[adding to sir bikeworks words of wisdom...]
1. The bikes sold at TrU are made with low quality components. They are often tougher to install/adjust than higher quality components. If you don't have any experience wrenching on higher quality bikes, you won't have preconceived notions. However, if you've been tuning your TF1, Madone, or Tarmac, you'll find this job un-delightfully different.
2. You'll assemble a mix of bike types. Some will have derailleurs, some will have baskets & racks, and some will be missing little parts. These are the things, in addition to dropouts that aren't spread correctly, that will slow your pace and frustrate you.
3. You'll have a minimum bikes per shift assembly rate that they'll eventually expect from you, most likely at the end of the 3 wk "probationary" period. Someone that can only put together three bikes per shift won't be worth the trouble (and cost) of keeping. If you're making too many errors during assembly that another assembler must correct, you definitely won't be worth the hassle.
4. Your trainer may be a great guy with a magnetic personality and a talent for bringing newbies up to par in short order. Or be may be a jerk that doesn't understand the fundamentals of training or even care if you personally succeed. Hope for the first guy, but don't count on it. Get your terminology down first, understand the function of each part of a bicycle, and read enough to be familiar with the basics of assembling a bike. Loan out a bike repair manual from the local library and read some of the available sources online. Just these basics will make your introduction to the job that much less stressful. Your interviewer may be interested in learning about what you've done to prepare yourself for the position for which you're applying. This might help you get in the door.
5. Try to get along with the rest of the crew, but don't get sucked into someone's personal issues, especially when their issues are with the boss. Backrooms are notorious festering grounds for poor behavior and poor morale. The gossip can get thick at times. Don't let yourself be a part of it. You're there to do your job and to do it the best you can. If you've got a great personality and an eagerness to learn other tasks and responsibilities, your manager may be willing to give you hours out on the sales floor, whether it be stocking shelves or running registers at the front. Adding this bit of variety to your job might mean something; it can get boring in a dimly lit shipping/receiving/assembly room.
