Jobs at Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's is one of the largest and oldest supermarket chains in the United Kingdom. They are well-known for their outstanding customer service standards and the ideals they maintain. They're a terrific place to work because they really care about their employees and provide a variety of advantages, including a pay that is far higher than the industry minimum and flexible working hours. Those applying at Sainsbury's would most likely be interested in General Assistant positions, which presently pay roughly £6.71 per hour for students over the age of 18.

Website for Sainsbury's recruiting

Sainsbury's has a rigorous no-CV policy in place. This implies that if you go to your local shop and provide them a copy of your resume, you will most likely never hear from them again.

Sainsbury's instead handles recruiting via their website. As soon as they become available, all vacancies in their supermarkets, store support centers, logistics depots, pharmacies, and convenience shops are posted here. You must go to the website to apply for a job.

To utilize this service, you must first apply for a job seeker account. The link to do so is in the upper right corner of the page, near the search box, and is labeled My Account. Click this and then follow the link beneath the Log In box to finish the sign-up process. Return to the recruiting website and click My Account once again when you have received a confirmation e-mail. This will send you to an application form for general consideration. You will need your National Insurance number to fill this out.

Please keep in mind that the Sainsbury's recruiting website works best in Internet Explorer. Other browsers have been known to display problems and need you to restart your program.

Locating a vacancy

You can apply for jobs after you have signed up and completed your application form. However, you must first pick which department you desire to apply to. Most students will apply for 'Store Roles' or 'Convenience,' but individuals with expertise in management, logistics, or pharmaceuticals may choose to apply for these fields as well.

Please keep in mind that you may only apply for one position at a time, so make your selection based on your preferences.

When you've determined the department you want to work in, click the 'Find jobs and apply' button. This will lead you to a page where you must agree the terms of service in order to proceed.

Following that, you will be sent to a search engine. Fill out the appropriate information in the utility and hit the'search' button. The search results will be presented below, and you must go through all pages to view all results. You should also avoid using keyboard shortcuts to navigate through the results. This will nullify your search and force you to start over.

Applying

When you've located the job you want to apply for, click the IRC reference number to the left of the item to learn more about it. The IRC reference number will like this: IRC00000. Please keep in mind that unless you have management experience, the only positions you will have a chance of landing are ones that do not include the term "manager." This is mostly confined to general assistants and customer service representatives.

Examine the job description for the position you're interested in to ensure you're pleased with the hours given, the department you'll be working in, the compensation, and your availability for the induction days specified. If not, look for a better suited position. When you've decided, click the Apply Now button at the bottom of the screen and follow the steps.

The first test will be customer service.

Sainsbury's requires you to complete a brief test at the conclusion of your general application in order to weed out persons who are unsuited for the job. This consists of around 25 multiple-choice questions and focuses on customer service, something Sainsbury's is particularly keen on. The questions are presented in pairs. The first presents you with a problem and asks you to choose the best reaction to it. The second asks you to choose the worst possible reaction to the scenario. The questions will be similar to this:

You are now employed in the electronics section, stacking iPods and cameras on shelves. You discover that a package of iPods that was delivered that day has already been opened. What are you going to do?

Continue building shelves and attempting to fulfill your replenishment goal.

Talk to the delivery guy the next time one comes in.

Check the contents of the tick-list box to check that all stock is still present.

Locate your team's leader and notify them of the problem.

What is the worst answer to this problem?

Continue building shelves and attempting to fulfill your replenishment goal.

Talk to the delivery guy the next time one comes in.

Check the contents of the tick-list box to check that all stock is still present.

Locate your team's leader and notify them of the problem.

Keep in mind that the exam is seeking for you to demonstrate that you understand customer service. This indicates that you will go out of your way to do the right thing, will seek assistance when required rather than attempting to handle difficult customer service problems on your own, and will notify elders when anything is wrong. For these reasons, the optimal replies to question 1 would be'seek your team leader and advise them about the issue,' since this demonstrates that you are aware of a problem and are prepared to go locate a team leader to alert them. Similarly, a good solution to question 2 would be 'continue stacking shelves and attempt to fulfill your replenishment goal,' since this demonstrates that you are ready to overlook the gap despite the possibility that stock is missing. It is often associated with sloth. In all circumstances, attempt to answer the questions in the manner your boss would.

