IKEA General Intern Interview Questions
& Process

I had a video interview for an internship at IKEA where we had to answer preloaded questions in a set amount of time, recording our answers on video. There were about 6-7 questions in total, covering personality, technical aspects, company knowledge, and a problem-solving question that required thinking and answering within a few minutes.

After a brief initial phone call with HR for the Sales and Designer Intern role, I was invited for an in-person interview at the location, which lasted about 20 minutes. I was seen 30 minutes late by three department heads. They asked me what I knew about Ikea, but what they really wanted to know was something else entirely. They asked me a series of questions that seemed more like a survey than an interview, like: how often do you go to Ikea, do you go on weekends or weekdays, what have you bought, have you asked for help from the staff, how did the staff seem to you, etc. Another question left me quite perplexed: 'how do you experience the kitchen?' Understood in general as a space. I find it a bit ridiculous because how I live the kitchen can depend on various factors, some of which might not depend on me. (For example, I lived for 3 years in a house with a tiny, unlivable kitchen where you could barely cook. Obviously, during those 3 years, I didn't 'live' the kitchen for obvious reasons, but that doesn't mean I'm incapable of selling kitchen furniture!) They also asked me if I wanted to be a warehouse worker and if I wanted to move to Milan, questions that make me think they are more interested in a jack-of-all-trades who they can then send to another location at the end of the internship. Honestly, I wasn't satisfied with the interview; the impression I got was that they had already made up their minds beforehand.

The whole process took about three hours and was split into three parts. First, we were put into groups and then went into a room for a presentation about IKEA's history and the salary details. The second part was an individual chat where they asked me about everyday work scenarios and what I could contribute to their store department. Finally, the third part was a group interview with smaller groups of 2-4 people at each desk. We had to introduce ourselves, share what we do for a living, and explain why we wanted to work at IKEA. A key question was to pick an IKEA company value that resonated most with me, and then it was over.