I applied online in June 2014, for a picking role at the Tesco DotCom Centre in Croydon. Altogether the process took about a week, I had started working in less that 2 weeks after applying. Pretty straight forward application process where you fill in your details, then there's a multiple choice test at the end. Roughly 17 questions based on your competency skills. Fairly easy to be honest.
I was then called back within about three days, the lady on the phone asked if I was okay to do a quick telephone interview there and then. So I said, "yes". She asked me the most basic questions ever, which were like, can I provide right to work in the UK? And what's my hours of availability? Really basic as I said. I then passed and she asked me to come for an interview 2 days later.
When I got there for the interview. There was quite a bit of waiting, the manager didn't come
Down to speak to us for like 20mins. It was a group interview. We went to a conference room, where there was not much interaction with the other candidates, it was mainly just the manager explaining what the job entails, the hours and the pay rate etc.
Half of us then went down onto the shop floor where we partnered with another staff member for a work trial. While the other half had a 10min 1 on 1 interview. The work trial is very easy, nothing to panic about, someone just shows you how picking orders works. And so is the 1 on 1 interview.
I passed that stage, and then was asked to come back again the following day to be interviewed by the main department manager. If you are not asked to come back to meet the department manager, then you haven't been successful. Only 2 people out of 8 from my group interview didn't get asked to come back. 1 was because his visa had expired and the other was because he said he was going back to uni in September.
Anyway, when I arrived the next day, it was really pointless, basically a waste of time and travel. The department manager just goes through the rules, and asked if I was really going to commit to the job, which I obviously said yes to. I think she just checks because many people tend to quit quickly after starting. I then left after about 10mins, and received a call later that day offering me the role. I had my 2 day induction, 2 days after. And my first shift was the following day after my induction.