Starting off Right
The Giant Eagle supermarket chain features more than 200 full-service locations across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and West Virginia. Upwards of 30,000 part-time and full-time associates staff the network of stores. Luckily, hundreds of stores offer a host of employment opportunities for either entry-level applicants or higher-level job seekers. Naturally, the grocery store company institutes an extensive job interview process for every prospective employee.
Navigating the Interview Process
A growing chain of supermarkets, Giant Eagle offers numerous job interviews for potential crew members. Most stores use job fairs and open interviews to find potential hires. Job fairs may stand as just the first step in the interview process. Applicants that move further in the hiring process often undergo an orientation process with other job hopefuls and one-on-one interactions with store managers or HR representatives. Sometimes, there is a simple skills assessment test candidates must take either before hire or just after gaining employment with the chain. In total, the hiring process may take anywhere from one to five weeks, depending on availability.
Answering Extensive Interview Questions
Giant Eagle's business philosophy puts excellent customer service and fair pricing above everything else. The grocery store chain makes an investment with each new hire as someone who will continue to honor company reputation. Company officials use the job interview process as a way to get to know new applicants both personally and professionally. Candidates face multiple questions, many of which may feel redundant or repeating. Each question deserves a professional and courteous tone. Expect to provide information regarding personal history, previous employers, and job skills. Customer service and responsible behavior will also be tested with situational questions and scenarios interviewees must answer. Applicants may also be asked about future aspirations or career goals, personal hobbies and interests, and why they would like a job with the grocery store chain in the first place.
Giant Eagle Bakery Clerk Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
Giant Eagle Bakery Clerk: Was the bakery clerk. I came in the morning and prepped the donuts, prepped the showcase, put the different items, switch them over from the previous, When they put them up, put them on different display cases. If they only had just bakery, I would cash them out in the back with the bakery versus them having to go through the long line for just the donuts and cookies just for that and that was basically it. That was basically my primary.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
Giant Eagle Bakery Clerk: It’s actually, it’s different because you have different variety of attitudes there, but to me it was, my area was comfortable. It was a comfortable area. I didn’t have to worry too much about the management or attitudes that they would have on the front end with the cashiers.
Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
Giant Eagle Bakery Clerk: I actually like baking the donuts and doing the little, baking the little cakes and the creativity that you can use. You could just zone out to just create and I liked that about that.
Interviewer: Please describe the application and interview process.
Giant Eagle Bakery Clerk: Now, the application was basically the same as the general questions, your available hours, the military history. The interview was that there were a little bit more in detail. They needed to know previous jobs, the previous jobs you had, they were more questionable about that. They called and they actually talked to the jobs that you work previous. The experience, they really wanted experience due to the fact that baking is not an easy job at all and about how would I best benefit their company and it was a nice because like I said, I was relaxed during the interview. So, I had a nice interviewer.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
Giant Eagle Bakery Clerk: They ask things like your experience, they wanted more in detail of the experience that you had at your previous bakery jobs and areas like that and how would you best benefit this job or should I say, why should we hire you versus the other people that we have already interviewed and what else did she ask me?
Interviewer: How were you notified that you received the job?
Giant Eagle Bakery Clerk: They took about two weeks and via email.
Interviewer: What set you apart from other candidates?
Giant Eagle Bakery Clerk: My smile and the experience that I had and the fact that I was certified. So, she said that’s why I got the job because I was certified, smiled nice, on time for the interview. So, she felt I would be good in the facility.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
Giant Eagle Bakery Clerk: To not lie on your application. If they have any questions as far as your backgrounds and things like that, they need to be honest and open because everybody needs a chance for something. You never know.
Giant Eagle Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
Giant Eagle Employee: Okay. At Giant Eagle, I worked the front end, so I cashier, I watch the floor, the front end, watch the self checkout area, and sometimes, I’ll work the customer service desk. And then sometimes, I do work the liquor store.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
Giant Eagle Employee: It’s a very friendly work environment. Love most of the people there. It’s not a hard job, again. Customers can get a little irritating, but I enjoy the work environment.
Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
Giant Eagle Employee: My favorite part, definitely, is being able to cross-train and be in different areas. When I was at Food Lion, it was just … I was just a cashier. But at Giant Eagle, sometimes I’m watching the self checkout, sometimes I’ll be in the cash office, sometimes I work the customer service, sometimes I’m back in the liquor store. The day-to-day stuff is different, depending on what they need for that day.
Interviewer: Please describe the application and interview process.
Giant Eagle Employee:: Yeah. The application was online. It was your standard application, and then I got a call a few days … It was very quick. That they wanted to bring me in for an interview. They just kind of asked me … It was mainly different scenario questions, like, “Say the customer did this, how would you react?” Or stuff like that. Then, they asked me about my schedule, because I’m a college student. They asked me about breaks, and whatnot, and what I would do. That’s kind of how the interview was. It was very quick.
Interviewer: How were you notified that you received the job?
Giant Eagle Employee: They called me, probably within a week, and let me know. I left the interview and they said they’d call, and so they called probably in about a week and said that they’d like to hire me on.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
Giant Eagle Employee: Be flexible. But they’re really good about me leaving for school. It’s really nice, because they basically just put me on a student leave, and then I can just come and resume my job when I come back. But they want you to be able to do different jobs in the store, so don’t get stuck doing one thing, and that one thing only.
Giant Eagle Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
Giant Eagle Employee: I was a cashier. I just had to stand there and ring up groceries, bag them, put them in people’s carts, and take their money.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
Giant Eagle Employee: It was low stress. They operate off of a system that’s mostly just customer service, so you had to be nice to everyone: other customers, employees, everyone. So, it was low stress and a lot of work.
Interviewer: What was your favorite part about working there?
Giant Eagle Employee: I liked that I made a lot of friends because everyone was nice, of course. They were pretty good judges of character, so they didn’t hire anybody who was just mean in general. So, I made a lot of friends, and all the customers… they weren’t always nice, but we made up a lot of ways to make them happy. So, I liked that.
Interviewer: Please describe a typical day as an employee.
Giant Eagle Employee: I just clock in and then go and ring groceries. Sometimes, if people didn’t want things, it would accumulate at the front, and they would send you back to tell people where to get things and put all those items back. Then, there’s usually a break sometime in there. Then, go back to work and clock out, and you’re done.
Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?
Giant Eagle Employee: It wasn’t hard, per se, as long as you were generally friendly. It was a short application because most of it was two interviews. Instead of one interview, there were two. So, it was a short application, just basic things: your name, date of birth, criminal history, or anything like that.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
Giant Eagle Employee: They asked what you would do in high-stress situations, how you would deal with a mean customer, how do you dissolve conflicts between you and other employees. One of the questions they asked was actually, after you answered the first one vaguely like I did, they had you delve deeper into it. “What would you do in work?”, “What would you do outside of work?”, “Would you try to meet up with them?”, “Would you be friends with them or ignore them?” So, that part was in-depth.
Interviewer: What set you apart from other candidates?
Giant Eagle Employee: I’m genuinely friendly. I don’t like mean people, I don’t like to be mean, and I think it’s ugly. So, I’m genuinely nice, and I think she noticed that. I had really good grades, and I know they asked you to bring in part of your grade report. And I had good grades, so she knew that I was hardworking.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
Giant Eagle Employee: Just come in and try to talk to the person. Don’t just turn in your application with a cashier or at the front desk. Ask for the manager and shake their hand and introduce yourself and give them your application. Try to follow up on your application, definitely. Try and call a couple of days later. I learned all these things from a marketing class when I was in high school. After your interview, send a note to the store saying: “Thank you for your time. I know your time is worth a lot of money, and I appreciate you taking out the time to try and consider me.”
