I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Starbucks (Atlanta, GA) in Feb 2014
Interview
I applied online, which includes a thorough assessment that you take outlining your ability to understand Starbucks knowledge, budgeting, P&L's, etc. A recruiter called for a 40 min phone interview, after which she emailed me and asked that I meet with a District Manager to interview the following week. That lasted 1.5 hours, and went very well. I wouldn't say it was a difficult interview, but definitely an in-depth one. Be prepared to speak on your ability to invest in people and help them grow, your product, training, and language knowledge of Starbucks as a company, and specific examples of how you show leadership discernment and your ability to lead. Also, you should know how to make money and run a store all around, as this is a publicly traded company, very much focused on profit. After this interview, he asked if I'd be willing to have one more interview via phone with a second DM, so that they could both give their "thumbs up" back to the recruiter. That happened the next day, and was very much a repeat of the in-person interview with the other DM. She went more in-depth on numbers and what my prior experience had been managing. I have a history of Starbucks through licensed stores, so I was able to edify my experience and also my excitement to pursue something with a company store. Good luck to anyone going the same route.. it's one worthy of your efforts if you want to grow under solid leadership and make a good salary. I was also able to negotiate salary. It's all in your choice of verbiage and professionalism. If you are an asset to them, they'll want to invest in you.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
The questions asked were very much broken down into 3 direct ways to respond. Example: "Tell me about a time where your plans for a project did not happened as you'd planned. Describe the expected outcome, the actual outcome, and what your choice of response was."
Keep your responses business, profit, and training based, and you should be golden!
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Starbucks (Harrisburg, PA) in Jul 2010
Interview
Typically begins with an hour long phone interview, followed by a 1-2 hour first interview with prospecting DM, then a second 1-2 hour interview with another DM for approval. The whole process can take up to 4 weeks