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Waitrose job application

I've just applied for a job as a supermarket assistant in waitrose. A few questions to anyone who has any kind of experience in the job application process at waitrose (eg if you work there having gone through it yourself)
My current status is "Application under consideration
Thank you for completing the Values Tool Test. We will advise you on the status of your application shortly."
1. I'm sixteen, do they prefer to employ over 18s
2. If I haven't been rejected within the first day does this mean I passed the values tool test? (I read somewhere else that it does)
3. This is my application, what do you think of it? (I've just included the about you bit)

[h="1"]About You[/h]

How would your friends/colleagues describe you?
(max 150 words)


Friendly and approachable, a good listener. Organised and reliable - likes to get stuck in and get things done. Good communicator. Committed; Determined; Loyal



Give an example of an achievement that you are proud of, either at school or in your working life?
(max 150 words)


I was proud of completing my bronze Duke of Edinburgh award because it was a long term achievement that required a lot of different things to be done including playing the piano, climbing, volunteering in the school tuck shop and going on a two day hiking and navigating expedition in the mendips. While playing the piano for my D of E award I achieved grade five with distinction. I am looking forward to working on my gold D of E award this year. I find working toward and achieving a goal is very rewarding



What service do you expect when shopping in a supermarket?
(max 150 words)


I would expect the staff to be good tempered, knowledgable about the supermarket and very willing and happy to help with anything. If they've had a bad day they should be able to separate this from their job and still be friendly to the customers and always be civil no matter what the circumstances.



What skills can you bring to Waitrose?
(max 150 words)


I am well organised and always punctual. During the three years that I did a paper round I consistently ensured the last paper was delivered before 8AM. I am enthusiastic at all times, accepting that not all tasks will necessarily be exciting. Polite and easy to talk to, I don't get easily angered if someone is rude or unpleasant to me. I like to get jobs done not just half complete them. If something needs doing I take the initiative and do it, not just wait to be asked. I like to stay informed on things that matter. I'm highly numerate, doing Maths and Further Maths at A level.



What makes a job with Waitrose the right job for you?
(max 150 words)


My mother has shopped in Waitrose for as long as I can remember because she is constantly amazed by the standard of service there. Even though there are two other large supermarkets closer to us, she always goes to Waitrose because it is a much more pleasant experience shopping there. I would love to help maintain these high standards and be part of the team that is continually impressing the public. It's an ideal place to work for me because, living close to the supermarket, I would be able to be flexible with shifts and having been there a lot I'm very familiar with it. Having spoken to friends who have worked at Waitrose or John Lewis, I know that they have a strong reputation for treating their staff well and staff training second to none. I think at Waitrose I would learn valuable life skills for my future



Please provide any additional information to support your application, including appropriate experience and achievements.
(max 150 words)


Though I technically have no qualifications at present, I am awaiting my GCSE results, for which I am predicted:
English language: A*/A
English literature: A*/A
Maths: A*
RS: A*/A
Chemistry: A*
Biology: A*
Physics: A*
Music: A
Art: A/B
French: A*
Latin: A*
I have been awarded an academic scholarship into the sixth form at my school


My references were from my school tutor and a paper shop I did a paper round at

4. Advice for the interview if I get one?

Sorry there's so much but I really want this job, it's perfect for me! Thanks




Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Id say being under 18 would give you a higher chance, as it's cheaper for them to employ you.

And with regards to if your successful/unsuccessful you would have to wait like a week of two if you hear back well done you have an interview, if not then you would be unsuccessful it can take a week or two until they actually get back to you.

With regards to an interview dress smartly, be polite and PREPARE oh and make sure you have a very good knowledge of waitrose e.g. offers, policies and just their general aims etc.
Reply 2
Original post by Boblally
Id say being under 18 would give you a higher chance, as it's cheaper for them to employ you.

And with regards to if your successful/unsuccessful you would have to wait like a week of two if you hear back well done you have an interview, if not then you would be unsuccessful it can take a week or two until they actually get back to you.

With regards to an interview dress smartly, be polite and PREPARE oh and make sure you have a very good knowledge of waitrose e.g. offers, policies and just their general aims etc.

Thanks a lot - what kind of questions did they ask at your group interview/how many other people were there?
Reply 3
The interviews i've had it's just been me.
Most employers don't like to interview a group of people as it's harder to get to 'know' people, as there's always that one who won't shut up lol.

Questions are usually about you that can relate to the job.

I.E. would you say your friendly/helpful.
What are your pro's and con's.
Sometimes they ask why should they employ you (You will obvs need to sell yourself without tryna make out your God lol)
They may try to 'trick' you, this isn't as bad as it sounds it's more like asking questions about your CV to try and make sure you're not making stuff up.
Reply 4
Original post by Boblally
The interviews i've had it's just been me.
Most employers don't like to interview a group of people as it's harder to get to 'know' people, as there's always that one who won't shut up lol.

Questions are usually about you that can relate to the job.

