Marks and Spencer Interview help - Role PLays
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I've got an interview tomorrow and I'm really nervous! Do you know the average pay for a 16 year old?
Hi, I had a M&S interview a few days ago and I managed to get the job. Here's what roughly happened and any advice I have.
It was a simply foods store where I was given a role play with paper props had:
Deals
Telephone numbers of branches
Special gourmet menu
a list of food stock
a paper giving you details of the current scenario
They give you time to read on your own while they walk out the room. roughly 5 minutes.
My advice here is to read the scenario and pay attention to all the props. I kind of set them up around the small room like a shop and pretended they were actual places. Make sure you include all of the props they give you!
These were the principles or values which I went through systematically:
-First. apologise if there is any inconvenience (e.g an item that they want that is out of stock)
They might persist on that specific item e.g: a sweet potato.
-Second. be patient and carry this through to the end
-Third. offer an alternative (e.g : I'm so sorry that this item is not in stock, can I suggest a potato as a substitute as it has the same texture but not as sweet?)
-Fourth. Ask them if they are in a rush for this specific dinner and include that you can take them to the help desk to phone another local store or even try the simple and easy to use online store they have.
(Remember the role plays supposed to last 10 minutes so they will try to be more impossible but remember always patience and willing to help until the end).
So they may say I don't have any time at all because the dinner is in a few hours
- Offer more alternatives such as what they have on the gourmet specials as they are cooked for you instead of you cooking for yourself (this saves the customer a lot of time which saves her from being in a rush).
Lastly remember to state to them if they would like anything else, any allergies and anything else of concern.
Mention desserts, starters and anything you can think of because your trying to be as helpful as possible
Remember not to pressure them! just be kind.
Remember to mention any deals too. E.g if it says on one of the props spend 50 pounds online you get 10 pounds of mention that and also mention the online process (just add to basket and checkout) mention that they can do it over the phone too
The interview process was just as fine. Just things like: why M&S, tell me about yourself
What do you know about M&S. For the first and last one, just go on google and read about the company.
Questions you can ask them are even simpler, just go on the website and look at the good things they do e.g for charity etc. and ask them more about that.. Or just ask them if there are any charity activities you could take part in or if there are staff meetings regularly etc.
Hope this post helps you and doesn't break thread rules!
It really isn't that bad. Even the role play actor will help you a little so listen to them also. Be confident and smile and just treat them as if you would like to be treated
Need any more help just message
Good luck!
It was a simply foods store where I was given a role play with paper props had:
Deals
Telephone numbers of branches
Special gourmet menu
a list of food stock
a paper giving you details of the current scenario
They give you time to read on your own while they walk out the room. roughly 5 minutes.
My advice here is to read the scenario and pay attention to all the props. I kind of set them up around the small room like a shop and pretended they were actual places. Make sure you include all of the props they give you!
These were the principles or values which I went through systematically:
-First. apologise if there is any inconvenience (e.g an item that they want that is out of stock)
They might persist on that specific item e.g: a sweet potato.
-Second. be patient and carry this through to the end
-Third. offer an alternative (e.g : I'm so sorry that this item is not in stock, can I suggest a potato as a substitute as it has the same texture but not as sweet?)
-Fourth. Ask them if they are in a rush for this specific dinner and include that you can take them to the help desk to phone another local store or even try the simple and easy to use online store they have.
(Remember the role plays supposed to last 10 minutes so they will try to be more impossible but remember always patience and willing to help until the end).
So they may say I don't have any time at all because the dinner is in a few hours
- Offer more alternatives such as what they have on the gourmet specials as they are cooked for you instead of you cooking for yourself (this saves the customer a lot of time which saves her from being in a rush).
Lastly remember to state to them if they would like anything else, any allergies and anything else of concern.
Mention desserts, starters and anything you can think of because your trying to be as helpful as possible
Remember not to pressure them! just be kind.
Remember to mention any deals too. E.g if it says on one of the props spend 50 pounds online you get 10 pounds of mention that and also mention the online process (just add to basket and checkout) mention that they can do it over the phone too
The interview process was just as fine. Just things like: why M&S, tell me about yourself
What do you know about M&S. For the first and last one, just go on google and read about the company.
