
Absolutely. But accomplish it personal. Accommodate article different about the chat that you had, article that shows you were actually alert or affiliated to the individual.
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