The process took 3 months. I interviewed at ALDI in Feb 2012
Interview
I learned about this position through my campus recruiter. I emailed my resume in November and received a letter stating they were not interested. In Jan I received a call from an Aldi recruiter stating that they wanted to interview me. I met with the District Operations Manager and it went well. 2 weeks later I called for the status and I was invited to view a presentation and have another 1:1 interview afterwards. During the interview I learned that they lost quite of few DM's to a national retailer that I use to work for and I was told that they don't hire people from that retailer. I was like, "really" of course he said he was just joking but sure enough 1 week later I received a "thanks but no thanks" letter. Probably for the best.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
If you owned your own business and you saw someone take $5 out of the register what would you do?
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at ALDI in Feb 2012
Interview
I submitted my resume and a cover letter to the email address provided on the ALDI careers website. Knowing that ALDI generally only does campus hiring, and prefers college students, I thought it was a long shot. I am two years out of college, working full-time and getting an MBA. Neither of the colleges I've attended are ALDI recruiting schools. Nevertheless, I received an email reply approximately 1 month after submitting my resume and cover letter, and I was told there would be interviews 1 month later. I paid for a plane ticket and traveled from my current residence to the district office where I hoped to work. The interview was on a Friday, and there were approximately 11 other candidates interviewing. We weren't told about a specific number of openings.
The first interview consisted of purely information and Q&A sessions' followed by a 1:1 interview with a Director of Operations from the local ALDI office.
That following Monday, I was sent an email letter that I had been selected for the 2nd round of interviews. This time they booked my travel, and I returned 2 weeks later. At this interview there were only two of us. We met all of the Directors, interviewed 1:1 with 4 of them, and got a tour of the warehouse. We then went to lunch with a current DM and DMT and were given a tour of the store. They provided some valuable insight into the job.
The people at ALDI seem very nice. They are goal oriented and success driven. They are serious about the business and, if you are a candidate, you need to be as well. Listen - there is a reason why the compensation package is so fantastic. A lot of responsibility is given to you as a DM, and a lot of work is expected. This is not a job, it more of a lifestyle. There is no 40 - hour week, and they tell you that upfront. If you just want to get in and out of the office everyday, and are more focused on what you get to do in your free time, they will caution you not to pursue the position any further, and that is good advice. But, if you're interested in real responsibility, commitment, autonomy, the ability to see how your work impacts the company, and at least twice the compensation of most of your friends, I'd say this job is a good choice for you. Make sure you express your passion in the interview.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
On a scale of 1-10, 10 being very quick, how fast do you learn new things?
The process took 1 day. I interviewed at ALDI in Jan 2012
Interview
The interview was pretty good. They wanted to get to know you as much as possible, so it is your chance to shine, and do your best. They gave a presentatioin about the company the night before to clear up any questions you may have before the interview process, and get into exactly what you would be doing if hired.