The Student Room Group

John Lewis Group Assessment Interview

So this Friday I have an interview with John Lewis, a group assessment, for the position of Xmas temp

All other posts seem to be very old so I just thought I'd start an updated threat incase it has changed in anyway.

My questions are: what do you actually do and do you have any tips or tricks to help me? This is my first ever interview and I'm very nervous.
What should I wear? I know I should be formal and which I have a white button up shirt would it be suitable to wear just that with black jeans? I don't have a black blazer. I do have my old school trousers but they're more form fitting than the expected loose, bootcut trousers. I also do not have a black blazer.

Also, I'm pretty confused about what I have to take with me. The document I received with the email is a bit confusing. Is it just one item from either list or ALL the items for my chosen list? Like would it be okay if I took just my passport, the letter with my NI number and my school schedule (so I can sort out my hours with them)

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Hi, I had my interview there at the Stratford store two weeks ago and it really was quite chilled. Everyone was wearing quite formal dress, sixth form/ college type attire so I would definitely advise against wearing jeans. It was my first ever interview too but it was surprisingly relaxed. Before your interview you’ll be in a waiting room with other canditates for a good 20 minutes and it was clear that you were being watched. Make sure you interact with others and don’t go on your phone etc as this will come off really bad. In particular, don’t seem too shy or nervous as it was clear that other candidates didn’t really take much input from these characters during later tasks.The interview itself is calm, we were given a scenario and then simply discussed as a group how and in what order we would deal with incidents/tasks. Make sure you don’t come off too bossy, as assessors were visibly annoyed at this. For documentation, all I brought was passport copy and NI Number, this was fine (no birth certificate). Good luck!
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 2
Original post by OM12344
Hi, I had my interview there at the Stratford store two weeks ago and it really was quite chilled. Everyone was wearing quite formal dress, sixth form/ college type attire so I would definitely advise against wearing jeans. It was my first ever interview too but it was surprisingly relaxed. Before your interview you’ll be in a waiting room with other canditates for a good 20 minutes and it was clear that you were being watched. Make sure you interact with others and don’t go on your phone etc as this will come off really bad. In particular, don’t seem too shy or nervous as it was clear that other candidates didn’t really take much input from these characters during later tasks.The interview itself is calm, we were given a scenario and then simply discussed as a group how and in what order we would deal with incidents/tasks. Make sure you don’t come off too bossy, as assessors were visibly annoyed at this. For documentation, all I brought was passport copy and NI Number, this was fine (no birth certificate). Good luck!


Oh gosh thank you go much! My interview is in 2 hours so you're literally a life saver!
Reply 3
Can I ask, how did it go?
Hiya, I've been invited to a group interview and I really don't know what to wear. Would a black skirt and white shirt be alright? What were other girls wearing?
Reply 5
Original post by KRSR
Can I ask, how did it go?


It went really well actually!
I got there exactly on the dot of my appointment due to the fact I couldn't actually find the place in my location as it was kind of hidden. They advise you arrive fifteen minutes earlier but when I got there, I just signed in and went and sat down with other people also applying for the same job.
Although I was one of the last and only sat in waiting for a few minutes it was obvious they were watching you to see how you would interact. Most people remained on their phones though if you go I'd advise to refrain from this and even if you don't want to strike up conversation with a stranger, just make it look as if you are not reliant on your phone during such awkward times.

Then a staff member came and collected us, taking us down to a seperate waiting room. There were nine of us in total and upon getting to the new room, there were three tables and we were told to sit in groups of three. I sat alone and was soon joined by two other women, one a middle aged and another older university student. I was definately the youngest one there.

There were three interviewers there, one from each department: sales, catering and stock management and one was assigned to each table. The person who worked in catering came and sat with my group. These members of staff had a clipboard with each of your names so that they could write notes about you through-out the duration of the assessment

The first 5-10 minutes was just talking to each other and introducing yourself. You could literally talk about anything but with it being rather awkward with strangers, obviously everyone just went and spoke about what they were doing (e.g education, work etc) It helps to lighten the mood and such and also gives the interviewer a chance to get a vibe of what kind of person you are.

