Going to Apply to Sephora

[Pink_Ruve]

So I called Sephora back again, and I was transferred to some rude woman. She pretty much said that Its a sephora policy that once you submit your application your not allowed to call. I'm sorry but I have never heard such a rule.......

[mae13]

A lot of stores have a 'don't call us, we'll call you' policy when it comes to interviews, especially if they get a large volume of applications.

[darkwater_soul]

BUMP.

Answering some questions I have seen around this thread -

1.) If you are a student YOU WILL NOT BE HIRED, unless you are a beauty school/ esthetician/ hair school student. period. I've only seen one person kept on after holidays who was student, and that's because our entire STORE petitioned our Director and DM to keep her!!

2.) Pay rates usually start at around 9 -11, depending on the area and what you are being hired for. Also depends on experience, although none is needed. The only salaried positions at the store level is Specialist (asst. manager) or Store Director.

3.) Sephora is an amazing place to work, with great medical and health benefits, 401k matching plan, GRATIS (!!!!) out the wazoo, amazing trainings, and the possibility of travel and promotion within the company. Don't get me wrong - it's hard at times. There are hard and fast rules to abide by, dress code standards, a different language to speak with, and a different culture. But it is worth it.

4.) Depending on your location and what you are hiring for, they can be flexible. Don't count on too many 10 hour a week MA spots though... they'd rather hire 1 really good sales/MUA for 40 hours than 3 or 4 parttimers... odd I know, but they aren't big on parttimers it seems. We only have 2 or 3 at my store for 9 months of the year.

5.) As with any place of work, if they don't call you for an interview within 3 days of turning in your app, call and ask to speak with a manager. If they still don't call back after that, don't pester. It won't get you the job. Sephora, I also have noticed, is like the cool kid's club - if people like you, they'll hire you. Go to that Sephora a few times a week for a couple of weeks all dolled up, and make friendly with the cast (other workers there). They'll get to like you, and casually mention that you might want to work there. They'll basically get you the job. Same thing goes if you go in and not talk to anyone, or be a bitch or snooty. Those same cast members WILL go to the management, and let them know who says what. And that WILL keep you from getting hired, unfortunately.

HTH.

[xxManBeaterxx]

I dont think the non beauty school students apply to all stores? My friend is studying busniess in college and she works for sephora.

The sephora at my store has a lot of middle aged women, i think the store here is pretty laid back, half the people who work in there have white hair and horrible makeup lol.

[astronaut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pale blue

I worked at Sephora for awhile as an MA awhile back, but I never had a group interview...I just interviewed with the Asst. Manager and the Store Manager...but they also called them Asst. Director and Director, and the store was "the stage". It was sort of odd. This was also when you HAD to wear a bright red lipstick to work everyday, and you had to wear one black glove. The Michael Jackson glove jokes were plentiful lol... Of course it's not like that now.

Good luck with the interview jeanna, I'm sure you'll do great

That sounds fierce lol

[dayslikesailors]

how extensive are background checks on applicants?
ALSO,
***do you have a chance of being hired if you have "theft" on your record?***
thanks!

[lovesong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dayslikesailors

how extensive are background checks on applicants?
ALSO,
***do you have a chance of being hired if you have "theft" on your record?***
thanks!

They do do background checks.When you apply, I believe they ask you have a criminal history, but if they have not, you might want to tell them that you ran in to trouble.If it is "theft" you going to have to explain that.If you do have theft under your record and they do hire you I think you have to sign something and if you do something wrong they can fire you at any time (I believe this is correct).

JUST BE HONEST.Honesty does not hurt because they can look any information on you.They look for honesty because if you do not tell them, they feel like your hiding something and deem you as untrustworthy.

[dayslikesailors]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovesong

They do do background checks.When you apply, I believe they ask you have a criminal history, but if they have not, you might want to tell them that you ran in to trouble.If it is "theft" you going to have to explain that.If you do have theft under your record and they do hire you I think you have to sign something and if you do something wrong they can fire you at any time (I believe this is correct).

JUST BE HONEST.Honesty does not hurt because they can look any information on you.They look for honesty because if you do not tell them, they feel like your hiding something and deem you as untrustworthy.

thank you so much for your reply. it's actually "shoplifting" on my record, if that makes any difference. but thanks! xoxo.

[jsky83]

I've been working at Sephora for 3 years and to be totally honest with you I don't see them hiring anyone with shoplifting on their record. Just be totally honest though and if it was a misunderstanding maybe they will give you a chance.

[SallyPal]

To jsky83, what has been your experience working at Sephora for 3 years? It must be good since you've been there awhile )))

[tkh777]

Congrats! I hope you love it

[MsWestchesterNY]

DO you have o be a makeup artist to work there> ? Sounds stupid but the Sephora I usually go to some girls say they dont do makeup, just ring up things and do the occasional swatch

[mae13]

Nope. You don't need to be a makeup artist, especially if you work the cashes or in the back with the stock. Everyone gets basic training though, which includes hygiene protocols, product knowledge and some basic application, so that they can help customers.

[dominicana90]

Am I allowed to work for sephora if I already work for MAC? I'm only a freelancer and I'm not getting enough hours. I would like to stick to makeup but yeah I haven't gotten called in a while and I'm a poor college student lol

[LatteQueen]

I was racially profiled at my Sephora and it was just horrible..just horrible..I won't shop at that one for awhile..I'll go to King of Prussia to do my shopping there..the black guys in there wear their makeup FIERCE'...

