Trader Joe’s starts hiring process for Dallas-Fort Worth stores

Time to get out your Hawaiian shirt.

DALLAS — "Do you possess a sense of adventure?" the listing begins. "Do you like to make people smile? Do you love great food? Would you rather wear a Hawaiian shirt to work than a suit?"

"Hawaiian shirt," there's your tip-off: Trader Joe's is officially hiring staff for Dallas-Fort Worth, with a Job Listing just posted to their website, dated January 20.

Although Fort Worth has been confirmed as the first Trader Joe's to open in North Texas, the listing says that the job is "Dallas / 75219." That's confusing, and Trader Joe's did not respond to email inquiries about which location was being staffed.

With the process of staffing now official, it's only a matter of time before the store opens and we're all clogging up the parking lot. This will be especially true in Fort Worth since the TJ's store is opening in the same shopping center as the recently-announced Spec's in Fort Worth.

We're part of a big Trader Joe's incursion throughout the Southwest that includes Denver, where the company just notified state officials that it intends to start doing business there April 1.

The Dallas-Fort Worth positions pay a not-too-shabby $40,000-$70,000, and include all levels of "Mates" -- their in-house lingo for salaried worker -- from Assistant Manager level to District Manager. The store manager is called "Captain."

In addition to answering questions about "why you want to work there" and "where your closest store is," applicants must also answer this trick question:

What is your favorite Trader Joe's product and why? (We know this is a tough one.)

So some kind of familiarity with their product line gives you an edge. They also say: "WOW us with your cover letter and experience to guarantee a response" -- no pressure there -- and that it will take a couple months before they begin doing interviews.