I applied in-person. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Powell's Books
Interview
It was a long process first involving a group interview, then a one-on-one interview. The group interview was not as daunting as I first imagined. Just allow yourself a moment to think out your answer before you speak.
When I started, there was a week-long training involved which might sound excessive but it was helpful as there are many tasks involved.
Getting a higher level job in the company may be more difficult. Although you can technically apply for internal jobs as soon as you start working at Powell's, there is a lot of competition from others in the company in other locations.
I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Powell's Books (Portland, OR) in Jun 2015
Interview
group interview, 6-8 people present, a rotation of 5 questions or so going in reverse order. Answer orally to the group when it's your turn. Try to think on your feet when others speak their answers, use that time wisely to prepare.
Horrible. I'm almost 60 and was in a group interview with 5 other candidates all under 30. I was so disappointed in Powell's!!! I expected them to have a more diverse group. I didn't stand a chance.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you handle a situation where you have to multi task AND help customers (be sure you answer that you would help the customer FIRST in every way, then talk about how you would prioritize everything else).
What did you like least about your last job and what did you like best? Brown nose like all the young-uns did in my interview and talk about the best job first and make sure you talk only about how much you LOVED the customers best! It's all they want to hear. Make the least a positive least.
What book did you last read and what did you like about it. Be sure you relate the book to how you would help a customer choose this book, etc. Don't go overboard here! You don't need to talk about the 'prouse' of a book like one girl did in our interview. She went on way too long.
Why are you applying at Powell's and why should we hire you (basically just gush about how much you love books (as all the kids did in my interview) and then talk about how your would give excellent customer service. Greeting, listening to, probing and guiding.
Give an example of a time when you received excellent customer service and what did you like about it. Just gush about why the experience was so wonderful and how you would give the same at Powell's.
Most of all, be SUCCINCT in your answers. Some of the kids in my group droned on and on.
I wanted out of their after the first 5 minutes! Group interviews are awful and unfair.
Cashier applicants have rated the interview process at Powell's Books with 3.7 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 50% positive. To compare, the company-average is 69% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Cashier roles take an average of 4 days to get hired, when considering 3 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Powell's Books overall takes an average of 13 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Powell's Books as a Cashier according to 3 Glassdoor interviews include:
Group panel interview: 75%
One on one interview: 25%
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