Then, were were given a task where you were given a scenario where you had many different tasks to do. You were given five minutes of individual thinking time [ There were 8 tasks ] you had to consider what your priorities were, how you would deal with it and what problem may occur and how you would handle them. After individual thinking, we had to come together as a group and discuss our action plan writing it down all while the assessor is writing about our actions and attitudes and such. You were given 20 minutes to discuss it together however 10 minutes in, a sudden extra task is thrown in that you have to quickly add into your action plan also (probably to test your quick thinking and problem solving skills). After these 20 minutes, your action plan was handed in for them to assess or whatever.

Then you were given an extra three scenarios involving customers and you had twenty minutes to write about how you would deal with each scenario. This was an individual writing task.

Finally, this was handed in and then you just got given a form to fill out with all your details and clothing sizes (for the uniform) and about your working hours etc etc.

After handing that in you are handed a slip that explains next steps (Basically explains that you will find out whether or not you got the job through email within two weeks) and then we were free to go.

All in all it was pretty chill and relaxed. It took approx 1 hour and 30 mins.
Reply 6
Original post by miranda.lilian
Hiya, I've been invited to a group interview and I really don't know what to wear. Would a black skirt and white shirt be alright? What were other girls wearing?


Hello,
Yes I think that would be fine to be honest.
Everyone was wearing very formal attire like suits and pencil skirts and blazers etc etc.
One of the women I sat with wore a baby pink top, black blazer and wide legged office trousers.
The other girl I sat with just work a black dress with a black blazer
I wore a white button up shirt, a sleeveless over-vest and black school trousers and I think I fit in fine.

As long as you look formal in some kind of way you'll be fine, just think of office-wear really.
Thank you, that's really helpful
Reply 8
Original post by Sammy_789
It went really well actually!
I got there exactly on the dot of my appointment due to the fact I couldn't actually find the place in my location as it was kind of hidden. They advise you arrive fifteen minutes earlier but when I got there, I just signed in and went and sat down with other people also applying for the same job.
Although I was one of the last and only sat in waiting for a few minutes it was obvious they were watching you to see how you would interact. Most people remained on their phones though if you go I'd advise to refrain from this and even if you don't want to strike up conversation with a stranger, just make it look as if you are not reliant on your phone during such awkward times.

Then a staff member came and collected us, taking us down to a seperate waiting room. There were nine of us in total and upon getting to the new room, there were three tables and we were told to sit in groups of three. I sat alone and was soon joined by two other women, one a middle aged and another older university student. I was definately the youngest one there.

There were three interviewers there, one from each department: sales, catering and stock management and one was assigned to each table. The person who worked in catering came and sat with my group. These members of staff had a clipboard with each of your names so that they could write notes about you through-out the duration of the assessment

The first 5-10 minutes was just talking to each other and introducing yourself. You could literally talk about anything but with it being rather awkward with strangers, obviously everyone just went and spoke about what they were doing (e.g education, work etc) It helps to lighten the mood and such and also gives the interviewer a chance to get a vibe of what kind of person you are.

Then, were were given a task where you were given a scenario where you had many different tasks to do. You were given five minutes of individual thinking time [ There were 8 tasks ] you had to consider what your priorities were, how you would deal with it and what problem may occur and how you would handle them. After individual thinking, we had to come together as a group and discuss our action plan writing it down all while the assessor is writing about our actions and attitudes and such. You were given 20 minutes to discuss it together however 10 minutes in, a sudden extra task is thrown in that you have to quickly add into your action plan also (probably to test your quick thinking and problem solving skills). After these 20 minutes, your action plan was handed in for them to assess or whatever.

Then you were given an extra three scenarios involving customers and you had twenty minutes to write about how you would deal with each scenario. This was an individual writing task.

Finally, this was handed in and then you just got given a form to fill out with all your details and clothing sizes (for the uniform) and about your working hours etc etc.

After handing that in you are handed a slip that explains next steps (Basically explains that you will find out whether or not you got the job through email within two weeks) and then we were free to go.

