I saw a job listing for "Certified Bike Tech" at the local REI store....a store that has been open for less than a year. One of the requirements for employment stated, "Successful completion of Barnett Bicycle Institute/REI certification within 6 months of hire." There were no details as to how or where this certification process takes place stated on the company website. I decided to stop by the local store and ask. After arriving at the store I was immediately greeted by a sales associate in a friendly manner. I asked about the job opening. The sales associate stated he had no information about the opening and called over another sales associate who also stated they had no knowledge about any store job openings. I asked if there was anyone in the store who would know, and was told that the store supervisor is responsible for new hires, and would be out to speak to me if I wanted to wait a few minutes. I agreed to wait. In less than 5 minutes I was greeted by a person who identified themselves as the store supervisor. I asked about the certification process, and the store supervisor stated that they didn't know anything about it! I asked this person if they were in charge of hiring, and they replied in the affirmative. I said, "You're in charge of new hires, but don't know what's required of the job?" The supervisor stated that I should fill out an application and, "We'll talk." I Googled the location of Barnett Bicycle Institute and discovered that they are located in Colorado....1,500 miles from where I live and would be working. Again, I could not find out if the certification process was done locally, or whether travel to Colorado was required. So I sent an email to REI headquarters and asked. I asked the following questions in my email to REI corporate offices: The location where the certification process is done? Course fees? Travel and lodging expenses? (If any) They emailed me back in less than an hour to tell me the certs are done at a bike mechanic school in Colorado, but did not answer any other questions. They also want me to tell them the location of the store that posted the job opening for bike tech....this I will not do. I don't believe that this is a case of ignorance or incompetence, it was obvious that this supervisor was doing what they were instructed to do.

Started with a phone screening, I was asked about work history, work ethic, and personal hobbies. I was asked for a second interview, we went into further detail about these topics and discussed scheduling. Interviewer was very nice, patient, and very helpful with my transition. We also shared some cool stories.