Farmer Brothers Interview Questions
& Process

The interview was really thorough and gave a lot of information. They went over all the details like the work hours, the benefits package, the shift schedule, what the dress code is, when you would start, how you sign up for benefits, and they even explained their program that puts $50 towards your prescription payments to help out with medication costs if you need it.

The interview process for this role at Farmer Bros. spanned 5 weeks. It started with a general phone screen from the recruiter who asked some basic STAR questions, seeming to read them directly from a script. About two weeks after that, I had an in-person interview with the Payroll Manager. This interview felt very similar to the initial phone screen. The manager provided a brief introduction to the company and the position, then proceeded to ask questions from a prepared packet. He was casual but not particularly sociable. The recruiter was also present during this interview. Three weeks following that, I had a second in-person interview.

So, I started with a basic phone screen from the recruiter where they asked me some standard STAR method questions. It felt like they were just reading from a script. Then, about two weeks later, I went in person to meet with the Payroll Manager. That interview was pretty similar to the phone screen, with the manager giving a quick intro to the company and the job before asking questions from a prepared list. They seemed pretty relaxed but not super friendly, and the recruiter was there too. Three weeks after that, I had a second in-person interview with the Controller. This one was way more laid-back. We chatted a bit, and then they really drilled down on the "Why payroll?" question, asking it multiple ways. I think they were hoping for an answer like "Payroll is my passion," but that's just not me. I got a rejection email a week later, but honestly, I suspected that was the outcome after the first in-person meeting. The second interview felt more like a formality, maybe for EEO stuff. Oh, and about the office itself – it's attached to a distribution center, so you'll see trucks coming and going. During the interviews, I got a brief walk-through of the facility. It's mostly cubicles and offices, and from my limited exposure, it didn't really strike me as a super collaborative or encouraging environment.

Got a Friday call from the district manager who confirmed a few things and set up a face-to-face for Monday. The interview was super casual, basically a conversation. We talked about the job duties and pay to make sure everything was cool. No deep or demanding questions, just checking info and personality/chemistry. Seemed to go well because an HR Recruiter called the next day for more in-depth questions, including a couple of behavioral ones and some technical stuff. Got the offer two days later.