MAC Interviews & Hiring Process

[riotlove]

ok so i got a call today saying i'd be getting an email to rsvp to for an interview fair type thing. they said it'll make the hiring process faster as everyone you would need to interview will be there and your model will need to be there as well. SOOOO nervous and stoked.

my big question is what to wear. i'm a bigger girl with awkward proportions and i don't have many nice clothes right now. i will need to go find a new outfit that i know and i know it's best to wear all black and not look frumpy but what are your ideas? i also don't have too much money.

also what type of shoes are best? do they have to be all black as well? flip flops aren't much professional but will dressy type ones do? or should i def go with heels?

thanks for any help in advance!

can't wait for this email tonight!

 

[Susanne]

Re: Working at MAC >>> r/o

*moving to Working for Cosmetic Retailers*

 

[sa'raimilan]

UPDATE! Ok so my 3rd interview with MAC was Tuesday. This was my first group interview. Now I am never really nervous about interviews but I was extremely nervous this day. I wondered what the other girls faces would look and how their retail experience was compared to mines. Well I have to say my make up skills were amazing compared to many. Some girls were telling me how they just started doing make up months ago and it showed lmao. But they had tons of yrs in retail. So I was paired with a girl who had 9yrs retail experience but 6mnths in make up compared to my 5yrs make up experience and 3 1/2yrs in retail. I felt that Homa was more impressed with her seeing as though I am determined and have already had 3 interviews with MAC and I never stopped. All in all I felt I delivered well and hopefully I get a call back for the demo. Homa said she would get back to us by the end of the week so we will see what happens.

 

[Elizab33th]

I GOT THE JOB!! I had my interview and my demo and BAM they pretty much hired me on the spot! So I am an OFFICIAL MAC FREELANCER!!!

This is my model and the look I had to do! I THINK I NAILED IT!!!!

 

[VAQTPIE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elizab33th I GOT THE JOB!! I had my interview and my demo and BAM they pretty much hired me on the spot! So I am an OFFICIAL MAC FREELANCER!!! This is my model and the look I had to do! I THINK I NAILED IT!!!!

Congratulations! You did a great job! Do you mind giving us a rundown of how things went for you...what you ended up wearing...the whole bit?

Thanks

 

[Elizab33th]

Hey VAQTPIE, I would love to give you guys the rundown.

So I was INCREDIBLY nervous about what I was going to wear, and I ended up wearing that black dress I had in the 1st post I made about the interview, with a black dress shirt over it so the lace didn't show. Then I wore a belt to pull it all together. And my black wedges from Aldo.

I had my hair in a low side bun and my makeup was pretty loud seeing as how thats what I do best! Lol! I didnt get to take a picture of my makeup but I can tell you what I had.

Face:

Prep & Prime Skin Base
A few squirts of my moisturizer mixed with my Studio Sculpt Foundation
MSF Natural in Medium Dark
Coppertone Blush
A milani Bronzer
Wet n Wild Mink Brown Brow Pencil
Spiced Chocolate e/s to set the pencil.

Eyes:
Soft Ochre p/p
Vibrant Grape e/s
Hot Hot Hot e/s
Coral e/s
Sunpepper p/g
Vanilla e/s
Chamomile e/s
Modelette e/s
Blacktrack f/l
Zoomlash

Lips:
Carmex
Dervish l/l
Skew l/s

Okay so I got to the mall half an hour early and had to walk around and wait 15 minutes cause my interview was at 1:30 and I wanted to be early. My model ( Nicole ) showed up right at 1:15 and we just waited at the counter until the manager came out. She picked a look from the Fabulous Felines collection and had me do that. She was actually really nice about it, she showed me the proper setup of the tissues and how to sanitize everything. I asked her what the time limit was and she said 30-45 mins. It took my maybe 5 mins to gather all the products I needed, then I started on her face. I primed her using the prep and prime skin brightener and explained why, then went right into her foundation / face makeup. After that I did her eyes and lips and explained everything. Make sure you explain everything they pay attention to that! Also try your hardest to copy the picture exactly. So I finished and the manager asked another artist what he thought he and was like It Looks GREAT! Lol! That DEF. lifted my spirits! So after that she brought me into the back room and asked me what I thought I did the best on, and what I needed to improve on. I said I thought I did a great job overall ( dont sell yourself short, if you did an amazing job, say so! ), and I told her I knew I messed up on the eyeliner and she told me that she didnt even notice that. Then she asked me why MAC and I mentioned all the programs ( Viva Glam, B2M, etc. ) and that I loved that they let you be yourself. So right after that she said well, we are gonna hire you, and had me fill out the paperwork and all that. She said she had to wait for the paperwork to go through and then hopefully I will be able to work the Fab Felines event coming up! I'm so excited and I dont even care that it's Freelance! I'm happy anyway!

