Update :Recieved an offer to work and accepted it! I hope my experience will help anyone else looking to get started with Trader Joes.
Applied in person and they ask you what your favorite product is, a little bit about yourself, very informall infact, you'll probably be in and out in less then a couple minutes. Be professional and friendly though cause whoever you see makes an initial note of you. Also, if you can talk directly to a mate or a manager/captain the more the better. So I applied, got a call back for an interview in about a weeks time of waiting. I interviewed with 2 young ladies, 1 about early 30s, 1 about mid-late 20s. I'm a 22 year old male so interviewing with 2 girls was very easy and relaxing. They were very relaxing, outgoing, yet professional so try to gauge your interviewers personality with your responses. Here's what they asked me:
1. Tell me about yourself
- are you in school? -tell me a little bit about your past work experience
-not gonna get into this as it's pretty standard
2. Why do you want to work at trader Joes
-I said " Why not trader joes? I mean I could apply to safeway but whenever I walk into trader joes I always get positive vibes from not only the customers but the employees as well. I often see alot of genuine interactions going on and great customer service at the same time and based on my past work experience this is the type of environment I thrive in and I definitely see myself working here"
4. What do you expect to be doing here at trader joes
- I said "I'm open to everything whether it be register, stocking, inventory, cart return, samples. I noticed that the employees are often doing various jobs and I don't expect to be on just the register my whole shift".
-i tried to make it a point that I'm open to whatever they want me to do
5. Describe yourself in 3 words:
-I said " compassionate team player because it definitely takes someone who is willing to be understanding in this type of work environment especially towards customers and also customers who may not be having the best day. It also takes someone who is willing to work cooperatively with others because it makes everything so much better and everyone benefits from it".
6. What do you think you bring to the table
-This one kind of stumped me because I didn't anticipate they'd ask me this and it kinda ties into the last question and i felt it was redundant and to be honest I don't remember what I said but I did relate back to my last answer
7. How do you go about a disgruntled customer
- I said " well you have to realize that when a customer comes in angry he's usually not upset at you and usually it just takes a little bit of compassion and understanding and just listening to what that person has to say and responding in a way that gets them to reciprocate the same feelings. If you don't have an item they're looking for, then do what you can to help them whether it be calling another store to see if they have it, or reassuring them when the next time the store will have it. There's only so much you can do but alot of it is just being a good listener"
Those were the major questions i think and the interview lasted awhile cause we were just kinda talking. I noticed while she was intervewing me she had this paper with a chart on it and she would mark it every now and then. not sure what it was but I'm pretty sure it was a rubric and she was grading me on my responses. The older lady who mostly asked me questions would say "great" after i gave a good answer so im guessing that's good.
Final Tips:
-Smile
-Ask relevant questions that show you care.
-Gauge your response with your interviewers personality
-CHECK FOR BODY LANGUAGE. I noticed the two girls I interviewed with both crossed their legs towards me after about 8 minutes, pupils dilated, and hands fiddling which showed me I had established a comfort zone...try to achieve this.
-Reciprocate positive body language.
-BE YOURSELF..don't try to impress them with things your not. Being honest is a lot easier then trying to make yourself seem better then your cut out for.
-Don't be nervous...if you are chances are you will mess up and not get the job cause they can tell by your breathing, sentence stutters, and body language. Again, be yourself.