I applied through college or university. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at American Eagle Outfitters (Pittsburgh, PA) in Nov 2010
Interview
I was initially really impressed with the company during the first round. The final round was a lot more shady. It seemed as if right off the bat the HR people had favorites and if you weren't one of them, it felt as if you were literally wasting your time. They spent a lot of time badmouthing Abercrombie and trying to convince everyone how great Pittsburgh is. It was also a little bit too casual almost bordering on unprofessional. Unlike the first round where they prepared us well for what to expect, the final round seemed like more a gotcha game with surprise challenges. It felt like America's Next Top Model and not in a good way. It seemed like the chosen few were already hired and pretty much just had to show up. Everyone else was basically a seat filler. Overall, I feel like they hired people who are a lot like the people who already work there.
I applied through college or university. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at American Eagle Outfitters (Pittsburgh, PA)
Interview
I applied through a posting on our university jobboard. After an initial phone interview with HR, I was flown to Pittsburgh to interview with a buyer and then participate in a 2 day interview program. There were probably 2-3 dozen candidates and 2 days of activities including rounds of interviews back to back in a hotel meeting room (where 10 other candidates are interviewed at the same time at different tables), meet-and-greet the buyers at happy hour etc. Like someone mentioned, it was like a sorority rush event.
FYI: The company is not very diverse. Most employees are from Pittsburgh and/or University of Pittsburgh.
There were a lot of interviews in a short period of time. The final interview event was in Pittsburgh at the home offices. The final interviews lasted 2 days and were a mixture of presentations, in depth interviews, and social experiences to gauge one's personality.
