I applied online. The process took 3 days. I interviewed at Teavana in Sept 2009
Interview
I only had one interview with the company and was hired on the spot. The company looks for people that are outgoing, courteous, and charismatic. In most stores, the manager not only looks at prior experience but will also evaluate your personality to see if you would improve or destroy the dynamic of the staff. The interview is all about being personable and showing an interest in growing with the company. Fairly flexible availability is definitely a plus. Also, COME DRESSED IN BUSINESS CASUAL CLOTHING! Do not ever show up in a jeans or sneakers of any sort. This is the first thing they use to weed out potential employees. Dress appropriately to show that you actually want a job.
I do know that a few things have changed over the years for the interview process. They will now show you the tea that they make you before the interview starts. Take the tea they give you. It shows a willingness to try new things. Also, remember the tea they show you as well as how they present it to you. They will make you present it to them at some point during the interview. Pay attention to everything that is said because a lot of managers will use this to see how well you pick things up and memorize them. Do not be surprised if they ask you questions about things that were said earlier in the interview. PAY ATTENTION
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
"Why should I not hire you?" It was a question that was meant to see how self aware I am of my own faults. It was also used to see if I could spin a negative into a positive. When people would answer that they could not think of a reason, it was usually a clear indicator that they would be unwilling to be critiqued and unwilling to change in the future.
I applied in-person. The process took 5 days. I interviewed at Teavana (Phoenix, AZ) in Feb 2014
Interview
I put in an application online after speaking briefly with the manager and received a call for an interview about 3 days later. When I arrived they let me pick a tea and made me a cup of tea. Pay attention to the description of the tea because you will be asked to sell the cup of tea during the interview. The interview itself was quite relaxed. We left the store and sat together outside. He started with a pitch about Teavana (benefits, opportunities for advancements, etc) and explained that they are unabashedly sales oriented. I stated that I was a little intimidated by that since I have no sales experience and he said that the training is very good and didn't seem like it was a deal breaker that I didn't have experience.
The questions were fairly straight forward. Mostly they want to know about your motivation and reliability. It defiantly helped that I drink tea and am enthusiastic about good tea. I put my 'sell this tea' answer below since he said it was a really good one.
I applied in-person. The process took 5 days. I interviewed at Teavana (Raleigh, NC) in Aug 2013
Interview
Applications are online. Apply before you go to the store! Go to the store (not on weekend) to speak to a manager. I dressed better than I usually do--not quite business casual, however--and brought my resume to them (this isn't mandatory, but it will make you look good). Ask to speak to the assistant general manager or general manager. If none of them are there, just ask when they'll be in. They liked me, I got called, and I had two interviews: one with the AGM and the other with the GM.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Before they sit you down for questions, they'll make you a tea. You can choose which tea you want, and then they will describe the (1) tradition, (2) innovation, and (3) taste of the tea. Sometimes 1 & 2 are kind of one in the same. You must listen very carefully to this description because they will ask you to describe and sell them the tea they just made you. Teavana has the following key terms that will impress your interviewer if you use: "Our tea developers..." for innovation and "When you brew it at home..." for taste.
the process is very fast. I apply online, they called me around 3-4 days after that, scheduled time for interview. The interview happened in the afternoon, I got a job offer in the evening and started training a day after.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
there were no difficult or tricky question. the interview looked like a conversation between me and my mananger.