Urban Outfitters Careers: A Guide To Getting Hired At Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters Inc was founded in 1970 as an entrepreneur class project taking place at the University of Pennsylvania. From that project, started by Richard Hayne, Judy Wicks, and Scott Belair,  Urban Outfitters now boasts a whopping 248 stores across the world

Originally named Free People, Dick Hayne changed the store name to Urban Outfitters after opening the second storefront. The brand generated $3.9 billion USD in 2019 and is widely popular amongst teenage and young adult customers.

If you’ve applied to a role at Urban Outfitters  or want to learn more about Urban Outfitters jobs & how to get one - you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we are going to break down the hiring process for Urban Outfitters, the type of interview questions you may receive, and the timeline you should expect to go through during your recruitment process at Urban Outfitters. Let’s jump in!

Urban Outfitters Hiring Process Overview

Urban Outfitters hiring process consists of 3-5 different rounds of interviews with their team members depending on the role you're applying for. The 3-5 rounds of interviews include:

• A Phone Screening with a Recruiter / Team Member
• A Group Zoom Interview for any Sales / Retail Roles
• Zoom Call with a Team Member
• Possible In-Person Interview
• Sample Presentation / Take Home Assessment

Although this is the typical hiring process, the amount of interviews differ between roles. As a general rule of thumb, the more senior your role is the more interviews you will undergo.

The most common role Urban Outfitters hire for are the Sales / Retail roles. In these roles, you’ll jump on a zoom call that is most likely going to be a group interview with other potential employees. They might also call you in to do these group interviews in person at the desired location, by which they’ll show you around and assess you based on questions such as:

1. Pick out outfits for different pretend customers
2. How do you react to scenarios regarding customers e.g. upset customer, customer wanting different sizing, customer looking for a sales rep
   
   

Step 1: Applying

Where Can I Apply For A Job At Urban Outfitters?

Jobs at Urban Outfitters can often be found across their website which you can find at https://www.urbanoutfitters.com/careers. They also regularly post on their Linkedin page available here. For one central place to find Urban Outfitters jobs, you can also check out eComportal. You’ll find a huge selection of Urban Outfitters remote jobs that relate to the eCommerce industry. Unfortunately, a lot of these will not include any sales/retail jobs as those are in store roles and not related to the ecommerce industry. But we do host a lot of jobs that Urban Outfitters hire for!

How Difficult Is It To Get Hired At Urban Outfitters?

Urban Outfitters’s hiring process is rated 2.2 out of 5 by Glassdoor. Out of 1,900 interviews, 12% were rated negative, 66% were rated positive, & about 22% were rated neutral. Applicants have reported that during the interview process, its important to position yourself in ways that make you seem “on brand”. Urban Outfitters priorities hiring individuals who represent the brand & clothes well.

Step 2: Interview Process

How Long Does It Take After Applying To Hear Back From Urban Outfitters?

Urban Outfitters typically has a fast response time via email after you’ve submitted an application. The typical response time for these roles is about 1-2 weeks. You can expect it take longer for roles other then sales / retail roles. For any in-store sales roles, the reply time is usually right under a week.

What Are Some Questions I Can Expect In The Urban Outfitters Interview Process?

Typically, the questions that the Urban Outfitters team will ask you when getting interviewed are based on the role that you are getting hired for. You can expect questions directly related to your role that you may have received for similar positions. Overall, common questions that seem to come up a lot regardless of the role being hired for are questions like:

General Questions:

1. Walk me through your previous job experience

2. Why do you want to work at Urban Outfitters?

3. Where do you get inspired in life?

4. Walk me through your resume

For Sales / Retail roles:

1. What would you do if you saw another employee attempting to steal an item?
2. How would you describe the Urban Outfitter customer?
3. What is your experience in customer service like?
4. What is your experience in sales like?
5. What is one thing you can contribute to the team?

For Marketing roles:

1. What brand do you think runs their social media well?
2. How would you manage the individual stores online communication with its customers?

How Long Does It Take To Hear Back From Urban Outfitters After The First Interview

Urban Outfitters has been consistent with following up each interview by planning the next interview, usually done within a week's time depending on the calendar availability. You can expect a second interview in 1 to 2 weeks if you pass the first interview and the technical assessments.

Step 3: Getting Hired

How Long Does The Entire Hiring Process At Urban Outfitters Take?

Typically, you can expect the entire process to take up to 2 - 4 weeks.

We have heard of reports for higher up, managerial roles to take up to 3 months. For roles that are more senior, their process of vetting the candidate will take longer thus the whole hiring process will be longer.

Urban Outfitters has a very streamlined process for hiring any retail roles as they are consistently hiring for this position all across their different locations. For these roles, expect a shorter hiring process and be ready to go through each of their steps within a matter of weeks. You should hear back from them whether you’ve gotten the job or not.

How Long Does It Take To Hear Back From Urban Outfitters About A Job?

After your final interview, you can expect to hear back within a week's time with either a formal offer or an email letting you know you did not get the role.