I applied through an employee referral. The process took 4 days. I interviewed at Costco Wholesale (Santa Maria, CA) in Apr 2014
Interview
I applied online for any position and received a call a few days later. I was referred by a couple of employees. I entered the interview with a cold and fever, which made me feel even more nervous and I was not able to think clearly when answering questions. Two managers constructed the interview. The hiring manager was super nice and was pleasurable to speak with. The questions concerned my work experience, customer service, and how I have acted in certain situations.
Specific situation questions that I remember are: "Describe a time in which you had to suddenly show a sense of urgency at work?" "Describe a time in which you had to solve a problem with an associate through communication?" "How do you deal with angry customers?"
One thing that was strange about the interview was that the second manager in the room would not look at me. I was attempting to keep eye contact with both of them throughout the interview, but the second manager was staring at the floor with his hand rested underneath his chin, and he did not speak until I was leaving. Since I was sick I did not appear healthy and energetic.
It wasn't horrible on my end, I just could have provided better answers that expressed my strong desire to work for the company. After my interview the hiring manager told me to check my email for confirmation. When he said that I knew that I wasn't hired.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Not very difficult. Opening questioning was most unexpected, "What would you be doing if you weren't here right now?"
You sit at a table in the food area with two managers. If you have a heart beat you got a job. They drug test immediately. They take you into a back room to suck on a dry sponge for about 5 minutes to see if you pass the test.
Initial phone screen with a manager. Went on to do in person interview with other managers (previous experience in a team, what i did to prepare,etc.) Clarified my schedule and started the onboarding a week later.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Time you worked on a team, mistake you made, communicating something new
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Costco Wholesale in Nov 2025
Interview
This was for a seasonal position. Went in and got seated in the breakroom. They called me in after about 15 minutes. I was interviewed by the Admin manager and the Front end manager. It went really well! They dud an amazing job of making me feel comfortable. I handed them copies of my resume and they were just pointing things out and asking me about that and what my plans were at Costco, considering the prestige of my college degree and my professional experience thus far. After that they asked me general situational questions. Told me to wait in the breakroom again to speak with GM. Conversation with him took less than 5 minutes. He told me my resume was impressive, also asked me what I was hoping to gain at Costco. Afterwards told me to be on standby to get my drug test done. That took about 15 minutes and I had orientation 2 days later.