John Lewis Group Interview.

Mines tomorrow haha, what about you?

Same! I'm at 9:55 this is my first job interview ever so I'm really nervous aha

Mines in the afternoon, I am nervous also, but its not my first interview haha. I am sure you will be fine, Good luck!

this chat has been so helpful, I've been feeling nervous all day about mine tomorrow, good luck everyone

Good luck which position are you going for? How many positions are there in each department does anyone know?

Selling assistant in various departments and the fashion selling assistant one too , what about you?

Catering assistant but after i applied i was thinking i should of applied for something on shop floor

Well you never know you might like the catering part if you're worried maybe tell them that you wouldn't mind working on the shop floor or in other departments aswell, something like that and I'm sure there would be chances to move around and stuff

Hi Everyone,
First I just want to say thank you to everyone who posted on here because I had a full time job interview as a Sales Assistant for the new John Lewis opening in Birmingham in September, and I felt really prepared and much more comfortable thanks to some of your comments.
Secondly I would just like to let you know what we did; there were three activities, in groups of 5 or 6 with one assessor watching each group. The first activity required you writing down on a sheet of paper your name, one passion of yours, one time you had received or given good customer service, and how you think you could benefit John Lewis. You then shared your answers with your group & assessor, who also asked the occasional question if they were interested in anything you said.
The second activity required working as a team to find the best solution to 3 different "customers" requirements, for example someone finding a present for their boss who only has £30 etc, we were required to take into account things such as the fact that some items couldn't be delivered. All the information we needed was provided on sheets. Finally we were asked to produce a stickman and label him with all the characteristics which we believe make the perfect John Lewis partner; and then narrow them down to the top 5 before presenting to everyone else. It was a very relaxed but professional environment, and I do think I did well, and the woman who lead the session told us that the majority of people who pass the online tests get a job so don't be too nervous and good luck. Btw my assessment was on the 1st June and we were told we would know if we were successful by the end of the month

Hey i have my interview on the 17th of june, do you know what the male candidates wore to the interview? i haven't had any guidance on what to wear or anything, i assumed the old trousers, smart shoes and a shirt and tie, just didnt want to look out of place if everyone else was dressed otherwise, thanks in advance though!!

Thank you for this! I had my interview today and this really helped me.
My interview was very similar to this, so I'd assume all the Birmingham ones will be the same.
Hiya has anyone found out when the start date would actually be if we got the job?
I'll write a quick overview adding on from this for anyone else who has an interview:

- You're split into groups and sit at separate tables. My group had 5 people, and there were 4 similar sized groups in the room in total.
- Each table has an assessor who essentially watches how you perform the tasks and at the end of each one they leave the room and rate everyone on their performance (you aren't told these scores, neither during or after the interview) After each task the assessors switch table when they come back in the room.
- In the times when the assessors leave you are given presentations on the knew Grand Central store, John Lewis principles, and employee benefits.

- Activity One: 2 minutes to write your name, a passion, a time you showed/received excellent customer service, and how your skills will assist you working for John Lewis. You then feedback to your group for another 2 minutes.

- Activity Two: As a group you are given a scenario (mine was a couple moving in to a new home with £600 worth of vouchers to spend) and you are asked to help them decide what to buy based on the list of items you have. Make sure you take in to account: cost of products, necessity of products (e.g. we suggested that bean bag chairs were not a priority, but may be nice), whether the item is actually in stock (a couple were not, so it's important to check), delivery options, etc. Once your group decides on some products you have to talk to your assessor as if they are the customer and tell them why you think they should get those products, and essentially sell the items.

- Activity Three: For this stage the group was tasked with coming up with skills and characteristics that make the 'perfect Partner'. You then have to narrow them down to 5 that are the most important, and present it to the room in your groups. Things like passion/enthusiasm, communication skills, and being approachable came up in almost all of them. Note: after this the assessors leave and do not return, so make sure you've done everything you can to impress them.

- Activity Four: This is not an official assessed activity, but it's still one I want to include because it's helpful to know the answers ahead of time. You're given a piece of paper where you have to right details such as name, email, etc. as well as having to write what kind of contract you want (full/part time and temporary/permanent), your availability hours (which days, days/evenings etc.), what departments you'd prefer working in, and also your closest train station. A lot of us didn't know ours and we were told not to worry about it, but if you can find out I suggest you do. (I assume they only want to know because there will be no parking on site so a lot of people may take the train due to being above the train station)

Other things to know:

- Remember to bring your Right to Work document! We were asked for ours in the middle of the session so if you don't have yours it'll probably be a bit embarrassing.
- Pens and paper are provided, as well as water and even a bowl of sweets.
- It was a nice, relaxed environment, and I suggest talking to people in the waiting area before going in so you have a nice head start in being comfortable with people you work with in your group.
- Remember to smile and speak up in discussions, as I think the way we work as a team is one of the main criteria they are looking to assess.
- Everyone who passed the tests to get this far s are similar!

Good luck!

does anyone know when the start date would be if we got the job?

Thank you for this! I had my interview today and this really helped me.
My interview was very similar to this, so I'd assume all the Birmingham ones will be the same.

I'll write a quick overview adding on from this for anyone else who has an interview:

- You're split into groups and sit at separate tables. My group had 5 people, and there were 4 similar sized groups in the room in total.
- Each table has an assessor who essentially watches how you perform the tasks and at the end of each one they leave the room and rate everyone on their performance (you aren't told these scores, neither during or after the interview) After each task the assessors switch table when they come back in the room.
- In the times when the assessors leave you are given presentations on the knew Grand Central store, John Lewis principles, and employee benefits.

