[michael321]

(Original post by Yawn11)
We made like 125K in my department yesterday. Crazy.

Really?? Which one? Do you know the answer to my question above - do you get the bonus and if so when?

[Cybele]

Working here is losing its charm.

[thatg]

trying to apply for a job... but the questions!

[LooCee]

(Original post by michael321)
Really?? Which one? Do you know the answer to my question above - do you get the bonus and if so when?

You only get the bonus if you're working for the company on 31st January.

I ended up leaving my job at John Lewis very quickly, I'm 24 and have had lots of jobs before, I worked full-time for 4 years before coming to university and I've never felt as isolated as I did in my department at JL :-( I was put on a tiny section of my department and just basically told to stand there all day, not given much information about the department or what I was meant to do and then if I tried to use my initiative and tidy in another area someone would come over and make a snooty comment like; 'Oh well I don't need to do anything in my area because you've done it all' and my hard work wasn't appreciated. When they were short staffed due to breaks I offered to help on till/fitting rooms but was ignored. The final straw was whenever I went on breaks everyone from my department just sat somewhere else and ignored me so I spent all day in the department on my own and all of my breaks on my own :-( After 3/4 weeks of that I'd had enough, especially as I wanted the job more for meeting new people than for the money!

I'm not someone that's difficult to get on with, I make friends at all my jobs and I've done jobs for 1 or 2 days where I've made friends to have lunch with so I just couldn't understand why it was so different, especially since I had such high expectations of JL and drove 140 miles each way to attend the interview in my university city during my summer holidays. I've been in charge of a retail unit before and I always made sure new staff felt welcome and that they had people to sit with on their breaks and knew what they were doing, in fact one staff member on her first day of work was so shy and scared that she was in tears before even started but we made a fuss of her and by the end of the day she was like a different person!

Anyway the one positive was Personnel, when I told them I was leaving (without notice) they rang me and were really nice about it all and very apologetic. Don't let my experiences put you off because I think I was just unlucky and Personnel assured me that they'd be sorting it out with the department manager.

[michael321]

(Original post by LooCee)
You only get the bonus if you're working for the company on 31st January.

I ended up leaving my job at John Lewis very quickly, I'm 24 and have had lots of jobs before, I worked full-time for 4 years before coming to university and I've never felt as isolated as I did in my department at JL :-( I was put on a tiny section of my department and just basically told to stand there all day, not given much information about the department or what I was meant to do and then if I tried to use my initiative and tidy in another area someone would come over and make a snooty comment like; 'Oh well I don't need to do anything in my area because you've done it all' and my hard work wasn't appreciated. When they were short staffed due to breaks I offered to help on till/fitting rooms but was ignored. The final straw was whenever I went on breaks everyone from my department just sat somewhere else and ignored me so I spent all day in the department on my own and all of my breaks on my own :-( After 3/4 weeks of that I'd had enough, especially as I wanted the job more for meeting new people than for the money!

I'm not someone that's difficult to get on with, I make friends at all my jobs and I've done jobs for 1 or 2 days where I've made friends to have lunch with so I just couldn't understand why it was so different, especially since I had such high expectations of JL and drove 140 miles each way to attend the interview in my university city during my summer holidays. I've been in charge of a retail unit before and I always made sure new staff felt welcome and that they had people to sit with on their breaks and knew what they were doing, in fact one staff member on her first day of work was so shy and scared that she was in tears before even started but we made a fuss of her and by the end of the day she was like a different person!

Anyway the one positive was Personnel, when I told them I was leaving (without notice) they rang me and were really nice about it all and very apologetic. Don't let my experiences put you off because I think I was just unlucky and Personnel assured me that they'd be sorting it out with the department manager.

Hmm that doesn't sound very good. Hopefully you just got unlucky with the staff at a certain store/department and generally everyone's nicer. Everyone I met at the interview seemed great, so hopefully they'll all be like that.

[Yawn11]

(Original post by Cybele)
Working here is losing its charm.

How so?

[Cybele]

(Original post by Yawn11)
How so?

Just rubbish hours, some moody department managers, switches between horrendously busy and absolutely dead. Meh. Only 7 weeks left.

[wee_retty]

Hi, I've just been offered a temp job at JL, wondered if anyone could tell me what the salary is for the London area? The contract is in the post apparently but as I have just bene offered another job I want to make up my mind asap about which to take.