When you submit the exam and are informed that your application is complete, it should be available on your home page, which is also linked in the upper right corner of the website. If you are instead sent to a 'error' page, your application did not submit and you will need to repeat the procedure. This is commonly caused by not using Internet Explorer and is readily remedied.

Part one of the interview

If you did not fully fail the customer service exam, Sainsbury's will email or text you and urge you to contact their HR department to schedule an interview. When you phone, choose one of the interview slots offered by the HR team. In general, timings are not changeable since they interview in groups at certain times on specific days. The staff person will next go through the dress code, location, meeting place, your interviewer, and the need of bringing your passport and proof of residence. Please keep in mind that the dress code is normally smart-casual. This means no jeans or sneakers. In general, men should consider wearing black suit pants with a shirt and sophisticated leather shoes, while women should consider wearing stylish black trousers with a blouse or a basic t-shirt and blazer-jacket.

When you arrive for your interview, you should proceed to customer service and sign in (unless HR personnel tells you differently). A Sainsbury's staff will greet you and provide you with a name badge and a sign-in form before escorting you to a waiting area. Other interviewees may join you between now and your interview. Make an attempt to converse with them, since your interviewer will interpret this as an indication of your personability and confidence. You may also find out the position they are looking for if you want, which allows you to scout out competition.

You will be brought into a room to answer a few questions shortly. These are just to ensure that you have your passport, are the proper age for the job (as specified when you applied), and are being interviewed for the position you applied for - apparently HR has a history of getting that piece wrong. Following that, all interviewees will be gathered in a room for the second recruiting exam.

The second exam involves customer service, attention to detail, arithmetic, and values.

The second exam is divided into four components and is delivered through video. It takes about an hour to finish and is fairly straightforward.

The first portion focuses on customer service and is fairly similar to the previous online exam you took. Again, you are presented with a problem, this time in video format, and asked to determine the best and worst reactions from a set of four. The responses will be listed on the answer sheet provided by your interviewer, and you must mark them as well. Remember to answer these questions in the manner your manager would, keeping in mind that you would not be encouraged to handle complex customer service problems on your own. Remember that Sainsbury's expects its personnel to go out of their way to assist customers who do not ask for assistance.

The second segment focuses on detail. You will be given video snippets and will be asked to identify two flaws in these films. This might range from spills to stacking large products on top of delicate ones at the checkout. Don't be turned off by recurring issues in a single clip; just note them down. This phase is quite basic, and the flaws are easy to see since the camera is focused on them. Each question will have two boxes on your response sheet. Fill in the first error you see in the 'Error 1' box and the second error in the 'Error 2' field. Simple.

The third portion is dedicated to mathematics. In contrast to prior parts, questions are provided on your answer sheet, allowing you to move forward if you complete faster than the video. Don't worry, these are simple problems, and you'll be given rough paper to figure them out on. They mostly require easy addition and subtraction, with one somewhat more challenging question near the end that includes both multiplication and subtraction. If you are concerned, you should do this one first to guarantee you have enough time. I can't emphasize enough how simple the maths is. Anyone who has passed the SAT math should have no trouble.

The last segment is entirely dedicated to you. It is the only component of the exam that does not include video, and it consists of a sequence of assertions with which you must agree or disagree. It is quite straightforward, but try to recall what your boss would like you to say while filling it out.

Part two of the interview

When you finish the exam, all but one of the interviewers will be returned to the waiting room. The last one standing will be interrogated first. Because this is the last step of the interview, if you arrive early, you will be permitted to go as soon as you finish. Otherwise, you will be forced to wait in the waiting area while other applicants have their interviews.