- Activity One: 2 minutes to write your name, a passion, a time you showed/received excellent customer service, and how your skills will assist you working for John Lewis. You then feedback to your group for another 2 minutes.

- Activity Two: As a group you are given a scenario (mine was a couple moving in to a new home with £600 worth of vouchers to spend) and you are asked to help them decide what to buy based on the list of items you have. Make sure you take in to account: cost of products, necessity of products (e.g. we suggested that bean bag chairs were not a priority, but may be nice), whether the item is actually in stock (a couple were not, so it's important to check), delivery options, etc. Once your group decides on some products you have to talk to your assessor as if they are the customer and tell them why you think they should get those products, and essentially sell the items.

- Activity Three: For this stage the group was tasked with coming up with skills and characteristics that make the 'perfect Partner'. You then have to narrow them down to 5 that are the most important, and present it to the room in your groups. Things like passion/enthusiasm, communication skills, and being approachable came up in almost all of them. Note: after this the assessors leave and do not return, so make sure you've done everything you can to impress them.

- Activity Four: This is not an official assessed activity, but it's still one I want to include because it's helpful to know the answers ahead of time. You're given a piece of paper where you have to right details such as name, email, etc. as well as having to write what kind of contract you want (full/part time and temporary/permanent), your availability hours (which days, days/evenings etc.), what departments you'd prefer working in, and also your closest train station. A lot of us didn't know ours and we were told not to worry about it, but if you can find out I suggest you do. (I assume they only want to know because there will be no parking on site so a lot of people may take the train due to being above the train station)

Other things to know:

- Remember to bring your Right to Work document! We were asked for ours in the middle of the session so if you don't have yours it'll probably be a bit embarrassing.
- Pens and paper are provided, as well as water and even a bowl of sweets.
- It was a nice, relaxed environment, and I suggest talking to people in the waiting area before going in so you have a nice head start in being comfortable with people you work with in your group.
- Remember to smile and speak up in discussions, as I think the way we work as a team is one of the main criteria they are looking to assess.
- Everyone who passed the tests to get this far are qualified enough to do the job in their eyes, so it's all about showing your personality and proving you'd be an asset to the Partnership.
- We were also told that we'd be messaged about whether we were successful or not by at least the end of the month.

Hopefully this is helpful to anyone who is going for the Birmingham interview soon, or even other John Lewis stores in the future as I'm sure a lot of the techniques are similar!

Good luck!

Thank you for this! I had my interview today and this really helped me.
My interview was very similar to this, so I'd assume all the Birmingham ones will be the same.

I'll write a quick overview adding on from this for anyone else who has an interview:

- You're split into groups and sit at separate tables. My group had 5 people, and there were 4 similar sized groups in the room in total.
- Each table has an assessor who essentially watches how you perform the tasks and at the end of each one they leave the room and rate everyone on their performance (you aren't told these scores, neither during or after the interview) After each task the assessors switch table when they come back in the room.
- In the times when the assessors leave you are given presentations on the knew Grand Central store, John Lewis principles, and employee benefits.

- Activity One: 2 minutes to write your name, a passion, a time you showed/received excellent customer service, and how your skills will assist you working for John Lewis. You then feedback to your group for another 2 minutes.

- Activity Two: As a group you are given a scenario (mine was a couple moving in to a new home with £600 worth of vouchers to spend) and you are asked to help them decide what to buy based on the list of items you have. Make sure you take in to account: cost of products, necessity of products (e.g. we suggested that bean bag chairs were not a priority, but may be nice), whether the item is actually in stock (a couple were not, so it's important to check), delivery options, etc. Once your group decides on some products you have to talk to your assessor as if they are the customer and tell them why you think they should get those products, and essentially sell the items.

- Activity Three: For this stage the group was tasked with coming up with skills and characteristics that make the 'perfect Partner'. You then have to narrow them down to 5 that are the most important, and present it to the room in your groups. Things like passion/enthusiasm, communication skills, and being approachable came up in almost all of them. Note: after this the assessors leave and do not return, so make sure you've done everything you can to impress them.

- Activity Four: This is not an official assessed activity, but it's still one I want to include because it's helpful to know the answers ahead of time. You're given a piece of paper where you have to right details such as name, email, etc. as well as having to write what kind of contract you want (full/part time and temporary/permanent), your availability hours (which days, days/evenings etc.), what departments you'd prefer working in, and also your closest train station. A lot of us didn't know ours and we were told not to worry about it, but if you can find out I suggest you do. (I assume they only want to know because there will be no parking on site so a lot of people may take the train due to being above the train station)

Other things to know:

- Remember to bring your Right to Work document! We were asked for ours in the middle of the session so if you don't have yours it'll probably be a bit embarrassing.
- Pens and paper are provided, as well as water and even a bowl of sweets.
- It was a nice, relaxed environment, and I suggest talking to people in the waiting area before going in so you have a nice head start in being comfortable with people you work with in your group.
- Remember to smile and speak up in discussions, as I think the way we work as a team is one of the main criteria they are looking to assess.
- Everyone who passed the tests to get this far are qualified enough to do the job in their eyes, so it's all about showing your personality and proving you'd be an asset to the Partnership.
- We were also told that we'd be messaged about whether we were successful or not by at least the end of the month.

Hopefully this is helpful to anyone who is going for the Birmingham interview soon, or even other John Lewis stores in the future as I'm sure a lot of the techniques are similar!

Good luck!