Borders Interview Questions & Reviews in Chicago, IL Area

Interview Details – The application process was much more grueling than the interviewing process. Borders only accepts online applications, and the application is quite lengthy and includes a personality test; you will show up as a red, yellow or green "light" on Borders' hiring site, based on how you answered the questions (these days, the company seems to care more about an outgoing, engaging personality than the applicant being literate). If you are applying for a non-management position, you are required to apply to a specific store, but after a period of about a month, if that store has taken no action on your application, it will be released to the broad area.

I was called for an interview with a store other than the one I'd applied for, perhaps two months after initially applying. The interviewer, who was the Training Supervisor, was dressed very casually and seemed sort of bored with the whole process, reading very standard questions from the paper she had in front of her (such as "What are you reading right now?" and "Why do you want to work here?"), as well as some of the more obnoxious questions interviewers always seem to ask (like "What is a conflict you've encountered in the workplace, and how did you resolve it?" and "What is your greatest weakness?). I was told that the position I'd applied for, Inventory Processing Team, was full, but that there were openings for booksellers. I didn't feel that I was particularly coherent or impressive, but I was called back for a second interview with the General Manager, probably due to my extensive bookstore background. The second interview was even more casual than the first, the GM and I mostly just yakking about things we had in common, things she knew about the school I'd attended, etc.

I was offered the job shortly thereafter, and the two nitwits I went through training with were reason enough for me to realize I was more than qualified for the position.

Negotiation Details – Completely non-negotiable. Trying to get any money out of Borders is a losing battle.