John Lewis & Partners Interview Questions
& Process

I applied for a job at John Lewis and met (and in several areas exceeded) the stated requirements for the role. I also applied under the Disability Confident scheme. Even so, I wasn't invited to interview and didn't get any useful feedback. When I asked for constructive feedback, I was told to contact the data protection team instead. After that, I requested a Subject Access Request about my application, but it wasn't fulfilled. As a disabled applicant, I found the whole process unclear and disappointing, especially considering John Lewis's public promises about inclusion and fair hiring. It seems there's a big difference between what they say they do and what they actually do.

It was a fun, quick, and thorough interview process. They asked questions that were relevant to the role and about my personal preferences regarding the store. I found it to be a unique approach to interviewing that also provided them with consumer insights. I shared my thoughts on the fashion shows, mentioning they felt a bit dated and suggesting that involving local influencers could potentially increase attendance, particularly among the Gen Z demographic.

There were seven candidates in the interview, and I was seated at one end of a rectangular table. This made it hard to see and interact with everyone else, which made it tough to know when to speak or join the conversation. I felt like I was left out and didn't get a fair shot to show what I can do. I think a smaller group or a round table would have been better. I'm sharing this because the experience was really disappointing and didn't feel like a fair or inclusive process.

For an assistant role, the interview process was surprisingly detailed and professional. Beforehand, I had to do a SWOT analysis for John Lewis and create a small AW26 capsule collection to present. The actual interview was over an hour long with two senior designers. It involved behavioral questions and my project presentation. Everyone was really nice and gave helpful feedback. They liked my research and fabric designs but noted my strengths were more in textiles than in creating silhouettes. It was a good experience overall and a chance to show off my creative ideas.