[Yawn11]

(Original post by wee_retty)
Hi, I've just been offered a temp job at JL, wondered if anyone could tell me what the salary is for the London area? The contract is in the post apparently but as I have just bene offered another job I want to make up my mind asap about which to take.

On average for Xmas temps it's £7.00 an hour, in some stores like mine if you work on Sunday you get premium rate pay (usual pay x 1.5 = £10.50 per hour).

[learner101]

Hey
how long did it take for your contract to arrive in the post.

Thanks

[michael321]

(Original post by learner101)
Hey
how long did it take for your contract to arrive in the post.

Thanks

I got the job offer on Saturday evening, got sent a health questionaire (online) on Monday at midday, and the contract letter arrived on Wednesday, dated (i.e. written) the day before.

[St Nikodim]

(Original post by ilovefashion90)
Sorry or late reply, I just noticed I was quoted.
They sent an email saying that dates are up and that they have had several calls about technical problems, but I decided not to go.
I went to the Stratford interview with a friend and we were both on hold but he got a call. If he didnt get the job he would have come with me to this interview but as he's now working for the company, he couldnt possibly come.
I didnt go because I've been on hold twice now for the JL partnership and to quote my friend, "we need to quit because this company is taking us for their bitch". I'm not prepared to go to another interview just to be told Im successful but...wait for it...on hold. Dpmo.
If anyone is wondering why I didnt just go on my own; its because I start cracking up in group assessments. It always happens, without fail. When I hear people chatting **** in interviews and acting all fake, I start laughing and then can't stop. When Im with someone, it doesnt happen as much and I can kind of style it out.
But the primary reason for not going was my frustration at being put on hold but maybe in the future, I will try again. Just not ready at the moment.
What I do know is that the next time anyone asks me about my availability, Im not going to give in to honesty yet again. Im going to bull**** about my availability because 'evenings and weekends' doesnt seem to be enough for some people.

Raise some good points there. Been put on 'hold' is not the best thing for anyone whatsoever, so I can understand what you are saying. With time availability, always be 'flexible' with the truth but not too flexible because if you were to commit yourself to certain times definitively, then you would be expected to fulfil them. One thing though is not to relent until you have a job full stop :-)

[ilovefashion90]

(Original post by St Nikodim)
Raise some good points there. Been put on 'hold' is not the best thing for anyone whatsoever, so I can understand what you are saying. With time availability, always be 'flexible' with the truth but not too flexible because if you were to commit yourself to certain times definitively, then you would be expected to fulfil them. One thing though is not to relent until you have a job full stop :-)

Tbh, if I do ever go to another JL interview, I'm not even going to be 'flexible with the truth'. I will straight up lie about my availability lol.
The only reason for this is because they arent fair about availability so why should I be? I told the truth both times but was put on hold. Then, people who had interviews after me (two people on the 'john lewis stratford thread'), either got the job or were put on hold and then given the job. And their availability was the same as mine but for less days (i.e evenings and weekends but committed to work less hours).
If they were going to put people on hold, it seems fair to pick people based on those who have been put on hold the earliest. I dont know if I'm explaining this well lol...so I was supposedly 'successful' and only put on hold due to availability (apparently). Then someone who works there told me she went to an interview weeks later, was given a shift on Mon evening and Sun. I was available evenings and weekends, and many others who were on hold also were available to do that but we were all completely forgotten about whilst they were still doing interviews and giving jobs to others that some of us were actually available to do.
And I know you said if I lie I'd be expected to fulfill the hours...I'd just do the hours and then drop them after a month. They took the piss with me so where I previously would feel too bad to do such a thing (which is why I was honest about availability), I woudnt feel bad about it anymore.

Btw, since John Lewis are so picky about their employees, I expect each and every one of them to be friendly. I was at the Oxford St branch yesterday and so thought I'd ask for Stratfords number. I was sent to some desk on like the fifth floor where some woman was standing at what was meant to be the "reception". I started laughing because it was just a tiny little desk and a computer so jokingly told the woman "you should go on strike, how are they going to give you some dusty broken plank for a desk, the computer barely fits...". It was obvious I was joking and was said in a light hearted way and the woman practically shouted "DO YOU WANT MY HELP OR NOT YOUNG LADY" and tutted. I told her never mind, I'll just google it. Thats how you know people chat **** in interviews, act all fake and bumlick! They obviously didnt see her true colours in the interview

[michael321]

