Sephora Store Director interview questions

I was first called by the HR director who conducted a phone interview with me. She asked about my former experience and the phone interview went very well. She asked me in for a on-site interview. Once she looked over my resume, she seemed to be drawn to my first job, over 10 years ago because she was familiar with the company. Instead of asking me about my most recent jobs, she only asked about the first one. I had several references but they weren't enough as she wanted one from the first company. I told her they didn't have a corporate office and I don't have their cell phones and she looked shocked and made that clear. She made a point out of mentioning she has references from employers dating 15 years back and finds it very strange that I don't. She then explained that she didn't see me as a fit for the position I was applying for, but instead for an entry level position even though I had more than enough experience for the management position. I asked why that was and she shrugged and said that's just what she sees me at. I'm not sure what happened but I don't think she stayed professional during the entire course of the interview. She seemed very hooked on my first job that seemed to cause the problem.

I was referred by another manager, and the District Manager at the time had a large territory. I interviewed with her and the Regional manager in March and did not hear back at all until very late in June. Fortunately, I did not have another job lined up but knowing from experience, if you have a good candidate waiting too long can lead to a missed opportunity. Sephora has a very different work culture, and it takes about a year even for experienced managers to fully understand and be comfortable in the position. The overall culture of the company is fantastic, but they will expect a LOT.