The interviewer will only ask you a few open-ended questions throughout the interview. These are usually indicated by the page in front of them, on which the interviewer will write notes on your responses. The following are typical questions:

What motivates you to work at Sainsbury's? When answering this question, attempt to include information about yourself as well as the firm. If you like dealing with people, inform your interviewer, and explain why you believe this is particularly crucial when working for a business like Sainsbury's, which places a high value on customer service. If you're searching for a more challenging work than your present one, explain how you anticipate the sheer variety of duties you'll be given to fill that need. If you actually are trapped for a cause, don't tell them you want more hours or higher money. Look through their website's 'about us' section for anything you strongly agree with. If you believe it's great that they do so much for the community, explain how much you sympathize and appreciate being connected with a firm that does so much for others. This is an excellent tactic since it demonstrates that you have done your homework on the organization, which usually gets you brownie points.

Why do you wish to work specifically in the [blah blah] department? In most cases, your job description will specify the department you will be working in. This is where you attempt to come up with a compelling explanation why they should employ you for this position. Do you have any deli experience? Do you like baking? Do you have a wealth of fresh fruit and vegetable expertise that you might share with customers? Discuss yourself and how you differ from others, and if possible, put a customer service spin on it. As previously said, Sainsbury's is quite enthusiastic about it and is more inclined to recruit someone who shares their feelings.

What do you anticipate your responsibilities will be in this position? This question is mostly intended to ensure that you have reasonable expectations for the position you're applying for. If you're sweeping floors when you're supposed to be overseeing cleaning personnel, you're not going to be pleased - and they don't want unhappy employees. To answer this question, consider your experience, the experience Sainsbury's expects the typical applicant to have, and the department you are applying for. As a bakery assistant, for example, you will most likely be needed to package baked items, display them, and maybe handle them in and out of ovens. When you've determined what chores you believe you'll be asked to accomplish, explain them to the interviewer, adding that you'd love to work with food in its preparation given the proper training. Demonstrate that you are both practical and ambitious.

These are the typical inquiries. While your interviewer is free to ask you further questions, there is no way for him to record your responses on his sheet. Following that, you will be questioned about your eligibility to work in the UK, your uniform size, your willingness to work in different departments/hours, and your flexibility. There are no trick questions here; just be honest.

The interviewer will conclude by asking whether you have any questions. While you may not, it's wise to ask a handful nevertheless since it shows you've put effort into your application and pondered what may happen if you obtain the position. Avoid inquiries about personal gain, such as holidays or pay rates (assuming the interviewer read the material well, they should have covered it anyhow), and instead ask questions about your work, if you can think of any. If not, you may always ask about lockers, clothing, and overtime.

Remember that Sainsbury's interviews are unusual in that they are nearly totally dependent on your test results, so relax when you face your interviewer. They will ask you a few questions and take some notes, which will be emailed to HR along with your findings. The notes will not be about how anxious, sweaty, or over-dressed you are, so focus on conveying all you want HR to know about you. After all, it is them, not the interviewer, who make the choice.

Following the interview

After the interview, remember to thank the interviewer for his time and return your badge to customer service. Your interviewer will most likely accompany you and encourage you to sign out.

While many individuals will hear from Sainsbury's about their interviews in the coming days, don't be anxious if you don't hear from them until the day before the formal induction days. Remember that they are conducting a number of interviews over a number of days and will contact you as soon as they can if you are successful. Their initial reaction is always to dial the number you supplied. If you miss the call, you will be instructed to contact HR through another method (answer-phone message, email, or SMS) and provide your IRC reference number. If you forget, it will still be listed under 'current applications' in your Sainsbury's recruitment account. Sainsbury's will contact your references when you call and accept the position. If everything goes as planned, you won't hear from them until the induction days. If you haven't heard from Sainsbury's after the specified induction days, you can safely assume you didn't get the job.

Applicants who were successful

Successful candidates must attend two induction days. These are normally done in the store where you applied to work, unless otherwise specified. Until you get your uniform, the dress code is smart-casual, and if you made an attempt to interact with other applicants during the interview process, you won't be completely lost - if they were recruited, they'll be there as well. Take your passport and bank information with you as well; otherwise, you won't get paid anytime soon.

However, just because you got the job does not mean the end of the story. You are placed on a twelve-week probationary term during which Sainsbury's reserves the right to fire you if you are inappropriate. Don't be too concerned, however; they will need a good cause to fire you. After twelve weeks, your compensation will normally be increased to your 'competency rate.' This is often 15p-60p higher than your starting wage.