John Lewis will be publishing its job interview questions online to help ease the process for potential staff members.
The upmarket retailer, which also owns the supermarket chain Waitrose, will be publishing the questions it will ask in an interview "for every role" within the company online "for everyone to see". The John Lewis Partnership group says the move is not to make the process "easier" instead it's about making people feel more comfortable applying for roles/during the interview process which will help them to perform to their highest ability - particularly for individuals who are neurodiverse.
John Lewis said the interviews will still be "in-depth" with detailed follow-up questions which John Lewis says will allow its hiring team to get insight into people's relevant experience. The group noted that it would be providing examples of potential questions - but they won’t know which specific questions will be used during their interview.
John Lewis talent acquisition lead Lorna Bullet said: "Interviews can feel daunting, and for some - particularly those who are neurodiverse - nerves can seriously impact performance. We’ve published our interview questions to allow candidates to prepare and confidently demonstrate what they can do, which gives us the best chance of finding the right person for the role. We want the right people, from a variety of backgrounds with the best talent to join our organisation. It makes absolute business sense to find ways of helping candidates to really demonstrate what they can do so that we get the right fit for the role."
All John Lewis staff are known as "partners" because the company offers an employee share scheme. Partners are organised into different levels and the majority of roles such as supermarket assistants, drivers, and team managers sit within the Partnership Levels eight to 10. Questions can range from how to resolve communication issues to how to perform in a leadership role.
For example, one question asks: "How would you respond if you were in a team where everyone is very focused on their own tasks but there are some major team goals that also need to be achieved?" Another question focuses on communication and asks: "Imagine you are interacting with someone who is very different from you in terms of their interaction style. How would you go about trying to engage with this person?" Alongside the questions, John Lewis also advises candidates on how they should answer them and what examples they should share in regards to it.
Recruits of all seniority and skill levels can now go to the John Lewis website to find out what interview questions should be expected. The retailer has also recently raised it's hourly pay to £12.89 in London and £11.55 elsewhere in the UK.