I applied for this job via their website. I was worried about working for a retail company because I am not in my twenties and this was not going to be a career. I applied on a whim because I love shopping here and am a professional organizer who uses them a lot. They responded quickly to the application (despite my being over-qualified) and asked us to attend an interview with a photo or item description from the Container Store catalog that we believe would help us be organized.
Well I could do one better because I have purchased a lot from there. When coming in for the interview they set up a group interview in the shelving section using their bungee chairs. I had seen those chairs but never used them, and it turned out they were very comfortable! (First product introduction on their part--very clever!). They had materials for us to review and labeled with our name on it (Second product introduction). The group interview included a video and a sharing session about what we know about the company. It was fun. It was interactive. We became friends with others (who later became coworkers) right from the gate.
The next process was a one on one with the general manager of visual sales manager. This was a true "getting to know you" interview. I don't remember if I was asked anything directly about my work fit. I think we just exchanged stories and laughed. That's all I remember at least.
Within five days we began with others from our group interview. They gave us our first container (the Men's Shoe Box) labeled with our name on it, filled with what we needed for our foundation day. The training was excellent, and being with people we already started to get to know was comforting. The whole experience was great.
