How to Get Hired at Abercrombie & Fitch
Where do I go for my interview and what will happen?
Abercrombie is a very laid back store. The interviews are conducted in small to medium sized groups and they usually start later in the afternoon. When you arrive, let someone know you are there for the interview and they will guide you towards the center of the store where a cluster of brown leather chairs awaits. Here, you and everyone else doing the interview that day will linger and make small talk until the manager arrives, clipboard in hand and ready to go! Together, you all walk up to either a food court or other quiet spot where one-by-one you will go around and answer questions.
Of course, not all managers conduct business the same way, this is only a typical example.
Wear This
Not This
It might not be politically correct, but here’s how to get hired at the one store always hiring: Abercrombie and Fitch!
So you want to work at the preppy clothing store known for its good-looking employees and risqué catalogs? Even if your interview is tomorrow- or heck later today- no need to fear, an A&F expert is here to help you get hired!
Application Proceses
Don’t you dare wander into Abercrombie looking like a lost puppy, show confidence the moment you step into the music pulsing store! Don’t forget to keep an eye out for the “greeter,” or the first employee that says hello to you- they are your gatekeeper to the manager. All employees will have a walkie-talkie attached to their denim, ask to speak with a manager and one will be called up right away.
You’re already one step ahead of the game: you have a chance to stick in the manager’s memory. As you introduce yourself and explain your desire to apply, the manager will show you to the touch screen kiosks where you fill out the application for employment. If they think you look good and seem friendly, your name will be written down as a “recruit.” This means you’ve just secured yourself a spot in the next interview group.
DON’T: Simply walk into the store, find the kiosk on your own and quietly fill out an application. Many people do this and while some managers will take note and approach you on their own, don’t count on it. Especially if the store is busy!!
Call
So you submitted your application a few weeks ago and you still haven’t heard from Abercrombie, don’t sulk your shoulders in defeat and assume someone else got the position. The thing with Abercrombie is they are constantly hiring, your application likely got lost in the shuffle. Give them a call and refresh a manager’s memory of who you are.
A&F Interview Dress code
Once you’ve made it so far as to secure the interview, don’t mess up! Every time a girl comes clomping into their interview wearing heels or black blazers the managers are cringing. First of all, the store doesn’t sell anything black- the color is basically taboo. Secondly, heels are NOT A&F attire, it’s a causal beach-look they are looking for, portray it in the interview just as you will when you go to work there. The same idea applies for guys who come to the interview dressed in baggy black jeans and an XXL shirt. This might be your personal style and of course you know that if hired you’d change your attire- but these rationales are not available to the interviewer, for all they know you are going to show up to work your first day wearing black heels!
Go to Abercrombie’s website if you need to, but try to get as close to the looks they photograph as possible. I’m talking, plain jeans and a plain shirt; it does not have to be Abercrombie Brand (although preferred) so long as it’s not blatantly another brand or style.
2012 A&F Styles
Who You Know
Apply at a store where someone you know works, this will do wonders for your chances of employment.
Style For Male Interviews
It’s Not Just Your Clothes….
Beware of the Look Policy. Every store has one, Abercrombie has one bloated with rules- something any applicants should be pre-warned over. Wearing nail polish is forbidden unless it’s nude or some hardly seeable shade of peach. I suppose it’s not very natural to sport red nails. At the interview, keep this in mind and skip the polish altogether. Mangers struggle enforcing this rule; the sight of a new nail-polish lover could make some managers immediately run the other way.
Abercrombie also snubs their noses at makeup, remember the moose is all about natural beauty. Swipe on some blush, lip-gloss, and mascara and you should be fine. A big blow out with false lashes might look amazing but to Abercrombie- you’re nothing but a shredded application in that getup.
Personality + Looks = Hired
You can nail the A&F look policy but without the personality you will slip between the cracks. Be bubbly and warm; this is a sales job after all! Also, managers know they will spend a lot of time with you, often until late in the night closing shop; no one wants to be stuck with a wet blanket. So be personable, don’t simply try to sound innocent and boring for the sake of getting the job, these are young and normal people, so be your fun and youthful self! Trust me, A&F is far more prejudice against people who don’t know how to have a good time.
A considerably decent job, A&F allows you to work flexible hours and usually comes with a gang of new friends. For college kids who go to school in one location and live with their families at another, the store provides a way for you to work at both locations. For these and many other reasons, the list of people wanting to work at A&F never slows down. Get the right impression across and you’ll be their next paid employee.
More on A&F
- Working at Abercrombie and Fitch
I'll tell you what it's really like to work for one of the most notoriously controversial companies in America- Abercrombie and Fitch.