(Original post by ilovefashion90)
Tbh, if I do ever go to another JL interview, I'm not even going to be 'flexible with the truth'. I will straight up lie about my availability lol.
The only reason for this is because they arent fair about availability so why should I be? I told the truth both times but was put on hold. Then, people who had interviews after me (two people on the 'john lewis stratford thread'), either got the job or were put on hold and then given the job. And their availability was the same as mine but for less days (i.e evenings and weekends but committed to work less hours).
If they were going to put people on hold, it seems fair to pick people based on those who have been put on hold the earliest. I dont know if I'm explaining this well lol...so I was supposedly 'successful' and only put on hold due to availability (apparently). Then someone who works there told me she went to an interview weeks later, was given a shift on Mon evening and Sun. I was available evenings and weekends, and many others who were on hold also were available to do that but we were all completely forgotten about whilst they were still doing interviews and giving jobs to others that some of us were actually available to do.
And I know you said if I lie I'd be expected to fulfill the hours...I'd just do the hours and then drop them after a month. They took the piss with me so where I previously would feel too bad to do such a thing (which is why I was honest about availability), I woudnt feel bad about it anymore.

Well you should feel bad about it IMO. You seem to be under the impression that a potential employer owes something to each and every applicant who walks through the door. They don't. You choose to go to the interviews, you choose to make what you will of their "on hold" letter, and you choose if you want to try again. If they've put you on hold and are interviewing other people, then either they think they can get someone better or they've messed up and forgotten about your application. If it's the latter, well it sucks to be them and they're wasting a good candidate, but it doesn't give you the right to lie next time you see them.

I don't really see how they've taken the piss with you here: you went to an assessment, and they said they might make you an offer in the near future but there was not currently any space. As is their right, they have not yet made you another offer (they never said they would) and yet somehow you feel hard done by? IMO it's nice of them in the first place to keep your application on file, but I don't see how that is taking the piss. There's nothing stopping you from looking for other jobs or doing whatever you feel like when you're on file.

[ilovefashion90]

(Original post by michael321)
Well you should feel bad about it IMO. You seem to be under the impression that a potential employer owes something to each and every applicant who walks through the door. They don't. You choose to go to the interviews, you choose to make what you will of their "on hold" letter, and you choose if you want to try again. If they've put you on hold and are interviewing other people, then either they think they can get someone better or they've messed up and forgotten about your application. If it's the latter, well it sucks to be them and they're wasting a good candidate, but it doesn't give you the right to lie next time you see them.

I don't really see how they've taken the piss with you here: you went to an assessment, and they said they might make you an offer in the near future but there was not currently any space. As is their right, they have not yet made you another offer (they never said they would) and yet somehow you feel hard done by? IMO it's nice of them in the first place to keep your application on file, but I don't see how that is taking the piss. There's nothing stopping you from looking for other jobs or doing whatever you feel like when you're on file.

Are you for real? I never said anything that even suggests that I think potential employers "owe something to each and every applicant."

"it's nice of them in the first place to keep your application on file, but I don't see how that is taking the piss. "

I dont feel hard done by because they never made me an offer. I said that they took the piss because they said they would contact us if the availability comes up. The availability did come up. They forgot about those of us on hold and conducted more interviews.
I asked the personnel at stratford if this email had anything to do with my performance. He said that if we received the email then we done well and availability is the only factor thats stopped them from giving us offers. If it does however have something to do with my performance then why couldn't they mention that in the email instead of saying "congratulations, you were successful at the assessment"

"As is their right, they have not yet made you another offer (they never said they would)"

Yes, they did say they would if anything comes up. Again, to make this clear, I only said they took the piss because they conducted more interviews when they told us there was nothing.

"There's nothing stopping you from looking for other jobs or doing whatever you feel like when you're on file."

I never said I wasn't?


I really don't give a **** about lying if I ever decide to go to another interview for that company. I had an interview at Waitrose (was also put on hold) and at the end of the interview when we were giving our sheets in the woman spoke to me and said that she remembers my application well...her words wer, "you had one of the best applications". I was like . Then she said something like, "you were one of the only ones who done the availability section properly. No one does it properly". (I said I was available every evening and weekend until 11pm. I also specified the hours during the day that I had off college but thought that everyone fills it in like this)
It didnt exactly help and i don't know why she felt the need to tell me that when nothing positive came out of my honesty.
People on here have asked about the assessments and I pm'ed a few people, explaining what the assessment is like and what kind of questions are asked etc. I have also told everyone that they should be as vague about their availability as they can and that their availability could cause their application to be dismissed or ignored. Its just a job. People push others down all the time at job interviews and some are unnecessarily ruthless and plain cruel.*
I would never do that but I have no moral qualms about being "open" about my availability.