Questions you can ask them are even simpler, just go on the website and look at the good things they do e.g for charity etc. and ask them more about that.. Or just ask them if there are any charity activities you could take part in or if there are staff meetings regularly etc.
Hope this post helps you and doesn't break thread rules!
It really isn't that bad. Even the role play actor will help you a little so listen to them also. Be confident and smile and just treat them as if you would like to be treated
Need any more help just message
Good luck!
Hi, had a M & S role play / interview for a Christmas temp Customer Assistant role a few days ago. I got the job and thought I'd write on here in case it helps anyone.
My two interviewers were really nice. The role play isn't anything to worry about. They gave me 5 laminated pieces of paper with all the information on, laid out really easily. There were columns for starters, sides, mains and desserts as well as a sheet with phone numbers of local stores. I have only ever had one interview before which was an informal chat when I was 16 so I was nervous before. My role play scenario was as follows:
A customer came in to the store and she was cooking a vegetarian meal and wanted butternut squash which was sold out at this store. So I offered a pumpkin instead and said it was a good substitute (I wouldn't have known this but I had a sheet in front of me stating good and bad substitutes for the butternut squash). It really was as easy as reading of a piece of paper. Then she said she had her main sorted and someone was allergic to mushrooms. She also wanted a dessert. Since I had all of the information in front of me, I offered her some different starters / sides that did not have the word mushroom in the title. Then I offered the desserts. Obviously didn't offer anything that the customer may be allergic to or dishes that are not in stock. I also mentioned that there was a 3 for 2 offer on which, again, it stated on the sheet and offered to ring local stores.
Maybe I was fortunate and had an easy scenario but all I had to do was be polite, apologise and offer suitable additional products to her main.
After the role play which lasted about 5 minutes, a manager came in to ask me some basic questions like 'why do you want to work here?' and 'have you got any retail / customer service experience?'.
Basically, use your common sense, be polite, apologetic and there is nothing to worry about. Good luck people!
My two interviewers were really nice. The role play isn't anything to worry about. They gave me 5 laminated pieces of paper with all the information on, laid out really easily. There were columns for starters, sides, mains and desserts as well as a sheet with phone numbers of local stores. I have only ever had one interview before which was an informal chat when I was 16 so I was nervous before. My role play scenario was as follows:
A customer came in to the store and she was cooking a vegetarian meal and wanted butternut squash which was sold out at this store. So I offered a pumpkin instead and said it was a good substitute (I wouldn't have known this but I had a sheet in front of me stating good and bad substitutes for the butternut squash). It really was as easy as reading of a piece of paper. Then she said she had her main sorted and someone was allergic to mushrooms. She also wanted a dessert. Since I had all of the information in front of me, I offered her some different starters / sides that did not have the word mushroom in the title. Then I offered the desserts. Obviously didn't offer anything that the customer may be allergic to or dishes that are not in stock. I also mentioned that there was a 3 for 2 offer on which, again, it stated on the sheet and offered to ring local stores.
Maybe I was fortunate and had an easy scenario but all I had to do was be polite, apologise and offer suitable additional products to her main.
After the role play which lasted about 5 minutes, a manager came in to ask me some basic questions like 'why do you want to work here?' and 'have you got any retail / customer service experience?'.
Basically, use your common sense, be polite, apologetic and there is nothing to worry about. Good luck people!
hi, I wanted to give an updated reply as this thread is dated back to 2011. So I had an interview at marks and spencer 2 days ago and im only 17 so this was my first ever interview for a permanent role the particular role I applied for was a customer service position thus I was really nervous. I first was given a visitors badge and was told to wait for the person whom would be interviewing me to come and collect me from the customer service desk, the lady came and she was very nice to me and we went to the interviewing room she then explained to me she was the recruitment officer and how the interview would take place. The lady then asked me if I had any retail experience, my answer was no and she asked me to tell her about myself I then went on to tell her about what college I go to, hobbies, likes/dislikes. then we had a role play, the scenario was that a customer was coming into the shop to buy a shirt for her dad for his birthday and I was given 5 minutes to look over the information sheets which had offers, prices and fits of the shirts. so I had to help the lady find the right shirt for her. my advice for this part of the interview is to be confident, smile, give eye contact, speak clearly and be helpful. After this I had to fill out a sheet about what went well and what didn't while the lady interviewing me graded how I done which did take a while I was waiting for about 20 minutes when another lady came in who was a line manager as she wanted to talk to me after the interview she asked me questions such as
- What do you think the roles of a customer assistant is in marks and spencer?
- Why do you want to work for marks and spencer?
- Are you due to go on any holidays soon?
-Are you available to do a 3 day course of induction training?
- How many hours could you typically work?
- What do you know about the company?
overall the interview took around 1 hour and 45 minutes (this was due to a lot of waiting for people to interview and talk to me) I also would advise anyone who is going for a job interview to dress smart I wore wide leg suit trousers, a shirt and a blazer with flat shoes. Also girls should try and keep make up and jewellery to a minimum. The interview wasn't particularly difficult but you do have to research the company as they do want to see you know about their plan A. lastly im still waiting for a call back from the company I was told I should get a call by the end of the week so fingers crossed! good luck everyone hope this helps
- What do you think the roles of a customer assistant is in marks and spencer?
- Why do you want to work for marks and spencer?
- Are you due to go on any holidays soon?
-Are you available to do a 3 day course of induction training?
- How many hours could you typically work?
- What do you know about the company?
overall the interview took around 1 hour and 45 minutes (this was due to a lot of waiting for people to interview and talk to me) I also would advise anyone who is going for a job interview to dress smart I wore wide leg suit trousers, a shirt and a blazer with flat shoes. Also girls should try and keep make up and jewellery to a minimum. The interview wasn't particularly difficult but you do have to research the company as they do want to see you know about their plan A. lastly im still waiting for a call back from the company I was told I should get a call by the end of the week so fingers crossed! good luck everyone hope this helps
Original post by lanadelrey7991
hi, I wanted to give an updated reply as this thread is dated back to 2011. So I had an interview at marks and spencer 2 days ago and im only 17 so this was my first ever interview for a permanent role the particular role I applied for was a customer service position thus I was really nervous. I first was given a visitors badge and was told to wait for the person whom would be interviewing me to come and collect me from the customer service desk, the lady came and she was very nice to me and we went to the interviewing room she then explained to me she was the recruitment officer and how the interview would take place. The lady then asked me if I had any retail experience, my answer was no and she asked me to tell her about myself I then went on to tell her about what college I go to, hobbies, likes/dislikes. then we had a role play, the scenario was that a customer was coming into the shop to buy a shirt for her dad for his birthday and I was given 5 minutes to look over the information sheets which had offers, prices and fits of the shirts. so I had to help the lady find the right shirt for her. my advice for this part of the interview is to be confident, smile, give eye contact, speak clearly and be helpful. After this I had to fill out a sheet about what went well and what didn't while the lady interviewing me graded how I done which did take a while I was waiting for about 20 minutes when another lady came in who was a line manager as she wanted to talk to me after the interview she asked me questions such as
- What do you think the roles of a customer assistant is in marks and spencer?
- Why do you want to work for marks and spencer?
- Are you due to go on any holidays soon?
-Are you available to do a 3 day course of induction training?
- How many hours could you typically work?
- What do you know about the company?
overall the interview took around 1 hour and 45 minutes (this was due to a lot of waiting for people to interview and talk to me) I also would advise anyone who is going for a job interview to dress smart I wore wide leg suit trousers, a shirt and a blazer with flat shoes. Also girls should try and keep make up and jewellery to a minimum. The interview wasn't particularly difficult but you do have to research the company as they do want to see you know about their plan A. lastly im still waiting for a call back from the company I was told I should get a call by the end of the week so fingers crossed! good luck everyone hope this helps
- What do you think the roles of a customer assistant is in marks and spencer?
- Why do you want to work for marks and spencer?
- Are you due to go on any holidays soon?
-Are you available to do a 3 day course of induction training?
- How many hours could you typically work?
- What do you know about the company?
overall the interview took around 1 hour and 45 minutes (this was due to a lot of waiting for people to interview and talk to me) I also would advise anyone who is going for a job interview to dress smart I wore wide leg suit trousers, a shirt and a blazer with flat shoes. Also girls should try and keep make up and jewellery to a minimum. The interview wasn't particularly difficult but you do have to research the company as they do want to see you know about their plan A. lastly im still waiting for a call back from the company I was told I should get a call by the end of the week so fingers crossed! good luck everyone hope this helps
Where was your interview?
My interview was in Marble Arch
has anyone ever had a group interview with m&s?
I saw the words role play and panicked! I'm good speaking to customers but when im on the spot infront of a lot of people I freeze up! Im glad to see most of these say it was a one on one interview.
I saw the words role play and panicked! I'm good speaking to customers but when im on the spot infront of a lot of people I freeze up! Im glad to see most of these say it was a one on one interview.
Original post by lanadelrey7991
My interview was in Marble Arch
I hope you were successful
I've also got one for the 4th. Nice to hear about peoples experiences as the whole role play thing seems a bit daunting 
Original post by asphodel77
I've also got one for the 4th. Nice to hear about peoples experiences as the whole role play thing seems a bit daunting
How did your interview go?
because I have one tomorrow and its the role play but its my first time ever to go to an interview 
Original post by hearthstone
How did your interview go? because I have one tomorrow and its the role play but its my first time ever to go to an interview
because I have one tomorrow and its the role play but its my first time ever to go to an interview Hey!
It went good and they offered me a job today. I messed up a little on the interview but when I filled in the feedback form just after it, I realised my mistakes and wrote them down, which went down well. Just try to relax, and read through all the information sheets they give you. For instance I was given swimwear information - womens, children's and suncream. The scenario was a father was looking for a tankini for his 12 y/o daughter. It was an urgent need and the item he wanted was not in stock. Find out exactly what the customer wants, apologise where needed for out of stock items or issues and offer suitable alternatives. If the item is not urgent, you can offer to call other stores to see if the item is in stock, or offer to order it for them. Always smile and try to be as helpful as possible.
Also use all information you are given - I forgot to ask if there was anything else i could help him with - IE the 3 for 2 offer on suncream.
As I said, if you make a mistake, acknowledge and they appreciate it. Depending on what position you're applying for, you may be taken to the shop floor to have a trial run for 5 or so minutes and then a sit down chat. Try and relax, they want to give you a job and you've done well to get this far!
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by asphodel77
Hey!
It went good and they offered me a job today. I messed up a little on the interview but when I filled in the feedback form just after it, I realised my mistakes and wrote them down, which went down well. Just try to relax, and read through all the information sheets they give you. For instance I was given swimwear information - womens, children's and suncream. The scenario was a father was looking for a tankini for his 12 y/o daughter. It was an urgent need and the item he wanted was not in stock. Find out exactly what the customer wants, apologise where needed for out of stock items or issues and offer suitable alternatives. If the item is not urgent, you can offer to call other stores to see if the item is in stock, or offer to order it for them. Always smile and try to be as helpful as possible.
Also use all information you are given - I forgot to ask if there was anything else i could help him with - IE the 3 for 2 offer on suncream.
As I said, if you make a mistake, acknowledge and they appreciate it. Depending on what position you're applying for, you may be taken to the shop floor to have a trial run for 5 or so minutes and then a sit down chat. Try and relax, they want to give you a job and you've done well to get this far!
It went good and they offered me a job today. I messed up a little on the interview but when I filled in the feedback form just after it, I realised my mistakes and wrote them down, which went down well. Just try to relax, and read through all the information sheets they give you. For instance I was given swimwear information - womens, children's and suncream. The scenario was a father was looking for a tankini for his 12 y/o daughter. It was an urgent need and the item he wanted was not in stock. Find out exactly what the customer wants, apologise where needed for out of stock items or issues and offer suitable alternatives. If the item is not urgent, you can offer to call other stores to see if the item is in stock, or offer to order it for them. Always smile and try to be as helpful as possible.
Also use all information you are given - I forgot to ask if there was anything else i could help him with - IE the 3 for 2 offer on suncream.
