I found out about the Macy's Store Management EDP from working in the store and communicating with a recruiter the end of my junior year. I started the process end of August-beginning of September. Since they did not visit my school, I had a phone interview which was behavioral based questions. I also had to complete a timed retail math test. It took about a month before I was able to even set up my second interview, which was another behavioral based interview via webcam. In both cases, they are looking for examples in which you have demonstrated leadership, considering this is for a position in which you will be leading a team.
After that interview, it was another month before I got any feedback indicating whether or not I was moving on to the on-site interviewing. I work for Macy's, and they had apparently notified my HRM to tell me the good news, which to my knowledge never happend.
Once you're invited to the on-sites, you have to complete a series of online questionnaires, one of which I took over 3 years ago. They're pretty simple. One is to see how you behave in certain situations, how you would fit with their culture.
As everyone has mentioned before, they really take great care of the candidates for the on-sites. I stayed at a great hotel, they took us out to dinner and provided breakfast and lunch on the last day. If you go to the on-sites, make sure you keep your receipts because they reimburse costs associated with the trip.
So the on-sites...the first day is all about seeing how you interact with the other candidates and making yourself standout. You learn more about Macy's and have a few guest speakers talk about their experience and there is a Q&A. The second day is when all the real interviewing and group work happens. Candidates are put into teams to go through the activites of the day. You will complete two more 1:1 interviews, this will vary depending on what interviews you have completed prior to the on-sites. I had an interview based on the results of the personality test that we had to take, which just is to see what you say in comparision to what you said online. This I struggled with a little bit because in the past 3 years or so, some of my opinions have changed, therefore; I may have not been consistent with every answer. The other 1:1 was a case in which you select an associate to coach based on a department's scorecard results. Since I had worked with Macy's for over 3 years, I found this to be easy because I was very familiar with their process of coaching and MAGIC selling.
We also did two group activities. One was to review a store's scorecard and select three departments in which you would focus on that week in order to improve sales. Everyone presents their choices and then there is a short Q&A with the executives that are evaluating you. The second activity was to make your claim as to why the department you manage, should have a full-time position added. You get time to prepare, present to the group then come together to make collectively decide the best option for the store. In this activity, it's not about making sure your department is the one chosen, necessarily. You have to decide as a group what is the best thing to do for the store. Also, this is another major point where they look at your personality and leadership skills. This is one of the best times to try to demonstrate that and impress them.
There is also a program overview which just goes over what to expect and the different steps in the program. They get back to you in two weeks to let you know if they want you to join the Magic of Macy's.
I did not get an offer and when I asked for feedback, I was told I would get it, yet I'm still waiting on that. Hopefully I get it, I have a feeling I will not.
I think they do a great job with the interviewing process and if you are interested in a retail career or leadership opportunity, this is a fantastic program. Although I will not be staying with Macy's , I have learned so much about retail, sales and leadership and am excited to use my knowledge in another opportunity. Good luck to anyone interviewing!