Alterations & Tailor Shop - Tailor - Michigan Avenue
Posted Oct 2, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a time an alteration came out wrong. What did you do?
What they are checking: Ownership of mistakes and how they make it right with the customer.
The team has productivity goals. How do you stay fast without letting your quality slip?
What they are checking: Whether they can meet output targets while keeping work to Nordstrom's standards.
How do you work with sales associates who bring customers to the tailor shop?
What they are checking: Teamwork with the store, since alterations often help close a sale on the floor.
What would you do
A customer wants trousers shortened but the fabric pattern makes a clean hem tricky. How do you explain your options?
What they are checking: Educating customers on construction and fit in plain language, which the posting lists as a duty.
You have a stack of alterations due today and a customer arrives wanting a rush job. How do you decide?
What they are checking: Balancing productivity goals and promised dates against keeping a customer happy.
A customer insists on a fit you think will look wrong. How do you handle it?
What they are checking: Giving honest style advice while respecting that the customer gets the final say.
About the work
Walk me through how you fit and pin a suit jacket that is too big in the shoulders and long in the sleeves.
What they are checking: Hands-on craft knowledge, including knowing which alterations are practical and which are not worth doing.
What alterations do you find hardest to do well, and how do you handle them?
What they are checking: Honest self-assessment of skill and whether they know their limits on complex work.
How do you track each garment, its measurements and its due date so nothing gets lost?
What they are checking: Organization with store technology, since a lost garment is a serious service failure.
What sewing and pressing machines have you used, and how do you keep them running safely?
What they are checking: Comfort with standard alteration equipment and a safe working habit around it.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Nordstrom.