*At my Waitrose interview we had to be in partners and ask each other three q's. One q was "what is a random fact about yourself". I told my partner that I enjoy listening to old school hip hop music. When presenting to the class, she told everyone that my fact is that I might go to university in Manchester in a few months (I live in London). I didnt want to object and make a scene in front of everyone. The recruiters made a speech about how its unfair for them to train us if we are just going to leave after the summer etc. I later told the recruiter that I had no intention of going to uni in Manchester but part of me thinks she didnt believe me and that that may have been the reason I was placed on hold. She probably thought I just changed my mind because of her little speech condemning doing this. I never said anything about the girl lying (simply said that it wasn't my fact) but wish I did

[St Nikodim]

(Original post by ilovefashion90)
Tbh, if I do ever go to another JL interview, I'm not even going to be 'flexible with the truth'. I will straight up lie about my availability lol.
The only reason for this is because they arent fair about availability so why should I be? I told the truth both times but was put on hold. Then, people who had interviews after me (two people on the 'john lewis stratford thread'), either got the job or were put on hold and then given the job. And their availability was the same as mine but for less days (i.e evenings and weekends but committed to work less hours).
If they were going to put people on hold, it seems fair to pick people based on those who have been put on hold the earliest. I dont know if I'm explaining this well lol...so I was supposedly 'successful' and only put on hold due to availability (apparently). Then someone who works there told me she went to an interview weeks later, was given a shift on Mon evening and Sun. I was available evenings and weekends, and many others who were on hold also were available to do that but we were all completely forgotten about whilst they were still doing interviews and giving jobs to others that some of us were actually available to do.
And I know you said if I lie I'd be expected to fulfill the hours...I'd just do the hours and then drop them after a month. They took the piss with me so where I previously would feel too bad to do such a thing (which is why I was honest about availability), I woudnt feel bad about it anymore.

Btw, since John Lewis are so picky about their employees, I expect each and every one of them to be friendly. I was at the Oxford St branch yesterday and so thought I'd ask for Stratfords number. I was sent to some desk on like the fifth floor where some woman was standing at what was meant to be the "reception". I started laughing because it was just a tiny little desk and a computer so jokingly told the woman "you should go on strike, how are they going to give you some dusty broken plank for a desk, the computer barely fits...". It was obvious I was joking and was said in a light hearted way and the woman practically shouted "DO YOU WANT MY HELP OR NOT YOUNG LADY" and tutted. I told her never mind, I'll just google it. Thats how you know people chat **** in interviews, act all fake and bumlick! They obviously didnt see her true colours in the interview

LOOOL. The whole last paragraph I can wholeheartedly agree with. People have a natural tendency to 'lie' or at least 'gloss' themselves up so your example of what happened with you is no surprised to me.
With the issue of putting people on hold, they usually go for more than 'who is available the most' or those put on the earliest. They usually go for those who scored the highest in their group interviews and then private ones if they got past the group stage. It is a somewhat an 'impersonal' system but then again, it ensures that for the partnership that they receive the best in what they consider the 'best' at that time.

[thatg]

Anyone here work at one of the new At Home stores? I have an assessment day next week for one of the new At Home stores opening soon.

[Prepare-Yourself]

I use to work for the Didsbury Contact Centre, where all the calls went! Brill Job I'd highly reccomend working for them.

[blazr]

Hi,

Im employed at JL. In the letter they have asked to wear a business dress. I am going to be a selling assistant on the shop floor.

Does this mean
a)black suite, white shirt, black tie
b)white shirt, black tie, black trouses
c)Black suit, shirt, tie
d)shirt, tie black trousers?

Or should i call them up.

Thanks.

And how do i find out branch numbers?

[JJJ3]

(Original post by blazr)
Hi,

Im employed at JL. In the letter they have asked to wear a business dress. I am going to be a selling assistant on the shop floor.

Does this mean
a)black suite, white shirt, black tie
b)white shirt, black tie, black trouses
c)Black suit, shirt, tie
d)shirt, tie black trousers?

Or should i call them up.

Thanks.

And how do i find out branch numbers?

Out of interest, what store was this? I applied for one and had an interview nearly 2 weeks ago now but heard nothing yet.