Sainsbury’s Manager Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process started with a 30-minute call with HR, covering general and competency-based questions. This was followed by a 30-minute task where I had to identify a current problem at Sainsbury's and devise a plan to solve it. The final 1-hour interview focused on Sainsbury's values and consisted of three sections, with two questions each. The sections covered motivation (why this role and Sainsbury's) and technical aspects (hypothetical situations). They were looking for examples demonstrating not only skills relevant to the role but also how I embody their valued behaviors, which were provided in advance. I was advised to share examples of dealing with ambiguity and delivering at pace.

The communication was good and the process felt straightforward and relaxed. There was a presentation task followed by behavioral questions. The interviewers were pleasant and the questions weren't overly challenging. I presented on key challenges Sainsbury's could address in-store, and then standard questions were asked afterward.

The interview was an hour long and consisted of competency-based questions. Interestingly, I was also asked to share my career journey, highlight my key strengths and weaknesses, and outline my 5-year career goals. I'm unsure how these questions align with a competency-based format, which typically uses past behavior to predict future performance, or how such answers are objectively evaluated. The interview was conducted via MS Teams. I was initially told I'd receive an update within two weeks. After three weeks with no news, I reached out to the hiring manager at Sainsbury's, but received no reply. Four weeks later, nine weeks after the initial arrangement, I called Sainsbury's to inquire about the status. By then, I knew I hadn't been selected, but I wanted to understand the reason for the significant delay. Feedback was provided the next day, not by the hiring manager. The person who called was apologetic, but the feedback was very general and didn't specify areas for improvement. I found it surprising that the hiring manager couldn't spare the time to reply to my email or make a brief call. This was a very disappointing interview experience, and it makes me hesitant to apply for future roles at Sainsbury's.