[MsWestchesterNY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LatteQueen

I was racially profiled at my Sephora and it was just horrible..just horrible..I won't shop at that one for awhile..I'll go to King of Prussia to do my shopping there..the black guys in there wear their makeup FIERCE'...

what happened?

[charnels]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dominicana90

Am I allowed to work for sephora if I already work for MAC? I'm only a freelancer and I'm not getting enough hours. I would like to stick to makeup but yeah I haven't gotten called in a while and I'm a poor college student lol

nope, you can't work for competitors. i was going to apply as a freelancer at mac but got the job at sephora instead.

[charnels]

i work for sephora and i have to say i am surprised by some of the comments in here.

i will admit that there are both pro's and con's to working there. if you are someone who enjoys makeup as a hobby, is good at applying it, and is willing to learn A LOT about makeup, then it is a good job to have. however, the first thing i learned when i started working there is that you are expected to be a sales person, not a makeup artist.

infact, out of all of my coworkers, i am the only one who actually wants to pursue a career in makeup artistry. everyone else is going to school for various things that have nothing to do with the beauty industry, or they have families so they just work there as something to do to buy groceries. so if you are interested in the artistic realm of makeup, and you actually want to make a career out of it, it can be frustrating to work there.

the great thing is that you get TONS of knowledge and experience. you literally get trained atleast once a week, usually more. you have access to some amazing brands. you get more gratis (free stuff) than you will know what to do with. and for what the job entails, you get paid well.

sephora used to be very strict and by-the-books, but like any job, it all depends on management. we very recently updated our dress code so that we now allow tattoos, facial piercings, and unnatural hair colors, so it's pretty laid back now.

all in all, it's definitely my favorite job so far and it is a lot easier to get a job there than at mac / estee lauder. it's a great job to use as a stepping stone because you gain a lot of experience and knowledge in the beauty industry.

EDIT: oh! i forgot to add that the company is very geographically-influenced. i moved from a store in massachusetts to a store in tampa, fl. and it's like two different worlds. and i know in the new york city stores it is VERY hard to get a job there if you're not a skilled makeup artist. even the beauty school students can barely get hired as seasonal cashiers there.

[charnels]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sitasati

Marijuana stays in ur blood stream for about 3 months and in hair for upto 6 months and no there is nothing over the counter to "clean out your system". Probably if you've smoked recently, they will find out. Also I've heard sephora and some other cosmetic companies do random drug testing on current employees.

i have never been drug tested at sephora. even when i first applied.

[dahlingdiva]

Anyone know what kind of health insurance benefits they have. HMO or PPO?
How much is it and do you think it's good? Also, do they hire makeup artists or is it just salespeople?

[cindiaz]

Does anyone know what kind of uniform or dress code they use now? and what about the makeup that you use? and my last question what is the starting wage in the store inside JCPenney? I want to apply in El Paso,TX,thank you

[lyssa007]

what is the average age of people working at sephora? i am 30 yrs old, am i too old to be there? thanx for the info

[charnels]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dahlingdiva

Anyone know what kind of health insurance benefits they have. HMO or PPO?
How much is it and do you think it's good? Also, do they hire makeup artists or is it just salespeople?

i can't really discuss the insurance stuff but they hire people who are going to do well in customer service. they do tons of training so they look more for people who are reliable and good working with other people. just because you're awesome at makeup doesn't necessarily mean you're awesome at selling it. also keep in mind that doing makeup on other people is very different from doing makeup on yourself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cindiaz

Does anyone know what kind of uniform or dress code they use now? and what about the makeup that you use? and my last question what is the starting wage in the store inside JCPenney? I want to apply in El Paso,TX,thank you

black dress pants and coat (provided), black t-shirt underneath, and black shoes (no open-toe). you can wear your hair and makeup however you want, but they expect you to look like you work in the beauty industry. if you show up to work with no makeup on and your hair is a hot mess chances are you'll get told off for it. generally a full face of makeup and your hair pulled back is what they like. facial piercings and tattoos are allowed so long as they're not offensive (e.g. swears / nudity) and you can have any hair color / style.

sephora inside jc penny is NOT sephora!! employees there are considered jc penny employees and do not work for sephora. they do not receive the same benefits as sephora employees (e.g. employee discount). wage depends on your state's wage laws, your experience, and jc penny's policy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lyssa007

what is the average age of people working at sephora? i am 30 yrs old, am i too old to be there? thanx for the info

of course you're not too old!!! the average age depends on the store you go to. at my store the average age is probably late 20s. however our cast ranges from 20 (i'm the youngest) to 60s!!

[MsWestchesterNY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charnels

i .

EDIT: oh! i forgot to add that the company is very geographically-influenced. i moved from a store in massachusetts to a store in tampa, fl. and it's like two different worlds. and i know in the new york city stores it is VERY hard to get a job there if you're not a skilled makeup artist. even the beauty school students can barely get hired as seasonal cashiers there.

Where in NYC? I've actually seen plenty of guys, and old people there who don't know how to apply makeup.
I think it depends on the store, now that I know more about it, then again, there are 16 Sephoras in all of NYC, so maybe depends on the manager?

Edit: I realized that now that the ones in Penney's aren't like the freestanding stores, from what I've noticed, they have less products, and the people there didn't knkow much

[Meisje]

I was curious --- how do they feel about an employee's weight? I was thinking about applying there for the holiday season. I have gained about 20 lbs and now am plus-size, and I would like an honest reaction to whether or not that matters to them.