What happens at a MAC interview... (counter)

[FacesbyNiki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerbeauty

First time on here and yes many questions answered except pay range--
i was told to wear black and Mac makeup to the interview - I have been in retail off and on for 24 years and held management positions -i modeled when i was young and learned make up appliaction via that and keep up on current trends- so heres what i need to know - what should i wear (suit?) hair up or normal style - pay range and any other tips -i did my homework on the co. I NEED this job have kids and am single again THANKS!!

Dress as trendy as possible. Your hair, have fun with it. If you know what counter/store you are apply to, check out how they dress. As far as pay rate, it varies from region to region.

Good luck!

[sugaxbayb]

Im going to apply to our MAC counter in The Bay now that I have my Makeup Artistry certification. Does it matter if I have any retail experience?! I do have 3 months of experience as a Hostess.

[Bernadette]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sugaxbayb

Im going to apply to our MAC counter in The Bay now that I have my Makeup Artistry certification. Does it matter if I have any retail experience?! I do have 3 months of experience as a Hostess.

From everything I've read and heard retail experience outways any cosmetics experience. I've heard of people that have gone to makeup and cosmetology schools that aren't hired because they have no retail experience.
I think in the end they are looking for and need someone that can sell.

[mya_embelson]

A manager for m.a.c called me and asked me to do a phone interview.. for a 3rd Key Position.. I was like cool, I dont have to waste gas trying to go there.. So what do you think about a "phone interview?" What line of questioning, to expect?

[Klava]

When I did my group interview the manager said, quote "for those of you who are in cosmetology field I want to emphasize that retail experience is the most important factor that we look at".

Our group interview was fun and I think most of the questions we were asked were already posted here, here are some I can remember:
What's your ideal work environment?
Who is your inspiration in fashion and make up?
How do you set your goals, achieve them and what do you do if you didn't achive them?
How would your friends and coworkers describe you?
What do you think a busy day of a MAC artist looks like?
What's your understanding of customer service?
What would you do if there is a problem between you and your co-worker?
Why MAC artists dress in black?
How do you behave on your first day of work to get to know your team?
This is a mixture of questions from the group and individual interviews. Hopefully it's of help to somebody!

[xxluverxx]

Why do MAC artists dress black out of curiousity?? I would like to apply for a MAC counter position [within Macy's] so I can gain some experience, do you inquire within MAC itself or Macy's?? For those who work for MAC how was the 2nd interview with the makeup application test part?? Is there a time limit involved to do a look? Basically what were the instructions that were given. Because I was going through the forums and I remember readings posts on how some MAC reps. know diddly squat bout makeup application.
Oh yea and how is the pay, approx. hourly wage??

[triccc]

You should apply at the MAC counter itself.

Just last week I was a model for a friend of mine applying for MAC.
She had 40 minutes to do a natural, but trendy look on me.
They wanted to see how well she would interact with the customer and wanted her to name products that she was using and what she used them for. (ex. right now I am applying prep+prime face, to even out your skin tone and it helps with your application of foundation blah blah etc)

[~*STArPRINCEZZ*]

This is great information!

[Gblue]

Today I had an interview for a part time position - I am going to be called back for a demo, they just need to arrange the date! EXCITING STUFF!
Anywho~ They asked me (in no particular order...)
What colour would you describe MAC?
What do you like about your current job?
What is your team like in your current job?
What do you dislike about your current job?
Are you comfortable with the MAC dress code?
Do you have to meet targets in your current job and what do you do to meet them?
What do you think the responsibilities are of a counter artist?
How do you feel about applying make-up to customers?

[diorgrl]

Has anyone had a 1st interview in the last month?? Or has there kind of been a hold from head office....?

[BeautyPsycho]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxluverxx

Why do MAC artists dress black out of curiousity??

I have NO IDEA but my guess would be to let face/makeup get all the attention? I guess.. lol

[missmarkers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by diorgrl

Has anyone had a 1st interview in the last month?? Or has there kind of been a hold from head office....?

i have one today.

[missmarkers]

thank you to everyone for this post!

[escada325]

Quote:

Originally Posted by psychlocke79

since someone mentioned discrimination i wanted to ask if MAC hires women who cover. i was interested in applying before when i wasn't covering but i have decided to since then and im afraid they won't hire me because of this. but then again isn't that religious discrimination?

anyways if anyone knows, please let me know.

It is discriminating if they did, however, it is a fashion & makeup industry, companies like M.A.C would want their employees to show the work of art they do on themselves & so that women of different colours/shapes/race can relate themselves to a M.A.C employee of similarity and seek inspiration of different looks that may suit them too, it's basically all about women making other women look & feel good, and being covered up won't show your customers your skill & beauty, I'm of pacific island descent, I have dark olive skin, when I go into our M.A.C store there's no brown or dark skinned girls working there, I look on YouTube for videos of girls of different colour, get the products I need and try it on myself, you see why it's it's a good thing to not be covered?? If you have to stay covered for culture or religious reasons, how about trying Mobile work? starting your own business doing home-call work? weddings?? .. hope this helps with your question .. good luck

[amoona]

Quote:

