Waitrose group interview

I had a group/1:1 interview at Waitrose yesterday and wonder how long they usually take to hear back from them.

I had a group/1:1 interview at Waitrose yesterday and wonder how long they usually take to hear back from them.

After my interview at Waitrose I was told they would be in touch within a couple fo weeks which I thought was a bit long. However, they called me back that evening and gave me an offer. That being said, I wouldn’t be top concerned that you haven’t heard yet as it’s only been a couple of days. It depends how close you and the other candidates were and . I also got a job that wasn’t the one I interviewed for so that may be why I was so quick. Best of luck!

Hi, I've got a group interview with waitrose soon and was wondering what kind of questions they asked you? I'm absolutely bricking it. I've seen a lot of people say that they ask you 'why waitrose' but I have no idea how to answer that!

Sorry it took me a couple of days to reply. With my interview, I had an individual interview one-to-one and then a group interview with four other candidates (three of us got a job!).

In the individual section, it was fairly standard questions (i.e. giving examples of when you’ve been under pressure/ shown leadership skills/ adapted to a difficult situation). They have a view different assessment criteria that they ask one question for each, though I can’t remember them now. As for the ‘why waitrose’ I spoke about the partnership ethos, how that reflects as being a team and appreciated, and I also expressed interest in progressing within the John Lewis partnership after uni. It would be worth researching the history of WR and JL a bit before your interview and dropping a few bits of knowledge in like I did.

As for the group stage, all of us sat around a table with two assessors at the back of the room. We were given a case study about a day in the shop and some time to read. After that there were some open-ended questions about what we could do to improve sales etc. (I can’t remember exactly). We discussed answers to these as a group. They’re not so interested in what you say as how you behave in the group. Then there is another addition to the case study. They asked if anyone wanted to read aloud. We were all reluctant but I volunteered and recommend you do the same if asked (or perhaps offer to split the reading between you!). We then had 5 mins to come up with ideas for products individually and then as a group decided which two ideas we would choose and then present to the assessors. Throughout this section, I’d recommend being confident and showing leadership skills, whilst listening to others and including them to show leadership skills.

This is a bit rambly but I hope this helps. My interview was only a few months ago so the info should be up-to-date, though may differ in your branch. Everyone was really nice and talking to one of the other candidates before we went in really helped with nerves. If you have any questions, feel free to DM me. Good luck!

Hi, I've got a group interview with waitrose soon and was wondering what kind of questions they asked you? I'm absolutely bricking it. I've seen a lot of people say that they ask you 'why waitrose' but I have no idea how to answer that!

Hi there, I used to work at Waitrose.

If you've got the interview you're already at a great place. They usually have quite a lot of jobs going at any one time, and as I recall I was in an interview with 3 or 4 others, and I'm sure I saw at least 2 of them while working, possibly they all got the job.

What I will say from my experience there, is that it's all about presentation. Do not kid yourself and think that you can't do the job. ANYBODY can do the job. It's not hard to stack shelves, or scan items. There'll be the usual questions about teamwork etc (if you have never been in an interview look up common interview questions). Just remember that to have made it to the interview (and got past the rather tricky Waitrose online test), you must have half a brain, and they believe you are capable of doing the basic and menial tasks they will ask of you.

What they want to see is how well you present yourself, how polite you are, whether you look like you're not going to come in on a Sunday morning because you were out drinking all night, that kind of thing.

The questions that they ask you are not going to be of great importance. Every employer asks them, and honestly I don't think they give a crap about how you have proven skills of working in a team because you played football at school and it was important to work together to win. No matter the person, you will have a personal example to support each question that they ask you. What you need to do is just try not to crumble under the pressure. If you do find your mind goes blank, just say so, and try and kinda joke it off, they know interviews are hard and stressful, and see this kinda thing all the time. The people who work in Waitrose are generally very nice, they're not trying to trip you up.

Dress well to the interview. This is important. Don't look like a mess. - I will say, I am a bit of a mess. I never look that good, my hairs always messy, I arrived to the interview on a 100cc motorbike and I think it was raining recently, so I wouldn't have been that clean. I was wearing a suit, and I'd shaven and showered before hand. I tried to look and sound confident and correct, and just generally gave the vibe that I'd be a good candidate.

The questions aren't what matters here, it's just the way you carry yourself. You have to look and act as though you're ready to represent the supermarket that caters to the middle and upper class in society. Try and look as though you're from that world, and you'll fit right in.

They're probably more relaxed than I've described, but this is what they're looking for. You'll be fine, don't worry about it too much, really it's not hard to get a job there. I got a job there, and I'm a bit of a hippy scruff. My sister got a job there, loads of my friends had jobs there while they were in school etc.

It's not hard, just look presentable and answer the questions honestly and to the best of your ability. Otherwise chill out, relax, and don't worry about it