All in all it was pretty chill and relaxed. It took approx 1 hour and 30 mins.


Thanks for the reply! That was very helpful:smile:
I have got my interview next Tuesday , thanks for the breakdown. What role did you apply for and did you get the job?
Original post by Sammy_789
It went really well actually!
I got there exactly on the dot of my appointment due to the fact I couldn't actually find the place in my location as it was kind of hidden. They advise you arrive fifteen minutes earlier but when I got there, I just signed in and went and sat down with other people also applying for the same job.
Although I was one of the last and only sat in waiting for a few minutes it was obvious they were watching you to see how you would interact. Most people remained on their phones though if you go I'd advise to refrain from this and even if you don't want to strike up conversation with a stranger, just make it look as if you are not reliant on your phone during such awkward times.

Then a staff member came and collected us, taking us down to a seperate waiting room. There were nine of us in total and upon getting to the new room, there were three tables and we were told to sit in groups of three. I sat alone and was soon joined by two other women, one a middle aged and another older university student. I was definately the youngest one there.

There were three interviewers there, one from each department: sales, catering and stock management and one was assigned to each table. The person who worked in catering came and sat with my group. These members of staff had a clipboard with each of your names so that they could write notes about you through-out the duration of the assessment

The first 5-10 minutes was just talking to each other and introducing yourself. You could literally talk about anything but with it being rather awkward with strangers, obviously everyone just went and spoke about what they were doing (e.g education, work etc) It helps to lighten the mood and such and also gives the interviewer a chance to get a vibe of what kind of person you are.

Then, were were given a task where you were given a scenario where you had many different tasks to do. You were given five minutes of individual thinking time [ There were 8 tasks ] you had to consider what your priorities were, how you would deal with it and what problem may occur and how you would handle them. After individual thinking, we had to come together as a group and discuss our action plan writing it down all while the assessor is writing about our actions and attitudes and such. You were given 20 minutes to discuss it together however 10 minutes in, a sudden extra task is thrown in that you have to quickly add into your action plan also (probably to test your quick thinking and problem solving skills). After these 20 minutes, your action plan was handed in for them to assess or whatever.

Then you were given an extra three scenarios involving customers and you had twenty minutes to write about how you would deal with each scenario. This was an individual writing task.

Finally, this was handed in and then you just got given a form to fill out with all your details and clothing sizes (for the uniform) and about your working hours etc etc.

After handing that in you are handed a slip that explains next steps (Basically explains that you will find out whether or not you got the job through email within two weeks) and then we were free to go.

All in all it was pretty chill and relaxed. It took approx 1 hour and 30 mins.
Reply 10
Original post by yaseen1000
I have got my interview next Tuesday , thanks for the breakdown. What role did you apply for and did you get the job?


Hiya! Truth be told I don't remember what the position was since it was about a year and half ago but I think it was either just something on the retail floor ( sales ) or that they would assign roles after giving you the job. I did not get the job, unfortunately, but this doesn't come as a great shock since at that point I'd never had a job and that was my first interview ever so I probably didn't do as great as I initially thought as my inexperience left me at a great disadvantage. I was also a lot more shy and not confident with myself than I am now. Having had multiple jobs since then, perhaps I now stand a chance of getting a job if I were to do it again, maybe not. I don't know. I think if I were to repeat it I would make myself a lot more known. Especially during the "get-to-know-each-other" part in the groups - looking back, the other girls in my team had a habit of ignoring me and speaking over me and instead of challenging that, I backed down and reserved myself which j know probably wasn't the best impression on the employer. So I would recommend not allowing yourself to be outshone. But nor would I encourage you to come off bossy or rude whilst doing this.
Original post by Sammy_789
Hiya! Truth be told I don't remember what the position was since it was about a year and half ago but I think it was either just something on the retail floor ( sales ) or that they would assign roles after giving you the job. I did not get the job, unfortunately, but this doesn't come as a great shock since at that point I'd never had a job and that was my first interview ever so I probably didn't do as great as I initially thought as my inexperience left me at a great disadvantage. I was also a lot more shy and not confident with myself than I am now. Having had multiple jobs since then, perhaps I now stand a chance of getting a job if I were to do it again, maybe not. I don't know. I think if I were to repeat it I would make myself a lot more known. Especially during the "get-to-know-each-other" part in the groups - looking back, the other girls in my team had a habit of ignoring me and speaking over me and instead of challenging that, I backed down and reserved myself which j know probably wasn't the best impression on the employer. So I would recommend not allowing yourself to be outshone. But nor would I encourage you to come off bossy or rude whilst doing this.


