I was called by the HR Manager on a Monday, 2 to 3 weeks after applying. She asked me to tell her about myself and asked some basic questions. She asked if I could come in on Wednesday at 11am for talent tryouts, which is basically a group interview, but with games that require you to work as a team. I got there 25 minutes early. I went to the back offices where I was directed to sit and wait for the HR Manager. She was about 15 minutes early for the interview. I was then directed to sit in an office with a long table and pick up a name-tag with my name on it. There were five other name-tags on the table and a bunch of long, colored blocks, similar to Lincoln logs. At 11 o-clock the HR Manager was starting to get a little peeved, because I was the only one who was there. I guessed something similar had happened before, because when I got there, she had thanked me for showing up. She was very friendly to me and I could tell she was frustrated, because she told me that she had talked to 7 people on the phone, including me, who all said they would be there, but one called in and cancelled, and the rest were no shows. We waited til 11:15 am, then she started asking me questions. We talked about how we both went to cosmetology school, and we actually had a lot in common. She told me she liked me already, and that I was one of her favorites out of the people she talked to on the phone. I was actually really scared of the teamwork game I knew I would have had to play if everyone else had shown up, because I had researched it the night before, and I knew that I was horrible at memory games, although I know that I am a very good team member. I was really relieved I wouldn't have to play the game. After she asked me all her questions, she told me that she was going to go ahead and get the manager for me to talk to. It took awhile to get the manager in, and the HR Manager apologized a couple times. I didn't mind because it was actually a really pleasant interview, and I was just really excited to finally to be so close to getting a job, after I had been looking for a year. The manager came in and was very friendly. She was actually the one who had directed me to sit and wait in the office until the interview started, and I didn't even know it. She asked me some more questions, and was very nice. She smiled a lot, and basically talked about what the job would entail. Mostly fixing clothes, folding, refolding and hanging. I was very honest with my answers. At the end of the interview she told me that my background check would be done in about 4 business days, and that after that, I could start 30 day training. I was also told that most shifts are about 6 hours, but that they would be longer on holidays. Overall, it was a very pleasant interview, and I am really excited to start working there with such nice people. Just know, that I did a lot of research on JCPenneys and their interviews before I went in, and it was VERY helpful. Mae sure you smile a lot, sit up straight, and try to look confident, even if you are really nervous. I was super nervous, but I pulled it together, and had a really great interview.
