Straight forward and not difficult. It's just a standard retail interview, no curveballs, no trick questions. Just practice a little beforehand and it'll go smoothly. Make sure to ask questions of your own at the end.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Do you have experience handling customers during a rush?
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Petco (Montrose, CO) in Dec 2012
Interview
I applied online and went into the store to speak to the hiring manager about a week later. I spoke with her for a while and it turned into somewhat of an informal, non-official interview since she asked me most of the typical interview questions during the course of this rather casual conversation.
A few weeks later I got a call for a real interview. It was a very brief interview since I had already answered most of her questions last time we spoke.
Between these two encounters, the questions included:
-Do you have any animal fears or phobias? Are there any animals you are unwilling to handle or allergic to?
-What (if any) pets do you have? What do you feed them, how do you care for them?
-How much experience do you have caring for animals? How dedicated to it are you?
-How well do you interact with people? Are you comfortable in social situations? Are you shy or outgoing? Are you adaptable?
-Do you become easily stressed? The work environment can be high stress at times.
-What hours and days are you available to work? Are there any days or times you are unable to work? Do you require special accommodations?
I have experience with animals from many years of 4H, petsitting, hobby farming and being an animal enthusiast/multiple pet owner since I was a child (I am 23) and am very comfortable with reptiles and invertebrates ("creepy crawlies"), so the manager was pleased with this.
After I answered the questions she asked me if I could start the next day, so we did the paperwork and I was given my work uniform and it was quite painless, to my surprise.
It was a basic sales job interview. Basically they want to know you are a hard worker and kind to animals. I don't think they really care as long as you are willing to work hard.
The interview process is very easy. They are not too picky, they just want to make sure that you will work and can comprehend the simple parts of the job. And that you are okay with small animals.