I hope this was helpful, I know it's all over the place...lol!

 

[VAQTPIE]

Thanks so much for sharing! I really appreciate it. Congrats again.

 

[ClassicBeauty12]

Congrats on the position chica!!!

 

[riotlove]

ok i'm getting more and more nervous about my interview wednesday. it's a group one and i always hate those because i feel like i never get a chance because i REALLY hate interrupting people or feeling like i butt in. any pointers?

 

[xStarryEyedX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by riotlove ok i'm getting more and more nervous about my interview wednesday. it's a group one and i always hate those because i feel like i never get a chance because i REALLY hate interrupting people or feeling like i butt in. any pointers?

good luck good luck!!! don't necessarily butt in- but elaborate on what people are saying. so if somebody says:
"what i like about mac is the work they do for charity- like the MAC AIDS fund."

and it's open for somebody else to say something, you could say something like
"Yeah, I read that one lipstick at $14 gives enough money to provide education to five HIV-positive pregnant women, helping them prevent transmission to their unborn children"

That's sort of a lame example, but it's all i could think of. Let us know how it goes =).

 

[riotlove]

thanks i'm stressing and trying to unpack since we JUST moved(literally still moving things out of storage today) and none of my stuff is ready!!! gotta try out looks i'm gonna wear too

will report back!

 

[riotlove]

had the interview today. the interview seemed pretty good and what not.

then the demo. they had us move 2 models over and i ended up with the shit end of the stick. after introducing myself the girl asked me if i knew "a"(just to keep it confidential) and i said yes. back story--"a" is my old boss/friend who i had a falling out with. she didn't approve of the guy i fell in love with(and am still with today 2.5 years later) and forced me to quit and has since done nothing but badmouth me and ruin things for me.

throughout the whole demo she made rude comments, wouldn't keep her eyes closed when i asked, literally jerked and made me poke her in the eye with a mascara wand(something i'm beyond scared to do so i'm always careful) and when i apologized profusely was rude.

she wouldn't let me 'teach' or anything and everytime i tried to talk and tell her what i was doing she'd interrupt me with stuff about "a"

her makeup ended up looking not so good and i know she gave me nothing but a bad review(snoopy me 'overheard') and now i'm in tears.

i want to email the regional recruiter and explain myself but i don't know what to do. i know personal conflicts shouldn't effect the makeup but the girl just would not sit still, keep her eyes closed, wouldn't stop talking... i just would like a little insight on what to do or say.

this is a dream of mine and to have a bad person ruin it for me through someone else it's hard to just deal and give up.

 

[jadezzzz]

Interview

Hi everyone, Was just wondering, is it ok to wear boots to an interview in Aug i dont know what else to wear!!! Thanks!xx

 

[hazelis14]

New Part-timer for MAC!

So I never realized how crucial getting this job would be, but I have a feeling it'll be a life changer and a great opportunity! I was hoping to get some advice/questions answered by employees that have worked there...

1. After reading the dress code... Are shorts and leggings appropriate to wear? (Appropriately of course!) And what about knee/ankle boots? (Is it pretty much fair game to wear anything as long as it's tasteful and not on the "do not wear" list?)

2. I read a lot of the MAC products (moisturizer, primer, foundation, etc)they listed for you to wear to work...but are those choices-have to wear at least 5 products? Or are they all mandatory-because I don't have all of that nor the money to buy it and I don't get the discount until 30-60 days)?

