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Pet World is NOW HIRING!
We generally hire only once a year, in August. This year we began the 2011 Hiring in July! Please read more about Pet World's hiring process, spend some time in the store, and then decide if a job at Pet World is right for you! 
Read the last section below to find out HOW TO GET HIRED! Also, please "like" Pet World Lawrence and follow us on Facebook for weekly updates about the curent hiring process. Updates are usually made on Mondays.
Important Dates for Fall 2011 Hiring:
(Check this section often as dates are subject to change. All new hires must attend one group interview followed by Orientation and Customer Service, no exceptions.)
June 10 - August 22 ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS! Please give your application to a Pet World manager and be prepared to answer a few questions. It's important to make a great first impression! We can take apps up until Thursday, August 25, 8pm but apps turned in after August 22 may not get reviewed. If you are turning in your app after August 22, you'll need to make a great first impression in order for it to get to the owners in time!
Round 1 Complete!
July 28-August 6: Phone interviews (July 28-August 3). First round of face to face interviews (August 1-6). (Note: If you turned in your app before August 1 and don't receive a call by August 3, it is likely your app was discarded for some reason.) Complete!
UPDATE: Round 1 applications have all been processed. A few Round 1 apps were moved to Round 2 at the applicants' request. If you turned in an app before August 3 and did not receive a call, that means for some reason your app never made it past all 4 managers for ownership review. Feel free to create an improved application and make an even better first impression when you turn it in. Or you can wait until we hire again next fall.
August 7 (First) Group Interview, 7-10pm at Pet World.  Complete!  15 applicants participated
August 8 (First) New Hire Orientation, 2-5pm, Pet World Education Room.  Complete! 11 applicants were hired
August 8 Customer Service Training, 7-10pm, Pet World Education Room.  Complete!  11 new employees had their first training
August 9-28 Shadow Shifts (training) available for Round 1 new employees. In Progress! 10 9 new employees remain
Round 2
August 12-25: Phone interviews (Aug 12-23). Most applicants will receive a text message advising when they'll be called. Second round of face to face interviews (Aug 21-25). (Note: If you turned in your app before August 23 and don't receive a call by August 24, it is likely your app was discarded for some reason.) Update: All applications turned in by August 22 have been called. We may call a few late apps if we find time but no calls will be made after 9pm, Thursday, August 25.
August 26 (Second) Group Interview, 8-11pm at Pet World.
August 28 (Second) New Hire Orientation, 12-3pm, Pet World Education Room.
August 28 Customer Service Training, 7-10pm, Pet World Education Room.
August 29-October 2 Shadow Shifts (training) available for Round 2 new employees (and remaining Round 1 as needed).
FAQs
What are Pet World employees like?
Pet World employees are passionate, dedicated hobbyists who can afford to work cheap. Most work at Pet World to further their own pet interests and be a part of something special. A few, select teenagers occasionally manage to prove mature enough to handle the job, but many of our best employees are generally college age or above. The majority of our staff is made up of young adults in their early twenties but we have employees from age 16 to 75.
Why do so many people want to work at Pet World?
Honestly, most people seek employment with Pet World in order to be compensated for something they would otherwise do for free. Hobbyists appreciate the opportunity to further their own interests, share their passions with others, and make a positive difference in the community.
I turned in my app weeks ago. Why haven't I been called?
Depends. Many applications never get called. Remember, you have to pass the initial prescreening (eager, friendly, first impression when turning in your app) then your application has to pass through several more screenings. Applications most often get discarded for inadequate information, poor essay, weak employment history, or bad references. Sometimes, however, applications are simply in one of the review stages and have not yet made it all the way through to the "Call" pile. Be patient. Check the processing dates. Often applications are turned in a month before calls even begin. If you are absolutely certain you turned in a great application and positive you should have already received a call, feel free to come in and talk to a manager in person. (No phonecalls, please!) A PW manager can find your app and let you know where you are in the process.
Why is turnover at Pet World so extremely high at first and so extremely low later? Working at Pet World is not for everyone. It is a great job for people who can afford to work for minimal wages and are truly passionate about pets and education. Because we set the standard for all pet stores in Kansas, serving as a training site for new state inspectors, employees have a lot of responsibilities. Expectations are high and the job is never easy. For those who succeed, the job turns into something very special and most employees don't leave Pet World until they experience a major life change. Average employment at Pet World is about 4 years, up to 10 for a few die hards.
Is getting a job at Pet World in Lawrence as tough as people say?
Yes! Pet World is unlike any other pet store in the country and a local Lawrence icon. Employees are passionate hobbyists who compete with hundreds of other applicants just to get an interview! Each fall we try to hire about a dozen new employees from up to 500 applicants. The competition is tough. Only a little over 10% of applicants make it through the hiring process. Once hired, only about 50% of new employees successfully make it through the 90 day trial period.
Why is it so difficult to get a job at Pet World in Lawrence?
Competition! The process goes like this:
- Step 1: Historically, between 400 and 500 people apply every August. It's important to learn about the hiring process before you even bother to download/print off a blank application. Potential new-hires turn in their application to a manager for pre-screening where they are asked key questions relating to their potential employment and given the opportunity to verify their availability. It is important to make a great first impression with a friendly, positive attitude and an impressive application.
