I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Co-op (Manchester, England) in Feb 2020
Interview
Applied online via the co-op website and got an email sent to me straightaway stating that they would ring from a withheld number and to answer the call if they ring.
Answered the call and did a phone interview, basic competency questions and to talk through your CV.
I passed the phone interview and was invited to an assessment day in Manchester a few weeks later.
After signing in, a group of us were taken to a room where we had a short presentation about the Coop.
We then had to do a 4 part assessment.
Computer based - 2 parts
Fill in cells on a spreadsheet on one screen using the information from another.. Extremely easy!
The second part was using the computer to find answers of various questions given to you in paper form. This was multiple choice. Again very easy.
We were then walked round the office
If you were successful after this part you continued.. if not you were escorted off the premises and was unable to continue with the rest of the assessment day.
The 2nd part of the assessment was how you assist other colleagues.
We were put in 2 groups and we had given a sheet containing information about legal services. We worked together to write down info on a sheet of paper and presented our findings to the other team.
There were no right or wrong answers.. they were clearly interested to see how you communicate with your colleague.
The next round was a 1-1 interview which was completed in speed dating style.
There were 4 questions that were asked and you had to answer them using the STAR method.
Situation
Task
Action
Result
The questions were based on teamwork, experience, competency and skills.
The last part of the interview was a role play exercise with a colleague
We were given a sheet contacting all the information that was required for the role play exercise.
The scenario was someone was ringing up to cancel their policy because they’ve found a better deal elsewhere..
You didn’t have to sell anything to them.. just help them with the query.
After this we were told we would hear back within 48 hours if we were successful or not.
I received the call the next day to be told I’d passed and gave me an offer of employment.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe a time when you had to work as part of a team
I applied online. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Co-op (Manchester City Centre, England) in Jul 2019
Interview
Interview itself was in group format for the first part, which was nice. We went through a little presentation and a 20m skills test then were seen one-to-one. First was a roleplay for the job for which they gave me 10 minutes with the information I needed to know, so I had time to prepare. After this a chat about the role and some more interview questions. The interviewer was very friendly and easy to talk to and I felt like it was a great interview.
I applied online. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Co-op (Manchester, England) in Jul 2019
Interview
Firstly you have a quick telephone interview, it only lasts around 10 minutes and it's only really to see what you're like on the phone. If you pass this, you're invited to an assessment. The assessment lasts approximately 2-3 hours, and consists of a quick presentation about the Co-op, an IT proficiency test, a role play where you are the advisor and whoever is interviewing you is a customer. Then finally there is an interview. You have to pass the IT proficiency test to go on to do the role play and the interview. The interview is very competency based, and they are expecting you to answer in the STAR format.