I applied in-person. I interviewed at Trader Joe's (Philadelphia, PA) in Dec 2016
Interview
When I dropped off my application that I downloaded online in person, a manager (or "mate") pulled me aside for a very casual, brief 3 question interview. They called me a week later to schedule a real sit-down one-on-one interview. This one lasted perhaps 15 minutes. It was mainly about customer service and to see how familiar you were with the idea of the store. They like to see people who are enthusiastic about the store and knowledgable about the products (if you are familiar with gluten free or vegan diets, be sure to mention this and that you'd love to give customers food recommendations). They also like people who are able to work as a team. They called me back about a week later and said that they liked me but they had other crew members trying to transfer from another store and had to prioritize giving the position to them instead, but they'd keep me on file for when more spaces opened up. About 3-4 months later, they offered me a position and I accepted.
Super easy just be yourself and know the products and you will pass with flying colors. Make sure you are available to work weekends, they usually prefer people to close which can be annoying.
two interviews one with mate then one on another day with the captain - basically the same questions at both and the typical questions you would expect strengths/weaknesses, what makes you a good employee, what makes you like an employer
It was quick and seamless and they let me know in ample time. It was a painless process and the crew was quick to give honest opinions about working there. The Captain changed but at the time turnover wasn't high.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why do you want to work at Trader Joes and do you have any favorite products.
Crew Member applicants have rated the interview process at Trader Joe's with 2.3 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 75% positive. To compare, the company-average is 72.5% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Crew Member roles take an average of 13 days to get hired, when considering 1,059 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Trader Joe's overall takes an average of 14 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Trader Joe's as a Crew Member according to 1,059 Glassdoor interviews include:
One on one interview: 47%
Group panel interview: 13%
Background check: 8%
Phone interview: 8%
Skills test: 6%
Personality test: 6%
Presentation: 4%
Drug test: 3%
IQ intelligence test: 3%
Other: 2%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -