GUIDE: How to get through your first interview with Marks and Spencer's!

Hi there,

I'm a new employee with M&S to date only been at my store for 4 weeks, it took me a total of nearly 5 months to find a suitable store after my interview. Anyway enough about that now on to my actual topic.

Your probably looking at this thread because you have applied for a job with Marks & Spencer's and have been called for what's called a role-play assessment, obviously having passed all the rest online assessment's.

Firstly, know what time you are meant to turn up to your interview! That's the first and MOST important thing I would say you need to pay attention to as that is along with everything else forms part of your future employer's experience of you and you really do not want to turn up late cos' you're an idiot who didn't check the timing and where you are meant to go. Aim to be at your store at least 30 minutes before your interview 1 hour is even better.

That's the next thing, know where you are going! If you're going to Romford Store or Teddington Store (where I had my interview) you need to know where you are going and how you are going to get to the store because if you ring them and ask where is the store and you say that you are coming for an interview it isn't really going to paint a good first impression for you!

Thirdly, knowing how to look and what to wear is great for getting a good first impression, boys or men whatever, clean shaven, hair nicely done, face needs to be clean, you need to be clean don't rock up smelling of b/o cos' that'll put them off big time, and finally YOU NEED TO BE WEARING A LOUNGE SUIT DON'T ROCK UP TO YOUR INTERVIEW IN GENERAL EVERYDAY CLOTHING PLEASE! Girls, now that's difficult because i'm a boy but you need to wear formal clothing that's going to give you the best impression, makeup the lot throw everything at it, like the boys do not smell of b/o don't turn up in general everyday casual clothing please!

Lastly, remember your INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES that you may have been taught, shake the hand of everyone you meet that you deal with, make eye contact with your interviewer and makesure you LISTEN TO EVERYTHING THAT THEY SAY, also bring your passport, a copy of your National Insurance Number and a letter that proves where you live. A form of Identification is required to sign on to site as a VISITOR.

Ok, so that's all done now moving on to the important bit, your role-play assessment, chill-out it's not hard at all it's easy be yourself bring yourself your personality alive in the asessment don't be fake don't be a lier just tell the truth be honest in your assessment and you will be absolutely fine trust me. You have 5 minutes to read the scenerio (the pack of which you will have with you throughout the assessment) and then your 'customer' will come in to the room and you will be talking to the customer, the customer will ask you lots of questions where do I get this, when can I get this and if it's christmas related you can bet on it that it will be about christmas turkey's and ordering foods for christmas! Alright, that's about all I can say to be honest because that is all that I know.

Be aware, the assessor will need to send a report to Head Office about your assessment and weither you have passed and you will find out weither you have passed within 3-4 days after your initial assessment and then you will find out by looking on the HRSS system and then you will either be called back to your store to be given an unofficial offer of employment OR you will be told you are on-hold and you are to apply to another store for an vacancy and usually you will be given an offer of employment there and then and then all the rest is online and in my other guides!

Best regards and best of luck!