Before any interview, understand Co-op's core values. They assess not just your skills, but your alignment with these principles:
Succeed Together: Collaboration, inclusion, sharing ideas.
Be Yourself, Always: Authenticity, integrity, honesty.
Show You Care: Empathy, community focus, customer service.
Do What Matters Most: Taking responsibility, focusing on what's important.
General Interview Process Structure
1. Application & Initial Screening
Online Application: Submit your CV and cover letter. Crucially, tailor your cover letter to the "Ways of Being." Use their language and give examples.
Online Assessments: For many roles (especially graduate, management, head office), you may receive:
Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs): Scenarios testing how you'd handle situations aligned with Co-op values.
Numerical/Verbal Reasoning Tests: For analytical roles.
Video Interview: Possibly an automated video interview where you record answers to pre-set questions (usually 3-5 questions). These will heavily focus on values and behaviors.
2. First Interview/Telephone Screening
Format: Often a phone or video call with a recruiter or hiring manager.
Focus: Career motivation, understanding of the Co-op and its values, salary expectations, and right-to-work checks. For store roles, this might be more straightforward and focused on availability.
3. Assessment Centre or Final Interview Panel
(More common for corporate, graduate, and management roles)
Co-op is known for robust assessment centres, which may include:
Group Exercise: Often a case study or discussion related to a business challenge. They observe your teamwork, communication, and how you "Succeed Together."
Role-Play or Customer Simulation: Especially for customer-facing roles, to "Show You Care."
Written Exercise/ Case Study Analysis: For professional roles.
Competency-Based Interview:
Thank you for sharing your experience of interviewing with us. We'd like to point out that not all of the reviewer content is up to date or accurate. For more information on our application processes please visit jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process where you can see the 5 key stages that apply to all our roles.
The process is first assessment and you get a candidate report if it shows that your skills are aligned with the role then most likely get an interview and then shortlisted against 30 other candidates
Was asked 5 generic situational questions - "when did you show leadership" etc. It didn't feel particularly challenging and none of it related to actually doing the job. You got a phone call the next day telling you how you did, when I was denied for a role previously it was just an email.