This was the most BIZZARRE interview i have ever had!!!!! I was interviewed by 2 women. what their positions where within the store i have no idea. The "assesment" involved "role play" and previously to that you have to do an online application which involved multiple choice questions on working scenario's which took about 40 mins to complete. Firstly i called the store the day previously to ask about hours as i didnt want to turn up at the store and the hours be unsuitable thus wasting each others time. I was informed there where 12, 16 and 23 hr contracts available, which suited me, so i went ahead and attended the interview. On the day of the interview i turned up 5 minutes before my interview. I was lead into the staff canteen area where i was left for nealy 50 minutes waiting. When the lady finally came to get me she lead into the training room and was shortly joined by the other. She asked me what hours i was looking for and i said 12 or 16 as i knew from the phonecall i made that there where some available and being a mum too, couldnt really do anymore. What really disapointed me was that i only had a choice of either 9.75 hrs or 23.5 hrs which didnt suit me and i also learned that they where only temporary contracts!!! If id of known that i wouldnt of bothered. I was already employed 16hrs a week, and was not about to hand my notice in from a job ive done for 6 yrs for a temporary one!!! So as you can imagine i wasnt best pleased, i very nearly told them not to continue with the rest of the interview, but because id been waiting so long i thought i might as well just go through with it and didnt want to look arrogant. They did not speak to me in any other context apart from the hours. They handed me laminated copies of instructions for the role play, read the 1st few paragraphs for me which indicated id have 10 mins to read and prepare for the role play. They then both got up from their seats without saying a word and left, supposidly for 10 mins but it was more like 4 mins. When they returned i was STILL reading the 8 page information. They entered the room in "character mode" and the role play begun, the whole experience was weird, youre not allowed to ask any other questions or anything, all u have is ur laminated copies. I did really bad. This was the 1st interview id had in 6yrs and i was a little nervous, i was worried about looking silly and im not comfortable with "acting" infront of people. When the role play finished they handed me a sheet of paper with 3 boxes in for you to fill in your thoughts, they then left me again to fill it in and yet again, left the room without saying a word to me. One of the ladies came to collect the sheet 5 mins later and dissapeared again for about 15 mins and again, without speaking. WEIRD! They both then returned and said " just to let you know that you have not passed" I sat there for a second and thought well i know i was nervous etc... but you are kidding me?!!! this surely cant be the interview??? they didnt ask me anything about myself, anything about my experiences, qualifications and they didnt even ask for the form they emailed me to fill in for the interview. So that was that, interview over! I have worked in retail and retail managment for 14 years and ive NEVER had such a SILLY interview in my whole life!!! They based the whole thing on that 3 mins of role play and nothing about your personality and experience and ability to adapt and learn, i mean, where not robots and do have our own minds! I expressed my disapointment about the interview to the ladies when they just shrugged and said "well thats how we do it im afraid" I wasnt going to take the job anyway but im so discusted on how the inerview was conducted and how i felt when i came out, i just had to write this. Marks and Spencer really need to review their interviewing techniques and perhaps train the staff again. if they was not so regimental maybe they could releive some of the candidates nerves resulting in a more positive interview BIG THUMBS DOWN FOR THIS ONE!!

Very chilled out interview with a few questions about simple stuff like what you would do in a confrontational event. Really nice interviewer, felt more like a chat than an interview.