Originally Posted by escada325

It is discriminating if they did, however, it is a fashion & makeup industry, companies like M.A.C would want their employees to show the work of art they do on themselves & so that women of different colours/shapes/race can relate themselves to a M.A.C employee of similarity and seek inspiration of different looks that may suit them too, it's basically all about women making other women look & feel good, and being covered up won't show your customers your skill & beauty, I'm of pacific island descent, I have dark olive skin, when I go into our M.A.C store there's no brown or dark skinned girls working there, I look on YouTube for videos of girls of different colour, get the products I need and try it on myself, you see why it's it's a good thing to not be covered?? If you have to stay covered for culture or religious reasons, how about trying Mobile work? starting your own business doing home-call work? weddings?? .. hope this helps with your question .. good luck

Actually I've met many girls who work for MAC who cover their hair throughout the country. You saying that it's not a good thing for her to be covered is like me saying you shouldn't work for MAC because you have dark olive skin. It's a part of who she is and I've never met any manager at MAC who would use that against her or anyone.

[jennlovesmakeup]

I have had a few experiences interviewing with MAC. I initially interviewed for a counter a few years ago, I had a phone interview, an in-person interview, then I had to bring in a model for a demo. In the end I was offered a freelance position. I recently had an interview for a position at a local MAC store, I interviewed with the retail manager and her assistant, I got a call back a couple days later to come in for a 2nd interview, and a demo a few days later. I was told "Wear as much 'MAC Black' as possible, and my makeup was fine" I got down with some bright eyes and kept everything else clean. As far as questions go, I was asked about sales goals, being on time, what do I know about mac, everything else is just basic interview like everywhere else. *Just a tip: If you have a portfolio bring it, if you don't have one, start making up faces and take some snapshots. I was asked about my book, and a friend of mine had an interview with them at a counter and they asked her if she had a mini portfolio. Good Luck!

[astronaut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by escada325

It is discriminating if they did, however, it is a fashion & makeup industry, companies like M.A.C would want their employees to show the work of art they do on themselves & so that women of different colours/shapes/race can relate themselves to a M.A.C employee of similarity and seek inspiration of different looks that may suit them too, it's basically all about women making other women look & feel good, and being covered up won't show your customers your skill & beauty, I'm of pacific island descent, I have dark olive skin, when I go into our M.A.C store there's no brown or dark skinned girls working there, I look on YouTube for videos of girls of different colour, get the products I need and try it on myself, you see why it's it's a good thing to not be covered?? If you have to stay covered for culture or religious reasons, how about trying Mobile work? starting your own business doing home-call work? weddings?? .. hope this helps with your question .. good luck

I'm usually not this blunt but I have to say this: THAT'S FUCKED UP!

[astronaut]

Okay, are you thinking about people being covered up everywhere from head to toe except their eyeballs? If she can sell makeup, meet her goals, apply makeup, and give good customer service, then I don't see why not. Some of the guys working there don't wear makeup, so I don't see what would be a problem about that.

[amoona]

Most people who cover up for religious reasons don't cover up everything except their eyeballs. It's very rare.

[chocolategoddes]

shit! i'va got a long way to go b4 i'll be working there!

[baybehbekah]

this was all very helpful ladies! i have my interview tomorrow and i am excited and nervous all at the same time!

thank you!

[Lndsy]

I believe they wear black because you can wear pretty much any color of make up with black clothing and it does not distract or clash.

[shorty]

some questions from my interview today that may help future people... bear in mind I'm in England and I think the processes are slightly different...

I was asked...

What do you know about MAC?
What do you think we expect from our make up artists?
What sort of team do you like to work in?
What have you learnt from working with the public?
How would you describe yourself and your look?
If I was to ring your old employers for a reference what would they say about you?

They also looked through my portfolio and asked me to tell them about my current job (I do make up in a makeover studio)

[Loveleighe]

Hey i just had my interview this afternoon and i wanted to add my experience. The manager sat me down on a bench outside of the macys and read questions from a packet. she asked me
what made me want to work for MAC?
How i felt about time and attendance?
How i would change my selling technique if i was nearing the end of the week and not near my sales goal?
what MAC products i owned?
if i had reliable transportaton to go to basic training in the next state?
How i would deal with conflicts with coworkers?
How would i feel about constructive criticism from a manager, how i would feel about constructive criticism from a seasoned counter artist?
How I would react if a customer refused to let me work on them?
What I would do on a reaal slow shift?
What I would do if a customer asked me something i didn't know the answer to?
How i would describe myself?
Where I see myself in a year?
What i think a MAC artist's duties were?
What i think customer service is? teamwork?
What is an example of when i gave great customer service
How I would increase the sale if someone came in wanting carbon e/s?

that's all i can remember but i was asked 2 pages of questions. Some practical advice i can give is if you won't understand the question then ask fo clarification some of the questions were worded funny so i asked what she meant and she was glad to re-word it. Also make sure you ask questions when given the chance it shows interest. HTH

[eccentric]

Thanks everyone for your input here, it's super helpful! I'm going to apply for a part-time position at our MAC counter in Macy's in June because that's when they'll be hiring. I'm really nervous. If I don't get the job, I don't know what I'll do with my life! Lawl, seriously. It's my dream job.