Contacted by a recruiter in September 2014; they asked me about my previous experience and if I would consider taking over a store for ALDI. Told me training lasted 9-18 months (depending on the person), during training I would make $22 per hour and after that the salary range was $60,000-$75,000 per year plus bonuses. Gave me guidelines on what to wear/not wear (this was entertaining to say the least). No big hoops, no funky nail polish, no excessive make-up, no wild hair style, no super bright colors or intense designs, not a ton of jewelry ect. Basically, best choice would be to dress very conservative--think banker. I had my first interview a few weeks later with the Director of Operations in Webberville, MI. I had been informed interviews last approximately 30 mins, I was there for 1.5 hours, but I did have a lot of questions. The director never asked me about strengths/weaknesses or random I.Q. type questions (research online lead me to believe these were standard questions used); instead, the questions were along the lines of "How do I handle difficult situations-give examples" "What duties do I perform in my current position" "Why do I want to leave my current position" "Why have I not yet been promoted to a Store Manager" (at the time I was an Assistant Store Manager and have held a few different positions with this title) "Do the job duties at ALDI sound like something I would be interested in" "What was my lowest/highest rated area in my previous annual review" "What do I like best about my current position" "What is my managerial/leadership style" I was told to bring my application to the interview, which the Director never did ask for, but I turned it in at the end anyway. I was then asked when I would be able to meet with a District Manager and Store Manager (the first interview was on a Thursday...next interview was set up for the following Monday). That Monday I showed up at the store, which was really busy, and I didn't spend more than 5 mins with the Store Manager. Met with the Director of Operations again, as well as a District Manager. Interview was with them both simultaneously (this was a little nerve racking), but the questions were pretty much the same as my first interview and I was just asked to re-tell answers that I had given previously so that the District Manager could hear my responses. After this second interview, I was contacted within a week asking me to meet with another District Manager in order to fill out my background check, previous residence information and to get my drug screening paperwork. This meeting involved paperwork and I was asked for what size shirts I wear so they could order mine--pretty good inclination I was definitely hired. The District Manager told me I could either put in my two week notice that day or I could wait for my background check/drug screen to come through (no pressure with this option whatsoever). Due to the fact that I have a criminal record (a few misdemeanors and two felonies--all more than 7 years ago) I was worried that I would not pass, but while filling out the background check I was instructed to just be honest because the company is huge on honesty! I wrote every little thing down that I had ever been arrested/charged with, leaving out no detail because I didn't want to lose the opportunity. Background check finally came through almost two weeks later and I was instructed to put in my two week notice that day. My start date was about six weeks after my initial interview; 8-10 weeks from the date I was contacted by the recruiter.

I applied to a listing on Indeed and was directed to complete an additional application on the company website. After submitting the applications, I received an email requesting the completion of a "video interview" via HireVue. I downloaded the HireVue app and used to code provided by Aldi. To begin, they provide the opportunity to complete a few practice questions before initiating the official interview submission. You can do as many practices as you want, there doesn't seem to be a limit or cap. I would recommend that you use this chance to practice as much as possible. Though the practice questions were not the same questions in the official interview, if gives you the chance to get used to the process and the quick timeframe allowed for your answers. The actual interview process involved a series of 8 questions, ranging from situational inquired to questions about your experience and background. You are given 90 seconds to prepare after each question is asked (video of an actor reads the question, then the question is listed on the screen while a timer counts down), then you have a limited amount of time to answer each question, which varied from 90 seconds to 2 minutes if I recall. Once the timer runs out, there is no chance to review the video or rerecord your answers. The last 2-3 questions were multiple choice questions/responses. While I understand that this could be considered by some employers to be a useful tool for sifting or sorting through a multitude of applicants, I do not see the real value of this system. As a seasoned manger with thousands of interviews under my belt, I believe that an interview should be a conversation between two people. I've never had a stopwatch with me while interviewing anyone, limiting their allowed time for answers, then cutting them off when they reach their time limit. It is fairly well known that you should prepare for interviews and do your best to limit your answers to most questions to 2-3 minutes, but this was extreme to say the least.