Gymboree Play and Music Interview Questions
& Process

I got a phone interview a day or two after applying. The interviewer offered me a class screening for the next day and an in-person interview after that. I couldn't make the screening date, but she said it was fine and didn't reschedule. She was late to the interview, didn't apologize, and didn't introduce herself. She started by saying she almost dismissed me because of a past job on my resumé, asking if it was 'just something I had to do to make money' and why I decided to work there. I told her it was the best job I've had. She also asked invasive questions about my transportation. Then we went to the classroom area where she asked me to dance to music and sing. I sang the Hokey Pokey, but she asked me to sing something else to 'show her more of my voice,' and then asked me to sing 'Do Re Mi' from The Sound of Music. It was a physically interactive interview, which was hard in a pencil skirt and heels. She talked over me, didn't let me finish answers, and seemed uninterested and biased from the start, making me feel like I was wasting her time.

I applied online and they invited me to a group interview a few days later. When I got there, I put on a name tag and sat on the mat with about 6-7 other applicants. We sat in a circle, which I guess was to show us how the classes are run. The manager who interviewed us was nice and made small talk to make us feel comfortable. We were all asked to sing a children's song individually. They gave us some scenarios and asked how we'd handle them, mainly about customer complaints and concerns. It seemed they wanted to see if we could listen to customers without admitting fault. No typical questions like "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" or "what's your greatest weakness?". They never said how many positions were open, but I assumed 1-2. After the group interview, each applicant was taken to a separate room and offered a job. I now realize they were hiring so many people at once because there's constant turnover due to low pay, no benefits, and poor training.

Got a call about my application a day or two after I submitted it, and we did a super casual phone interview. It was mostly just me talking about what I wanted in a job. They set up an in-person interview for the next day during that call. The in-person interview was quick and chill, just a short meeting with the owner. It felt more like chatting than a real interview. They asked normal stuff, like if I'd be okay with a background check, and asked me to sing a bit of a kids' song to see if I had a pleasant voice. It wasn't high pressure at all.

Had a group interview with 3-5 other people, sitting in a circle. The interviewer, who seemed to be the on-site manager or lead teacher, asked us questions like 'tell me about yourself', some scenario questions, and to sing a song. It was all done in front of everyone. If you did well, the owner would call you for a 1-on-1 interview.