I.E. would you say your friendly/helpful.
What are your pro's and con's.
Sometimes they ask why should they employ you (You will obvs need to sell yourself without tryna make out your God lol)
They may try to 'trick' you, this isn't as bad as it sounds it's more like asking questions about your CV to try and make sure you're not making stuff up.

Wow ok, sounds daunting! I'll have to prepare a lot like you said. Thanks a lot for your help - I'll let you know if I get the job!
Reply 5
Thanks.
It shouldn't be too bad just have notes and you'll be fine :smile:
Hope you get the job.
Reply 6
I applied for a supermarket assistant job in waitrose on the 11th August which was 13 days ago. My application status is still under consideration, does this mean I haven't been successful in getting the job or have they just not reviewed all the applications yet?
Reply 7
Most likely still being looked at although most places take 2 weeks as yours says under consideration give it one week.
Although would recommend looking at other jobs as well just in case.
Typically people apply for a few jobs at a time.
Reply 8
Hi,

Can I just say coming from a Waitrose assessment centre myself two days ago I can tell you that what's been said so far is incorrect.

Firstly, once you have done the value tools test you need to wait for a few days to a week before they have made their decision. They do not make their decision straight after you have submitted your test. If it has been longer than a week, e-mail HR and they will look into it. Their contact details can be found on the John Lewis/Waitrose Parternship website. Similarly rejection and acceptance are not given to you within 24 hours, you need to be patience and wait.

Pay: Pay is NOT according to age! The assessors at the assessment centre confirmed this themselves. EVERYONE regardless of age gets paid the same hourly rate within your branch as a supermarket assistant. This is because Waitrose is a PARTNERSHIP company and you are considered a partner not an employee. To find out what the partnership is about which is REALLY IMPORTANT, visit the John Lewis/Waitrose Parternship website.

Again, its not about age. If you are passionate about the brand, customer service and food then you will have no problem in standing out. The skills that you state you have are good but just tailor it more for Waitrose specifically and be concise. Look at the person specification the next time you apply. Do you also have experience within supermarkets, retail etc paid or voluntary.

If you been successful you will need to asked to pick a date of the list they offer you where you can attend the assessment centre. I don't know how many people the assessment centre is meant to contain, but mine had 8 people. The assessment centre consisted of a few group tasks and then individual questions that you answer.

Just BE YOURSELF. Don't act as they can see through it. Do come prepared to know what skills your good at and have some satisfactory knowledge about Waitrose. You don't need to over do it as they are more interested in you as a person and how you fit their brand, hence why if you are successful they will let you know within a few days and update your status online as on hold. This means that they are trying to match you to a suitable position within their branch. This can take up to 2 weeks. If they can't match you, then they will keep you on the system for 3 months until they can.

Hope that helps.
Reply 9
Original post by Taiye-lolu
Hi,

Can I just say coming from a Waitrose assessment centre myself two days ago I can tell you that what's been said so far is incorrect.

Firstly, once you have done the value tools test you need to wait for a few days to a week before they have made their decision. They do not make their decision straight after you have submitted your test. If it has been longer than a week, e-mail HR and they will look into it. Their contact details can be found on the John Lewis/Waitrose Parternship website. Similarly rejection and acceptance are not given to you within 24 hours, you need to be patience and wait.

Pay: Pay is NOT according to age! The assessors at the assessment centre confirmed this themselves. EVERYONE regardless of age gets paid the same hourly rate within your branch as a supermarket assistant. This is because Waitrose is a PARTNERSHIP company and you are considered a partner not an employee. To find out what the partnership is about which is REALLY IMPORTANT, visit the John Lewis/Waitrose Parternship website.

Again, its not about age. If you are passionate about the brand, customer service and food then you will have no problem in standing out. The skills that you state you have are good but just tailor it more for Waitrose specifically and be concise. Look at the person specification the next time you apply. Do you also have experience within supermarkets, retail etc paid or voluntary.

If you been successful you will need to asked to pick a date of the list they offer you where you can attend the assessment centre. I don't know how many people the assessment centre is meant to contain, but mine had 8 people. The assessment centre consisted of a few group tasks and then individual questions that you answer.

Just BE YOURSELF. Don't act as they can see through it. Do come prepared to know what skills your good at and have some satisfactory knowledge about Waitrose. You don't need to over do it as they are more interested in you as a person and how you fit their brand, hence why if you are successful they will let you know within a few days and update your status online as on hold. This means that they are trying to match you to a suitable position within their branch. This can take up to 2 weeks. If they can't match you, then they will keep you on the system for 3 months until they can.

Hope that helps.


Hey sorry to ask, but what is the waitrose hr e-mail?
Reply 10
I had an interview at Waitrose sometime last year. It was a group interview, there was about 12 people there.
I really hated it :tongue: I'm not the kind of person that does well in those kinds of situations.