Thanks for the tips
Did you have 1 to 1 interview after your group interview and if so approximately how long was it ?
Original post by Sammy_789
Hiya! Truth be told I don't remember what the position was since it was about a year and half ago but I think it was either just something on the retail floor ( sales ) or that they would assign roles after giving you the job. I did not get the job, unfortunately, but this doesn't come as a great shock since at that point I'd never had a job and that was my first interview ever so I probably didn't do as great as I initially thought as my inexperience left me at a great disadvantage. I was also a lot more shy and not confident with myself than I am now. Having had multiple jobs since then, perhaps I now stand a chance of getting a job if I were to do it again, maybe not. I don't know. I think if I were to repeat it I would make myself a lot more known. Especially during the "get-to-know-each-other" part in the groups - looking back, the other girls in my team had a habit of ignoring me and speaking over me and instead of challenging that, I backed down and reserved myself which j know probably wasn't the best impression on the employer. So I would recommend not allowing yourself to be outshone. But nor would I encourage you to come off bossy or rude whilst doing this.
Reply 13
There was no 1 to 1
Original post by yaseen1000
Did you have 1 to 1 interview after your group interview and if so approximately how long was it ?
Original post by Sammy_789
There was no 1 to 1


Do you remember any questions they asked you ?
Original post by Sammy_789
There was no 1 to 1


How would recommend I prepare for the interview?
Reply 16
Guys were you told you had a group assessment? Mine just says interview!
How did some people from other forums for same position had 1:1 interviews 😱

I'm so nervous I hope I don't get 1:1, that would be the worse for me.
I had a group assessment last week and got an email today to say I got the job! From reading threads on TSR, I was fully expecting a 1:1 interview but I didn’t have one. It was literally just the group assessment and then we went home. They said, if we got the job they’d let us know by the end of the day. So when I didn’t get an email that day, I thought I’d been unsuccessful. But today (six days later), they’re saying I’ve got the job 😅 so maybe take what they say with a pinch of salt. Also, my advice for anyone going for a group assessment is this: don’t stress too much! It was really relaxed when I went for mine. I thought I’d be really nervous, but it was so chill. Everyone’s in the same boat, so when you’re waiting to go in, try and strike up a conversation with someone - it’ll help calm both your nerves and their’s too. Good luck to anyone applying! Happy to answer any questions anyone has :smile:
Original post by LunaLovegood2508
I had a group assessment last week and got an email today to say I got the job! From reading threads on TSR, I was fully expecting a 1:1 interview but I didn’t have one. It was literally just the group assessment and then we went home. They said, if we got the job they’d let us know by the end of the day. So when I didn’t get an email that day, I thought I’d been unsuccessful. But today (six days later), they’re saying I’ve got the job 😅 so maybe take what they say with a pinch of salt. Also, my advice for anyone going for a group assessment is this: don’t stress too much! It was really relaxed when I went for mine. I thought I’d be really nervous, but it was so chill. Everyone’s in the same boat, so when you’re waiting to go in, try and strike up a conversation with someone - it’ll help calm both your nerves and their’s too. Good luck to anyone applying! Happy to answer any questions anyone has :smile:

I had a group assessment yesterday, did you have a timed 20 minute group discussion about 4 scenarios then 15 minutes independent time to answer 4 scenario questions? If so do you think you did really well on both and that's why you got the job, or were you better in one than the other would you say? Only asking because i feel like i was outshadowed by 2 people on my table of 4 and didn't do well in that because i wasn't really leading the discussion, although I did contribute. I feel like i did pretty well on the independent question though so do you think one's more important than the other? cheers.

Latest