I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at JCPenney in May 2009
Interview
There were 3 phone interviews and one in-person interview. Various HR and field managers were the interviewers. The interviews were spaced about 1 week apart, and worked up the chain of command to a regional manager. The interviews were long and detailed, with much role-playing and/or questions regarding personnel management and handling employee issues. Very little time was spent on product or sales information. The interviews were quite difficult, but I have many years in retail, and so I did very well. I was a finalist for the position, and they had to decide between a current JC Penney Manager and me. They decided to promote from within. While it was disappointing to spend so much time (4-1/2 weeks) on the process and not get the job, it was at least a little comforting to know that they do promote from within.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
Describe an employee that you turned around from a non-performing marginal employee to a productive, valuable employee.
How would you handle an employee who had been warned on several occasions about being late to work, and who comes in late again, saying he had been in an auto accident.
I applied online. I interviewed at JCPenney (Atlanta, GA) in Mar 2020
Interview
The initial contact was made through a hiring agency who conducted pre interviews. After that, the company conducted 2 rounds of telephone interviews and a chat with the department head
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What challenges have you faced with training retail staff
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at JCPenney in Jul 2017
Interview
Very disorganized. I applied over Indeed only in order to receive a very rude email from their general mamager to apply on their website and to make sure to be available on weekends / those shifts are mandatory. Hmm did not like such an approach at all so I submitted my application online with my exact availability times (which is not according to their demands cus I have a family and a life besides retail), and emailed back the genereal manager to let him know that I have applied. 2 days later I missed the call from their HR to schedule an interview so I call back, but she is busy (yelling in the background) and she'll call me back later. She did not call back so I call again the next day but she is off so another HR girl is asking me again about my availability which I stated online and I said that its not going to change. I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was not pleased but she schedules me to come in for an interview a few days later. Meanwhile the other HR person calles me and wants to know again about my availability so at that point I was seriously fed up but did go to the interview just for the heck of it. It was an group interview with high school kids applying for their 1st job - are you kidding me? Luckily there were 2 more adults in that group of 15 people they've called. So we got to play some type of a group "build a block construction game" in a small room with not enough chairs. All of us adults have checked out during that game and when that was over they were calling 1 by 1 of us for an face to face interview. Total time spent there over 2 hours only to be asked : "tell me about yourself" and more explaining about my availability to the same girl I spoke on the phone...really tiring. From her attitude and how she was talking down to me I knew they would never call me back for a 2nd interview with the general manager and quite honest at that point I did not want to hear back from none of them!
I applied in-person. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at JCPenney (Sandy, UT)
Interview
Not a typical interview, personal getting to know you questions, very casual process. The office was very dirty and the manager almost seemed uninterested. It took a total of 30 min. There was a packet of questions that I assume were supposed to have been asked but it wasn't even opened. I was asked about my previous experience and about me personally at the end I was told that someone would get back to me.
