Do not apply online for a Sears position

Since I graduate from graduate school in 10 months, I decided that it was time for me to start looking for a career. I already have a job. I did a little research on Sears and to be honest, I liked what they state as their culture.

So, I applied for a position via online. At the end of the application process it asked me which day and which time I would like to come in for an interview. I picked the next day first time slot.

I gathered all my question and did some more research to prepare myself for the interview the next day. To say the least, I was excited about the opportunity to join a company that offered career growth.

The next day came and I woke up early and went over my questions that I was going to ask the interviewer. Showered and put on my business suit and hit the highway. Sears is like 20 miles away from me so I had to leave early to compensate for the traffic.

When I arrive their the store is closed. They open up at 10am the exact time I am to have my interview. Since Sears is located in a mall in my area, I went inside the mall and found that the doors were open inside the mall and I started for HR department.

It was like a ghost town. I walked around until I was able to find an associate who could direct me to the HR department. Having gotten directions, I follow the direction to the area that was supposed to be the HR department. I was told to knock on the sliding glass and I did. No answer. Knock again. No answer. Now I'm beginning to think, its 5 min past my time for my interview and this place sure didn't look like the HR department, am I even in the right place!?

I go through the double doors and walk around to an office that is empty. I started to walk further back until one lady I ran a lady who had a walkie talkie. I asked her if she could direct me to the HR department. She told me that the HR department was right over where I came from, a small office in a corner. 2B continued

Having found the HR department, I waited for someone, anyone, in charge of interviewing. The same lady with the walkie talkie came back and saw me still standing there and she radioed for some manager to come to the back.

10 minutes later, a woman who claimed she was a manager asked me what she could do for me. I told her that I was there for a 10am interview. She told me to go have a seat out in the waiting room which acted also as the merchandise pick up area.

4 minutes another womans opens this door and asks me whom I'm hear to see. I told her that I had a 10am interview for the merchandise pricing associate position. She replies, "Did we call you?" I told her that I applied online and I was given a confirmation for an interview. She told me to hold on. 2 minutes later, she returns and tells me that the manager is all book up for today and that I would have to come back another day. She starts running off days and times.

Are you serious? Why couldn't the manager who was supposed to interview me come out and explain the situation to me rather than relay the message to someone who could careless if I come back or not? I explained to the lady, I have other job interviews and I would not be able to come on the dates she was running off to me. She replied, "I'll give you a number and you call us when you're ready to come in for an interview." She then replied, "You know this job requires that you be here sometimes at 5am and sometimes you will have to work on Sundays." I replied, "I'm well aware of the job requirements, the times and days and I do not have a problem with meeting those expectations." She wrote down a number and gave me a paper with no contact name on the paper.

Now, I'm an educated black female. I have a Bachelor degree and I graduate in 10 months with my Master degree in Accounting and Finance. 2B continued.

I have 2 years of experience in retail marketing and the only reason I applied for this position with SEARS is because I'm interested in becoming a merchandise planner or retail financial analyst. SEARS has a program for graduate students and I thought if I was an employee of SEARS, then they would see first hand how I worked and what my qualifications are.

Nevertheless, this is the most unprofessional situation I've been in since I've graduated from undergraduate school. In business school, I've had at least 2 classes on leadership and had I been the manager in this situation, I would have made it a point to meet with the person scheduled for an interview myself rather than relay the message through another person. To walk into a firm or company unannounced is one issue, to have a confirmed appointment is another issue.

Corporate was no help to me as I called them once I returned home to inform them of this situation. She simply told me that the computer schedules times without the managers awareness and that explains the behavior of the manager. She informed that since the manager tried to give me another date and time that there wasn't anything she could do and that she is sorry for the situation.

I wasn't looking for her to call the manager and fire the manager. My point was to inform them that their automated computer system should be taken care of and that this is very unprofessional for a corporation as large as SEARS. Of course the managers behavior was more than to be desired, however, the situation left me feeling as if I walked in off the street and asked for a interview on the spot.

