Hi guys I have a group assessment this Wednesday at Waitrose for position of Customer delivery driver/Supermarket Assistant. Does anyone have any tips or advice on what to expect, as I have not done a group assessment before. Much appreciated.
Group assessment Waitrose any advice?
- Thread starter GTO656
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Soldato
These things are basically awkward speed interviews. I remember doing one for a supermarket as a part time job when i was a student. Tip, be pro-active to the point of being cringey. Everyone else in the room is either competition or assessor. Also, try to come across as a fun guy to work with. No one want's to work with a knob even if they are enthusiastic and good at their job.
According to their job spec- When not engaged in driving duties, to replenish stock and undertake cashier duties as required. so yeh bit of both.
Stand out, that's pretty much your only chance of getting hired.
If you don't feel you can do that then don't bother going, it's a crappy way to hire people.
Soldato
Don't be a wallflower!
Caporegime
Mold yourself into that super annoying over the top customer service employee you come across every now and then.
oh jeeze, it's one of those... I did a group interview like that back when I was a student, it was pretty straight forwards in the end... half the people there basically had no confidence at all and could barely make eye contact ergo probably were wasting their time turning up in the first place for a customer facing role. I think being friendly and acting confident is all their really looking for with this stuff... granted if they've only got say a couple of places and there are a whole bunch of applicants then it is still going to be a bit of a crapshoot but meh...
Caporegime
Do you mean like a group exercise? I used to assess those for a big accountancy firm. Get involved, but don't be a nob. Some candidates seem to think you need to dominate the group, but guess what, the guy (and it's always a guy) who talks over everyone never gets through.
Man of Honour
It's Waitrose, so be sure to sound posh 
Turn up on time, dress smart and aim to impress. Make eye contact, be polite, ask questions. So long as you compose yourself you'll be fine. I done one at John Lewis years ago for some temp work. As has already been said, some people can't even make eye contact - just keep your head up and pay attention. All they'll be looking for is someone that can take initiative, be courteous and "look" right whilst there. If you can make people laugh and enjoy it you're 75% of the way there.
Soldato
^ Excellent advice. Eye contact but make sure you remember to blink!!
Go ready to ask three questions (hedging your bets in case they answer two of them before you ask). Most interviewers like to have good questions asked - it's a job and where you spend most of your waking hours... most people will have at least one question but it's amazing the majority that simply don't ask a thing!
I tend to ask things like 'how many people in my team?' or 'what kind of support is available to progress within the company?' You, no doubt, will have your own questions. Good luck.
Go ready to ask three questions (hedging your bets in case they answer two of them before you ask). Most interviewers like to have good questions asked - it's a job and where you spend most of your waking hours... most people will have at least one question but it's amazing the majority that simply don't ask a thing!
I tend to ask things like 'how many people in my team?' or 'what kind of support is available to progress within the company?' You, no doubt, will have your own questions. Good luck.
Soldato
This is pretty much it in a nutshell.
Likely they are short on staff and need to hire for the Christmas period i imagine. They want someone who seems like they pull their weight and has a modicum of social skills so they are at least not a horrible person to work with.
They will be doing these interviews for a range of floor roles with yours, as the the rest of the job is pretty much the same if you exclude the driving part. OP will likely be sat with 8-10 other people, a lot of them nervous kids gunning for some part time till work that balances with their college schedule
Look eager to work where needed, whenever is needed, even if it isn't your main job role and they will be chasing you to sign the contract.
These can be a bit of a nightmare for anyone that's not outgoing or confident talking in public, personally when these came up I just declined.
They often do some basic assessments first to rule out the numpties and then follow it with a group exercise. I always found it quite degrading having to compete for job in such a way
They often do some basic assessments first to rule out the numpties and then follow it with a group exercise. I always found it quite degrading having to compete for job in such a way
Soldato
i did one for sainsburys when i was about 18. was load of rubbish and didn't get the job lol.
Man of Honour
Passed a few of these with Waitrose. The advice above is pretty spot on. Smile, be attentive, don't talk over people, make sure if they split you into smaller groups you ensure everyone's getting involved etc etc.
I'd say do your research about the company and what they stand for. I'm guessing you've already passed the online value test so you know a bit about them.
Other than that prepare responses to the typical interview questions. Why Waitrose, tell us a bit about yourself, if you had to be an animal/item what would it be and all that jazz.
A lot of roles within branch are moving towards jack of all trades, rather than sticking to one section. Delivery drivers rarely end up stocking shelves but will assist with checkouts when queues get long. Other than that it's one of the better roles in store.
Good luck!
I'd say do your research about the company and what they stand for. I'm guessing you've already passed the online value test so you know a bit about them.
Other than that prepare responses to the typical interview questions. Why Waitrose, tell us a bit about yourself, if you had to be an animal/item what would it be and all that jazz.
A lot of roles within branch are moving towards jack of all trades, rather than sticking to one section. Delivery drivers rarely end up stocking shelves but will assist with checkouts when queues get long. Other than that it's one of the better roles in store.
Good luck!
But that is good, it acts as a filter and the employer likely won't want people who find such a thing a nightmare or aren't confident. Talking in public is rather key to the job if you need to man a checkout and engage with members of the public from all walks of life some of whom could be quite demanding or even rude/aggressive etc... being friendly and being confident useful there
Its a double edged sword - sometimes the most outgoing and vocal people can also be some of the laziest :s and you can skip over some people who are quieter but much harder working.
Its a bit of a contention I've had at work as my old boss was very swayed by someone who put a lot of effort into showy presentation and talked a good talk but sometimes when you engage with individuals you'll find people with far more substance and a better long term bet as an employee.