John Lewis publishes job interview questions so it is 'easier' for candidates

John Lewis will now publish its interview questions online to help job candidates. The John Lewis Partnership, which owns John Lewis and Waitrose, fears it could be missing out on good employees who struggle with the recruitment process.

John Lewis is seeking to make the process less daunting by publishing its interview questions “for every role” online, “for everyone to see”. .“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,” says Lorna Bullett, talent acquisition lead at John Lewis.

Interviews can feel daunting, and for some — particularly those who are neurodiverse — nerves can seriously impact performance,” Bullett added. Questions include: “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?” and “When have you set high-quality work standards and then actively ensured that they were maintained by others?”).

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“It’s a major shift and it’s quite exciting,” Petra Tagg, a director at recruiter Manpower UK, said. “It could be the start of a positive new trend.” James Milligan, global head of Hays Technology, said: "Open questions . . . can be a stress factor. The more specific you can be in a technology role, [usually] the better the outcome."

Daniel Harris, director at recruiter Robert Walters, said: “You’re in a transparent environment, rather than ‘who can think the quickest’.” Alongside the questions, John Lewis also advises candidates on how they should answer them and what examples they should share in regards to it.

The high street giant continues to operate stores across the West Midlands including a store in Solihull in the West Midlands.