Im sixteen and this is my first job interview and i want to be ready, however im not sure what sort of things a supermarket like waitrose might ask me at the interview ? my letter does not state if it is a group interview.
Job Interview Tips For Success
Recommended Answer:If it doesn't say that it's a group interview, then it's probably not. I will try to offer you advice for both sides, but I have only done a group interview myself.
If you have a group interview, make sure you're not one of the people that fades in to the background saying nothing. You will have to do several tasks which include working in two separate teams contributing ideas together & then reporting back to the rest of the group, and going round the circle talking about yourself individually.
Make sure in the group tasks you try and contribute as much as possible, take the form of a leader (without being bossy) and if they ask if anyone wants to go first to talk about yourself or to share your ideas, volunteer wherever possible to go first (it impresses them & this way nobody can say something that you wanted to say).
Try and look smart but you don't need to over dress, when I went to my interview one guy was in a shirt and tie etc & he looked really out of place. Me and several other people were just in smart casual (I'm not sure if you are a boy or a girl, but I wore leggings & a nice top, quite casual without looking scruffy. If you are a guy I suggest maybe black trousers with a casual shirt).
They are really over enthusiastic about their food, & they will probably ask you what your favourite food is and to give reason. Something they look for in their employees is a passion for food, so make sure you emphasize this where possible.
They may ask you to come up with one fact that you know about Waitrose (it can be anything; it's history, something about their staff, the John Lewis Partnership etc.)
I don't know how you would naturally talk, but if you are normally a little common sounding try to project your voice well & be well spoken. One guy in mine was dropping the T's in most of his words & it really didn't sound very good.
Finally, have a sense of humour & be smiley. They seemed to appreciate a sense of humour in my interview & they even openly admitted that they are looking someone funny who can have a good time as well as work hard.
If it's just a one to one interview, then the only advice I can offer is to be confident. If they ask you what you can offer to Waitrose talk about being a reliable employee, your enthusiasm to learn skills, your passion to work with people (& food). If they ask you why you want to work for Waitrose, say that you like their values of quality, as they are one of the high-quality food producing stores. Also say that you appreciate it is a widely known & well respected company, and you would be proud to be part of the team.
It's healthy to be nervous, but just don't be quiet!! Even if you say something a bit silly or answer a question wrong they will ALWAYS appreciate you speaking up more than not saying anything at all.
If it makes you feel better, you must already be in their good books because I know they are very fussy when it comes to choosing between applicants to invite to interviews.
Lastly, IF it is a group interview & you find this a little daunting.. I was PETRIFIED but ended up actually having a really good 2 & a half hours. It was really fun & relaxed! One-to-one interviews are easy as well because you only have one person to worry about impressing, so you'll only be nervous for the first few minutes.
GOOD LUCK :)
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