I applied in-person. The process took 5 days. I interviewed at Trader Joe's (Portland, OR) in Nov 2013
Interview
You are always given a quick interview when you turn in an application. "Why Trader Joe's? " will probably be the first question. You will then have your first interview with two mates. Your second interview will be with a different mate and the captain. They hire for personality. Teamwork is extremely important.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
The interviews are about an hour each. They ask a ton of questions. They ask all the usual questions: strengths, weakness, handling difficult situations/people, favorite job, least favorite. They ask lots of less common ones too. They really try to get to know you. They really want to make sure you will be a good fit- they can train you on everything else. Focus on teamwork, the customer and be very positive. Smile. Laugh.
The interview process was absolutely wonderful! I didn't feel stressed or nervous and it felt like I was just chatting with a friend! Trader Joes is a great company and the interview was great.
Very chill, asked things a lot of job interviews don't, more personal down to earth questions. Made me feel very comfortable. Professional but also cool vibes from everyone who interviewed me. Went to one interview with mates and another with the captain.
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.