- Step 2: Applicants who pass the initial prescreening are sorted into a “read” pile. The entire management team will then study the applications more closely and read applicants’ essays. An impressive essay is critical to making it to step 3. FACT: Less than half of all applications are even seen by ownership. Take your application and your initial screening very seriously if you want your application to be considered.
- Step 3: Applications with impressive essays which have passed both the managers’ screening and reading are sorted into a "review" pile for additional screening by ownership. Remember, the store owners don't even look at applications that never made it through the first round of screening.
- Step 4: Store owners reread essays, narrow the applications down even further, and make calls to potential new-hires offering them a chance for a phone interview. Unavailable applicants are left messages with detailed times to call back in for their phone interviews. Applicants who fail to return calls during the allocated times are removed from the "review" pile and their applications are not seen again. Owners will make 2 or 3 attempts to reach applicants but no more.
- Step 5: After the phone interview, applicants who handled themselves well are given the opportunity to interview face to face with the store owners. At this point, applicants have been narrowed down by about 85%; meaning only 15% of applicants receive a face to face interview. The hardest part in the entire hiring process is getting to Step 5.
- Step 6: Applicants who did an outstanding job with their face-to-face interview are called back and invited to participate in a group interview. This is usually about 3 out of 4 face-to-face interviews. If you are invited back, your chances are now very good - if you can handle Step 7.
- Step 7: During the Group Interview, applicants participate in 3 straight hours of touring the store complete with hands on experiences with live animals (rodents, birds, snakes, arachnids and aquatic life) and learn about what is expected of them as Pet World employees. Applicants are carefully observed with regard to their people/interactive skills, interest level, attention span, and ability to handle the job. We make this group interview as uncomfortable as possible in an attempt to weed out the weakest applicants. We have had applicants faint and even cry during this interview. Very often at least one person leaves during the break and doesn't return. PW employees have affectionately nicknamed the group interview "Fright Night" with good reason.
- Step 8: After the Group Interview, applicants still interested in the job email Sherry expressing their thoughts and intentions. Interested applicants who handled themselves well during the group interview are then offered a 7 to 30 day trial position. Remember, traditionally at least one person does not even complete Fright Night. Generally, not all participants are offered a job. Working at Pet World is simply not for everyone and success depends more on timing and a good match than ability or experience.
- Step 9: Applicants are hired on a temporary basis and generally given up to 30 days to complete a minimum number of training hours in a variety of areas. Managers evaluate new hires every Friday and “cuts” are made weekly. During the first month, it is not uncommon for about 30% of new hires to either quit or be let go. Seriously. Every Monday, the rookie list is posted in the form of an ever changing batting order based on training completion, attitude, and performance. The competition is tough. New hires always want to see their names at the top of the order. Cuts are made so quickly we don't even bother to add rookies to the schedule during the first month. New hires schedule themselves the first 4-6 weeks, taking as many open training shifts as they can handle to beat out the competition. Note: For Fall 2011 we are hiring in two rounds and extending training completion time. The first round group will have 9.5 weeks, from August 9 'til October 2, to complete their OTJ (on the job) training shifts. The second round group will have 5 weeks, from August 29 'til October 2.
- Step 10: At the end of 30 days, remaining new hires are added to the schedule one at a time based on performance and completed training hours. Seeing your name on the permanent schedule is a huge relief. However, cuts continue to be made as needed for the next 60 days. After 90 days, all remaining new hires (about 50% of the original group) become permanent members of the Pet World staff! Essentially less than 1 in 50 applicants actually get and keep the job. No kidding, it is that difficult. This is why our employees are so good.
How can I increase my chances of getting hired at Pet World?
First, make your application really stand out. Get creative. Use color, drawings, photographs, etc. and write an impressive essay making us want to meet you! This is not PetSmart. We are localm independent, and different than most businesses. Second, make a great impression on the manager when you turn in your application. Dress casually and be friendly, smiling a lot, genuinely expressing your interest in the job. Next, be available for a phone interview. Consider your outgoing voice mail message (how might it sound to us, if it states your name so we know we've dialed correctly, etc.) and carefully follow directions as to when to call back if we miss you. Watch for a text message before your call and be ready. We have many calls to make and little time. During your phone interview, speak clearly with enthusiasm! If you get called back for a face-to-face interview, dress comfortably and casually and be prepared to talk about yourself. Don't be shy! We want to learn enough about you in 15 minutes to convince us you are the right person for the job. We look for outgoing, enthusiastic, confident, hard working people who are passionate about animals and not afraid to get dirty, sweaty, scratched, and bitten! Impress us! Finally, if you are asked back to the group interview, use every opportunity to show your superior communication skills. Speak up when appropriate and listen respectfully when others speak. Be quick to volunteer to go first but mindful of others. We want to see that you can handle yourself in a group, function as part of team, and lead when necessary.
Most importantly, remember you are competing with hundreds of people for this job so take it seriously and give it your best effort!
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