I applied online, which included filling out some personality questionnaires, and heard nothing for over a week. I am a college freshmen, with almost zero work experience, and was in the process of job hunting so I didn't take it personally that I hadn't heard back since no where really seemed to be interested in me. However, I was very surprised when I got a phone call from the manager of one of the Gap's I had applied at asking me to come in and interview. The interview was set for a couple of days after that phone call. I came in and I had a 1 on 1 interview with the manager I had spoken to on the phone. The manager was very talkative which was nice because I didn't feel that I was put on the spot and "left-hanging" as much as I had been in other interviews. I was confident, I made lots of eye contact, and I could tell that this impressed the manager. I took every opportunity I could to emphasize how much I value great customer service - which was a good choice because the manager then proceeded to tell me how the Gap wanted it's employees to be "customer obsessed." This prompted some questions about how I would handle some hypothetical situations which involved me prioritizing tasks and being able to multitask - and I answered all of them by making it clear that the customer would be my #1 priority. He then asked me to pick out an outfit for him and my only guidelines were that it had to be for a male customer. I had five minutes (the first thing I did was look at all the mannequins and try to pick out something very similar) and I ended up picking out two "variations" of an outfit (I didn't really plan on doing this but I was torn between two options so I just picked both and chalked it up to "giving the customer options based on their personal preferences"). The manager didn't seem totally "wowed" by my choices - he actually expressed that he didn't like one of the shirt options that much (which is ironic because I noticed as he was talking that it was the exact shirt on the mannequin behind him). I didn't really let that phase me though and I just kept exuding the same confidence that I had during the 1 on 1 part. I proceeded to put away all of the clothes I had picked out and I could tell he really liked that. That was pretty much the end of the interview - he told me that if I was picked I would hear back within a few days and if not I would get a generic "thanks but no thanks" e-mail. I got a call about four days later and he offered me a job! Bottom line, while I'm sure previous work experience is a big plus, my interview experience with the Gap goes to show that they are looking for someone who is confident in their ability to go above and beyond for a customer - so if you get a chance to interview, keep that in mind!

Group interview with other candidates with the store manager. Arrive at the store and wait for other candidates. Then interview happens in break room and it lasted roughly about 30-60minutes