Thus, it is my opinion to others out there that this situation could happen to them. Until SEARS corrects their automated computer system, you may experience the same situation I have.

As for SEARS, I won't be applying for anymore position online. In fact the only way I will apply for a position is through a career seminar or if someone calls me directly

That same exact thing happened to me just yesterday. I applied online, got my interview time and drove 35 miles to the mall that I was supposed to go to. Finally the woman who had directed me to the HR office came back to where I was standing for like ten minutes said that there wasn't anyone there to pull up my application and do my interview. She said there was a girl back there who dealt with the sales associates is new and she's never pulled an application before so that I would have to call back the next day to arrange an interview. I told her about the email confirmation online and her response was something to the effect of, "Sometimes we may not always do what it says online." I wish I would have gotten her name because, believe me, I've been looking around the 'net for some place to complain. In addition to that: I call the phone number from my confirmation email to hopefully set up an interview. The woman answers the phone: "Yes?" That is the most improper way to answer the phone obviously. And I was like, "Hello?" And she's like, "Yes?" And I asked her if this Sears and she said yes it was. I told her about an interview and she stated that they "are not even open yet and HR doesn't open until 10". Luckily, I did get this woman's name. I agree with you, I really don't I want to be working with people like this. The professionalism of this particular Sears is absolutely appalling!!

I think the best way to apply for Sears is to go to the store itself and use the application computer, and try to speak with any available office associate while you are there, that's your best chance.

You all are exactly right, their interviewing process is a joke. I worked for the corporate department and I would visit stores and see people waiting for someone to interview them based on the online application time. The machine would generate a time and either no one is available to interview you or they are just too busy and don't have the time.

I had 2 interviews in sears on tuesday, one with the jewelry dept manager and the store manager, the interviews went fine they sent me to do the drug test.now I have to wait a week until they call me. one thing I got the inteviews cause my cousin's wife works in sears and she is the brand central manager, and one of the main managers of the store ( she after the operation manager)

Funny..the same thing happened to me the other day. The interviewing manager was not there when I arrived for my interview. She had gone home for a break...even though my name was written very large on their interview board for a 10AM interview. So I was instructed to come back later that day which I did. They have hired me, but now I read all these Sears horror stories online, hopefully I won't quit the first week.

she in Atascadero, California said: Funny..the same thing happened to me the other day. The interviewing manager was not there when I arrived for my interview. She had gone home for a break...even though my name was written very large on their interview board for a 10AM interview. So I was instructed to come back later that day which I did. They have hired me, but now I read all these Sears horror stories online, hopefully I won't quit the first week.

I had an interview appointment in Myrtle Beach SC and apon arrival the HR Dept.
was completely unaware of what was going on much less having any job openings.As.
a former Sears employee from anpther state I was shocked at the way things were handled.I emailed corporate and complained.

Wow... I guess I got extremely lucky with my online application experience.
I applied online a week ago. The same day I applied I got a call from Sears telling me the manager who would be interviewing me wasn't available for the day I had set my appointment up for. So I had to move it to a couple days later, which my interview was 2 days ago. I went it and right away the manager brought me back for my interview. When it was all done, she told me I'd be contacted next week.
They called me back 2 hours after I left and asked me to come back in the next day, yesterday, for a second interview. I went in yesterday and they hired me.

Same thing happened to me the first time I interveiwed. No one knew I was supposed to even be there, then they went ahead after making me wait for a while and interveiwed me. Only to tell me that the job I applied for was no longer open and that the only thing available for me to be hired for required hours that I wasnt able to work. Well I re-applied a year later and was hired for(once again) a different position than I applied for. Now Im supposedly suppose to be part time but Im working 40 hours a week and every weekend since I started. Even though it says that Im not available on the Sundays, I have yet to have a Sunday off. Im sorry but if I had to do this over again I wouldnt apply.