3. What if you where glasses? Do you have to wear contacts?

4. They say everyone is supposed to work Saturdays...does that mean EVERY single Saturday or that just no one can say they "can't" work Saturdays?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Susanne]

Re: New Part-timer for MAC!

*moving to Working for Cosmetics Retailers*

 

[LC]

Re: New Part-timer for MAC!

1. Pretty much anything black. even if normally you'd deem it not tastefull (this may vary from store to store), but my store manager actually encouraged me to wear a see thru black shirt with only a black bra under neath it, and there were several times i wore super short black shorts. we werent allowed to wear black jeans, but i know some stores will let u.

2. I wouldn't worry about the moisturizer and primer since it's impossible for them to know if you have it on or not. However, you can always go into work a half hour early and do your makeup in the back using the store's products.
also, the skincare stuff and foundation you'll get for free. your store manager should be giving you a form soon to fill out, you'll have an allowance to spend, and this is when you can order your skin stuff (but beware, sometimes it takes forever to come in)

3. you can wear glasses, but i think contacts would be fun and more appropriate to show off the eye makeup

4. Youll probably be scheduled 90% of the saturdays, I never minded it though, working there is a blast

 

[hazelis14]

Re: New Part-timer for MAC!

Wow thanks LC! All of that really helped! Now I have to ask your opinion on this before I ask my manager only because I'm nervous too! There's no question I won't work all or any of the Saturdays I am scheduled for as I believe I'll enjoy it as well, but I had already planned a (non-refundable) trip planned for early December for 4 days, and I forgot to mention it when I was in to fill out my paperwork. I don't want to risk having any trouble with my job already because it's during the holiday season, but it was already planned so...basically I'm asking your opinion on how safe it is to ask and actually be okay to get it off? (I'm not asking for a couple of Saturdays for football games or anything so I think it should be safe)

 

[LC]

Re: New Part-timer for MAC!

yeah I think you're totally fine. I wouldn't wait to tell her though. Next time you see her and discuss the schedule, just make sure you tell her that you've already got your ticket

 

[Chrystia]

Re: New Part-timer for MAC!

1. I used to wear leggings all the time without a problem. Just make sure they don't have holes or anything that shouldn't be there. Shorts aren't against dress code strictly speaking, however I would ask your manager. I had one manager there who was very open to things so long as it looked clean and tasteful. Another one though would have definitely said no shorts. She also was big on dressing with the season. So the boots would have been fine in the fall and winter with her, but not in the summer. She didn't allow open toed shoes through fall and winter. So your safest bet is to ask your manager because some managers are more strict with it than others.

2. If you want to try using skincare etc, you can put some in sample cups. I did that just to try some products out when I started. However, if I'm honest I do not use MAC skincare now nor when I worked there. So long as you know the skincare line and incorporate it into your sales, you will be fine. And LC is correct, skincare was part of the new hire gratis so that also should help with that.

3. Typically glasses aren't a problem so long as you are still wearing the required eye make up. I would recommend contacts for BASIC and for Updates though. since you spend time doing makeup on each other at these sessions, it is easier to not worry about glasses especially if you end up using lashes at BASIC. However, remember a good portion of MAC customers come to use for eye looks. Being able to show off your rocking eye skills will help you sell.

4. You will probably working pretty much every Saturday unless you specifically request it off. Saturday is the busiest day and I did notice that when people took a Sat off, they struggled to make their week.

As for your trip in December, I would tell them right away. Make sure you get in writing that they are ok with it. I say this because of my own experience I had when I started with them. I had a wedding of my friend in December on a Sat. I gave them this information BEFORE I was hired and they told me it would not be a problem since I told them right away. However, when the schedule came out, they scheduled me anyway and argued that it was not possible for me to have the day off. The issue escalated quite a bit and I ended up having to plead my case to my MRO to get the day off. So bring it up as soon as you can and make sure the issue is resolved asap.

Congratulations though. MAC is a great company and you will have lots of fun. Enjoy the experience.

 

[Chrystia]

Re: Interview

Where will you be interviewing? If it is for MAC just be sure they are black, clean, and not scuffed. Also make sure the boots fit your entire look. So don't wear a summer outfit with winter boots. Your entire presentation is considered when you show up for a MAC interview straight down to if your nail polish is chipped.