Group Interview - Waitrose/John Lewis Partnership

SCOYA

I've been invited to attend a Group Interview, the position I applied for is Customer Sales and Support Advisor, which is phone and PC based. This is a temporary contract working up to Christmas. They're offering contracts of between 4 - 12 weeks, not sure how this works exactly.

I've never attended this kind of interview before so any advice and insight would be most appreciated and I don't have a clue as to what to expect.

Thanks in advance for all and any input and advice you can offer.

MissSarah1972

It could well be role playing where two people pretend to have a phone conversation where one pretends to be the customer to see how you handle the call.

Aryndeneth

Have a look at this thread. Quite a few people sharing their experience - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1825652

The key in group interviews is to be yourself, speak up but don't be the person who dominates the group and lets nobody else speak. Show that you have your own thoughts, opinions and ideas but are able to listen to others ideas and then defend your point of view or incorporate other people's opinions as you feel appropriate. If someone else is dominating the discussion, be the person who politely and professionally says something like "That's great but maybe we can see what some of the others are thinking about that"
Good luck with your interview!

SCOYA

Thanks for your input, particularly the link Aryndeneth, quite informative and much appreciated.

Mags_cat

I was once in a group interiew - it was part of a longer assessment day.

They handed us all the topic on a laminated card - "Discuss the medium to long term future of fossil fuels". I knew the square root of nothing about this.

I glanced round, and everyone else was still reading - so I got up, moved the flipchart to the middle of the circle of chairs, picked up the marker pen and said "Right then, who'd like to start?" I think they liked me, 'cause I got that job :rotfl:

The other thing to bear in mind is that whatever they say to you you *are* being assessed all the time - even if you get a coffee break!

Best of luck with it - come back and tell us how you got on.

ifonlyitwaseasier

they have role play, including you being an angry customer and then playing the part of an employee trying to placate the customer, you have to as a team build a lego builind, you get to see it for a couple of minutes then you have to make it
there wasn't any one2one last year but the all seemed nice,
i'd suggest being early if it's to the HQ and you are driving as the parking is really busy

good luck

SCOYA

ifonlyitwaseasier - thanks for the tip on parking as it is as Bracknell HQ.

Will report back once it's all over, just have to wait till next Thursday now.....................................

SCOYA

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Hurrah for me................. I got the contract, starting on 1 October till 21 December - I'm delighted - thank you for all your advice, it was/is much appreciated. Thank You.

sammyjammy

Well done, had an interview myself this week and hoping for a similar result

SCOYA

sammyjammy - hoping you receive good news too.

JamesK10

SCOYA wrote: »

ifonlyitwaseasier - thanks for the tip on parking as it is as Bracknell HQ.

Will report back once it's all over, just have to wait till next Thursday now.....................................

Congrats on getting the job, best of all it was too far away from me so I don't have to regret missing it, but excellent pre-Xmas boost for you and even better for the CV. Hopefully they will let you apply for other stuff when that job finishes instead of doing one-in, one-out.