As I said, if you make a mistake, acknowledge and they appreciate it. Depending on what position you're applying for, you may be taken to the shop floor to have a trial run for 5 or so minutes and then a sit down chat. Try and relax, they want to give you a job and you've done well to get this far!
Thank you for all the advice! I really appreciate it
Did you have an interview with the manager afterwards? Original post by hearthstone
Thank you for all the advice! I really appreciate it Did you have an interview with the manager afterwards?
Did you have an interview with the manager afterwards? You're welcome
I don't think it was the manager, but most people do have the manager. And yes it was after the role play and the shop floor exercise. Good luck! Hi,
I just had my interview today and thought id update the page on the process.
I first of all had to sit in the staff room for 20 minutes awaiting to be called. I then headed into a separate room where I met my not so much interviewer, but person who was assessing me. I was told that the majority of the decision wether or not you get the job is based upon the role play. In my case, I had encountered a customer who wanted a vegetable that was not in stock. I was given two booklets :- one with all the stores product and stock information in, along with a list of nearby M and S shops. The other booklet was the task brief. The assessor then read out the brief and left me for 5 minutes to look through it all and make some notes. She then came in and the role play began. Throughout I was polite and gave her alternatives to the vegetable. she then went on to ask for help on a starter for the meal and a pudding. She then had everything she needed and left. I was then given a sheet to write my own feedback on my performance. she then took it along with another persons notes who was watching the role play and came back in to tell me I passed the role play section. I was then asked about my hobbies and interests and why I wanted to work at M and S. I said that I think it would be a great experience to work for such a notorious and well respected company, and that I strongly agree and approve of the many fair trade products they sell. She said this was perfect. they then went out again and came back in to tell me they'd be happy to take me on then I just had to fill out personal details and give them my documents and I was sorted overall, I think all you need to do to pass the roleplay is:-
be confident
be polite
be friendly
use the resources you have been given wisely
prioritise the customer
really get in to it - really imagine it's real
and that's it
the role play really isn't as bad as you would think, I'm 16 and was very nervous to head into a shop full of grown adults. but it was good, as my 'interviewers' were very nice, as was everyone
I just had my interview today and thought id update the page on the process.
I first of all had to sit in the staff room for 20 minutes awaiting to be called. I then headed into a separate room where I met my not so much interviewer, but person who was assessing me. I was told that the majority of the decision wether or not you get the job is based upon the role play. In my case, I had encountered a customer who wanted a vegetable that was not in stock. I was given two booklets :- one with all the stores product and stock information in, along with a list of nearby M and S shops. The other booklet was the task brief. The assessor then read out the brief and left me for 5 minutes to look through it all and make some notes. She then came in and the role play began. Throughout I was polite and gave her alternatives to the vegetable. she then went on to ask for help on a starter for the meal and a pudding. She then had everything she needed and left. I was then given a sheet to write my own feedback on my performance. she then took it along with another persons notes who was watching the role play and came back in to tell me I passed the role play section. I was then asked about my hobbies and interests and why I wanted to work at M and S. I said that I think it would be a great experience to work for such a notorious and well respected company, and that I strongly agree and approve of the many fair trade products they sell. She said this was perfect. they then went out again and came back in to tell me they'd be happy to take me on
then I just had to fill out personal details and give them my documents and I was sorted overall, I think all you need to do to pass the roleplay is:-be confident
be polite
be friendly
use the resources you have been given wisely
prioritise the customer
really get in to it - really imagine it's real
and that's it
the role play really isn't as bad as you would think, I'm 16 and was very nervous to head into a shop full of grown adults. but it was good, as my 'interviewers' were very nice, as was everyone
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Zazu345
Anyone know how long a temporary contract is likely to be? I have an interview for the m&s cafe but just wondering how long the contract will be as I have to go back to uni in september. Any help would be much appreciated
Just call them and ask to be 100% sure
Advice I'd say is to mention everything that is on the sheets that they give you. The reason I failed (according to the interviewers) was that I didn't mention something like the vegetarian food is handpicked or something like that. To be honest I think they ask way too much information, especially if you have no experience in customer service.
I mean I was asked what a random food item was and I had no idea what it was.
I mean I was asked what a random food item was and I had no idea what it was.
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