I was first interviewed on location by the assistant store manager, followed up by another keyholder. It was low-stress and easy to navigate, they asked general questions. My next interview was with the store manager on the phone, and the questions were more in-depth and situational. My last interview was with the district manager, also over the phone, and was short and sweet.

Initially, I interviewed for a Sales Associate position at Hot Topic (This was a group interview of 4 people, including myself and the store manager doing the interviewing). The manager told me I was overqualified and she didn't feel right about paying me minimum wage when I clearly had enough experience to be in management, so she sent my resume to her district manager, who was hiring management for the BoxLunch in the same mall. About two days later, I received a text message from the DM asking me if I could come in for an informal interview and start training later that week, to which I said yes. When I came in for the interview, she gave me an overview of the company, told me the pay, and asked me what kind of pop culture stuff I was into. She offered me the job on the spot, and I started training two days later.