They're obviously looking for the people who can work well as a team, or the people that look to take charge. I was probably 19 at the time, and it's just impossible to do that when you've got some 40 year old guy that decides to take the lead on a task. In one group exercise we got all but one of the answers wrong, and the one we got wrong I repeatedly said that i'm pretty sure it's wrong, but they just didn't listen :facepalm: lo and behold, I was right. But also apparently in the wrong as I wasn't able to overpower the other 5 or so people, which included men and women twice my age! It's just a stupid way to interview I think.

Good luck though anyway :tongue: I hope I haven't worried you too much. If you're a pretty confident person you should be able to do well should you get a group interview, just make sure you answer as many things as possible, and do a bit of research on Waitrose (such as how many stores they have in the UK, the fact that they still pay you even if you're ill, just stuff like that)

if you have any questions about it just ask.
just wondering, but how do you get the application form because i have searched online but i can't find anything about it?
Hi you have to go onto the actual john lewis website. If you search john lewis jobs it should take you to the site where you can browse jobs. Hope this helps.
Reply 13
Original post by Taiye-lolu
Hi,

Can I just say coming from a Waitrose assessment centre myself two days ago I can tell you that what's been said so far is incorrect.

Firstly, once you have done the value tools test you need to wait for a few days to a week before they have made their decision. They do not make their decision straight after you have submitted your test. If it has been longer than a week, e-mail HR and they will look into it. Their contact details can be found on the John Lewis/Waitrose Parternship website. Similarly rejection and acceptance are not given to you within 24 hours, you need to be patience and wait.

Pay: Pay is NOT according to age! The assessors at the assessment centre confirmed this themselves. EVERYONE regardless of age gets paid the same hourly rate within your branch as a supermarket assistant. This is because Waitrose is a PARTNERSHIP company and you are considered a partner not an employee. To find out what the partnership is about which is REALLY IMPORTANT, visit the John Lewis/Waitrose Parternship website.

Again, its not about age. If you are passionate about the brand, customer service and food then you will have no problem in standing out. The skills that you state you have are good but just tailor it more for Waitrose specifically and be concise. Look at the person specification the next time you apply. Do you also have experience within supermarkets, retail etc paid or voluntary.

If you been successful you will need to asked to pick a date of the list they offer you where you can attend the assessment centre. I don't know how many people the assessment centre is meant to contain, but mine had 8 people. The assessment centre consisted of a few group tasks and then individual questions that you answer.

Just BE YOURSELF. Don't act as they can see through it. Do come prepared to know what skills your good at and have some satisfactory knowledge about Waitrose. You don't need to over do it as they are more interested in you as a person and how you fit their brand, hence why if you are successful they will let you know within a few days and update your status online as on hold. This means that they are trying to match you to a suitable position within their branch. This can take up to 2 weeks. If they can't match you, then they will keep you on the system for 3 months until they can.

Hope that helps.


Wow so it takes a whole 3 months to be actually offered a job at waitrose?
Reply 14
Original post by rhoxc
Wow so it takes a whole 3 months to be actually offered a job at waitrose?


No, they reply within 2 weeks whether you have got the job or not after the interview
hi all, i have just applied to the placement scheme of Waitrose and there are several online tests which required me to complete with. Just wondering does the mutiple questions value test contain mutiple choices?
Ihi l have had a interview at waitrose status say under futher consideration when will l know more
Reply 17
Hi all ihave taken the situational test andit has been longer than 2 weeks now and i have not received any reply back does it mean thst i did not get the role
Original post by Stockers
I've just applied for a job as a supermarket assistant in waitrose. A few questions to anyone who has any kind of experience in the job application process at waitrose (eg if you work there having gone through it yourself)
My current status is "Application under consideration
Thank you for completing the Values Tool Test. We will advise you on the status of your application shortly."
1. I'm sixteen, do they prefer to employ over 18s
2. If I haven't been rejected within the first day does this mean I passed the values tool test? (I read somewhere else that it does)
3. This is my application, what do you think of it? (I've just included the about you bit)

[h="1"]About You[/h]From what I've read my interview process was quite different to everyone else's. Im 16 and in college, and so applied for a part time role at waitrose as a part time assistant. I completed the online assessments (all of which are relatively straightforward as its based mainly on common sense) and was notified that i had got a interview.

At my interview i arrived 15 minutes early which they seemed quite impressed about. I wasn't dressed overly smart, but its seemed to be fine as tended up getting the role. Anyway, they took me to their traing room, where there were 2 guys, both my ages. From here we did the group assessment, which was pretty similar to how everyone else has described it. I just made sure to speak up and put my own opinions across. Then i had my one-on-one interview with one manager. Here she asked me questions where i had to think of previous situations in my life where i had to 'take charge' as well as what i did when i didn't agree with something that was being done. I hadn't really prepared for these types of questions, so had to think on the spot. Over all i was there for about 2 hours. Within a couple of days i heard back with the news that i had got the job. Although they were only advertising for 2 positions, all three of us candidates got offered roles, for whatever reason! Ive now been working at waitrose for 3 months and I'm really enjoying it!
Wow this thread is really Helpful Thanks alot people form 2012 to present!

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