Holland & Barrett Manager Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was incredibly long and disorganized. I showed up at their office, unsure who to ask for, and couldn't connect with anyone from HR. I also had a call with a team member who was in a coffee shop, misread my CV, and hadn't received my presentation from the prior stage. It turned out the department had been shut down, making it a ghost role where they were just fishing for information. I no longer shop at Holland and Barrett and wouldn't recommend applying. The role was reposted multiple times, and a recruiter who approached me about it was surprised by the feedback. It seems like a company run by incompetent people who don't know how to do their jobs. The stress of six rounds and being unemployed caused me to break down, which is quite ironic given their product focuses on employee health and wellbeing.

I put in my application online for the Assistant Manager position at the Oxford Street store. The interview experience involved a group setting in a boardroom with about 7 other candidates and 4 interviewers who were store or assistant store managers. The whole thing went for about 2 to 3 hours. We started with introductions around the table, talking about Holland and Barrett. Then we filled out a form asking about availability, favorite food, and what superpower we'd want. They also asked what I'd do if I won the lottery. The managers were pretty laid-back, teasing each other in a friendly, competitive way. The key seemed to be looking friendly and confident, as they were assessing our personalities and how we present ourselves. After that, we were split into groups and had to create and perform a 90-second TV advert for a product we chose. They also checked our right to work documents. I'm still waiting to hear back, it's been over a week, and they mentioned it could take up to two weeks.

Had a few phone interviews with different team members to check my skills and see if I'd be a good fit. There was also a simple task where I had to look at some data and make a PowerPoint presentation. Mostly, they asked standard questions about my past experience, my abilities, and how I handle working with different people.