Sainsbury’s Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 2,656 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Which role are you interviewing for?
30 roles · 2,656 reportsCandidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at Sainsbury’s.
Sainsbury’s
Analyst
Lead Difficult Positive experience No offer 4 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Presentation Onsite
Interview formats
Technical Coding Presentation Behavioral
First, I had a recruiter call where they asked about my Python and SQL skills. Then, there was a live coding test focusing on Python and SQL. The Python part was pretty straightforward, covering basic syntax like creating dataframes, filtering, and handling nulls. For SQL, I had to explain some code, specifically the difference between partition and group by, and then write a query for a ratio calculation. They also threw in a couple of simple chart interpretation questions. The final round involved preparing and presenting a business case study, followed by some questions about it, and then a competency interview focusing on leadership expectations.
Confirmed questions4 questions
- What motivates you to work here?
- What value do you bring to stakeholders?
- How do you approach working with diverse viewpoints?
Sainsbury’s
Finance Graduate
Entry Average Positive experience No offer 1 round
Interview process
Take home Technical screen Recruiter call
Interview formats
Technical Case Behavioral
You'll do a written exercise and Q&A with Associates (virtual). It's a two-hour online session. The first hour involves a real-business scenario to test your analytical and written communication skills. No prep needed, info provided on the day. After a break, meet associates for up to 30 mins. They'll share experiences and answer your questions informally. Feedback within 5 working days. Tips: Manage your time. Covering all tasks is better than fully completing one. Leave time to review and amend before submitting.
Confirmed questions0 questions
No confirmed questions were included in this interview report.
Sainsbury’s
Trading Assistant
Entry Average Positive experience Accept offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen Onsite
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical
The interview process was pretty straightforward. It involved a lot of questions about competencies and your previous experience. It's definitely helpful to have specific examples ready for situations like 'when you dealt with a difficult customer' and instances where you got good feedback on your work.
Confirmed questions3 questions
- Can you share an instance when you received positive feedback for a task?
- Describe your approach to handling an upset customer.
- How would you assist a customer in locating an item if it was found in a different aisle?
Sainsbury’s
Merchandising Controller
Mid Average Negative experience No offer 1 round
Interview process
Recruiter call Onsite Background check Offer
Interview formats
Behavioral Presentation
I was told it would be a panel interview, but it ended up just being the manager. He didn't have my CV or application and knew nothing about me besides my name. He asked about my current job and seemed uninterested after that, but continued with the interview. It was a standard competency-based interview. The manager wasn't very professional, asking my specific age (not just if I was over 18 for the night shifts) and expressing disapproval of my plan to walk home, even though I live close by. He focused heavily on the cleaning shelves aspect, which I'd already shown I could do in my current role. I thought the job involved more, but he wouldn't discuss anything else. I never heard back, even to be told I wasn't successful. I didn't feel it was a good fit and wouldn't have accepted the offer anyway.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Could you tell me about any changes or improvements you've implemented in your current position?
Sainsbury’s Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from Sainsbury’s interview reports.
“Write code to fetch JSON data, then compare it against a given list of IDs and modify the JSON objects where the ID matches the list.”
Read reports →“What would you do if a customer under 21 tried to buy cigarettes?”
Read reports →“If a customer asked for drink recommendations for a party, what would you suggest?”
Read reports →“If a customer needs help with product return information and requests a refund, what steps would you take?”
Read reports →“How would you go about packing a box of grocers, for example, how to stack?”
Read report →“Given a dummy SQL dataset, could you write some simple queries to get insights?”
Read report →“How would you assist a customer in locating an item if it was found in a different aisle?”
Read report →“Can you explain what the jobs and duties are for people working at Sainsbury's?”
Read report →“What would you do if the stock count didn't match what we have recorded?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 2,656 Sainsbury’s interview reports.