I applied in-person. The process took 5 weeks. I interviewed at Trader Joe's (Torrance, CA) in Jan 2013
Interview
I went to my local Trader Joe's on a weekday during an off-peak time with my application in-hand. I had a quick pre-interview with a Mate on the spot, but the whole time he was asking me questions he didn't once look me in the eyes, which kind of seemed unprofessional to me. He actually seemed bored and uninterested in every answer I had to his questions. Then after about 10 awkward minutes of him speaking to my application, he walked away and said, "We'll get back to you." And yes, they got back to me...two months later they sent me a letter letting me know that they hadn't picked me for an interview. I'm kind of glad I didn't get hired, because if that how they run their hiring process I could only imagine how cold and unattached they treat their employees.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
None, he didn't even take the time to ask me a real question about my work ethic or prior experience.
I had 3 separate interviews. 1 was over the phone. 2 were in person. I never heard anything after the third interview. I called the store about a week later and they let me know they didn’t actually have any available positions. Really felt like they wasted my time.
I applied in-person. I interviewed at Trader Joe's (West Hollywood, CA)
Interview
Casual, took place outside of the store. First I had a phone call interview. Then another which was in-person with 2 of the mates in the store, and finally a third in-person with the captain of the store.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What was something I did for a friend that was above and beyond?
Different questions than I have experienced in past job interviews, but seem to be their traditional hiring questions. They want to make sure they are hiring sociable people more so than just someone that can do the job.