Mission: Every person; every store and each department is committed to keeping us at the forefront of retail. This means delivering on our customer promise to make every moment special – be it a product, our service or their all-round experience. It also means helping to build ... Read more
Best Places to Interview: 2017 (#22)
Which? is the consumers' champion. So we were honoured to be awarded 'Which? Supermarket of the Year 2017'. Andy, our Director of Food takes up the story: http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQtgX
The Which? awards are now in their eleventh year, and at a ceremony co-hosted by TV presenter Natasha Kaplinsky, we were delighted to be awarded the title ' Which?  ...
Join the most magical store on the high street. A temporary job with M&S could mean a very happy Christmas – you’ll earn extra cash, have 20% discount and maybe join us permanently. Find out more. http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQy45
Everyone at M&S has moments that really stand out in their memory. When Amrit joine...
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We serve over 32 million customers every year. To put that into perspective, that’s equivalent to clothing and feeding over half of the UK population. We are in their wardrobes, on their tables and in their fridges. They are at the heart of everything we do. So they’re never very far from our minds. We listen to what they tell us. We anticipate their needs. We think beyond the obvious to understand what they’ll find helpful. They are in every decision that we take and every product that we make. This is how we will go about achieving our promise to them.
It can be a complex undertaking. It requires careful analysis, attention to detail, a lot of creative thinking and big picture vision. We base our relationship with them on keeping things as simple as possible. Clear, straightforward thinking in a world that’s filled with complexity.
We’re a business that’s about people; the people who make our business happen and the customers they serve. We’re proud to employ a diverse range of people, from all kinds of backgrounds, in many different roles.
To us, it’s essential to have a workforce that reflects the communities around us and the customers we serve. We value the different skills, knowledge and perspectives that individuals bring – and we’re passionate about getting the best from the wealth of talent we have within our organisation.
At the same time, there are some important things the whole team share. A feeling of belonging. A sense of camaraderie. And a commitment to making every moment special for our customers. It doesn’t matter if they’re interacting directly with customers in store, or working behind the scenes in our distribution operation and Head Offices. Everyone understands the role they have to play.
When it comes to rewarding our people, we pride ourselves on thinking of everything. This means you’ll get a highly competitive total reward package to express our gratitude for making every moment special. You can look forward to:
Competitive salary:
Your salary will depend on your role, your location and the experience you bring to the business. If you work in one of our stores, a Retail Assistant earns £8.50 - £9.00* per hour following a probationary period. *Dependent on where you work.
Employee discount:
We want you to enjoy special moments too. Your discount card entitles you (plus your partner or a member of family who live with you on permanent basis) to unlimited staff discount of 20% on M&S products. Details of how the scheme operates will be provided to you upon joining.
Bonus:
Our success is down to you. Your hard work means we meet targets. We recognise this by awarding a discretionary bonus* based on several things: how the business is going; how well you’re doing in your role and your base salary. If you haven’t worked for us for a whole year, your bonus will be calculated pro-rata.
*Please note, if you are on a fixed-term contract and your contract terminates prior to the payment date in July, you will not be eligible to receive a bonus payment.
Holidays:
You’ll get 28 days’ statutory holiday per year; if you work part-time this will be pro-rated. The 28 days consists of your company entitlement plus any days off which fall on public or customary holidays on which you are contracted to work.
Pension:
We’re all aware of how important it is to save for our retirement. At M&S, we want to help you along the way. We offer a defined contribution pension plan to new employees. If you pay into the plan, we will too, and these contributions will be carefully invested so, when the time comes, you can enjoy your retirement in comfort.
Legislation requires us to automatically enrol some employees into our pension plan. For instance, if you’re aged over 22, under state pension age and have earnings over a set threshold. More information is available on www.mandspensionscheme.com.
Life assurance:
Life assurance cover equates to twice your annual basic salary, for the length of your contract. This is subject to the rules of the life assurance scheme in place. If you join the pension scheme your cover will rise to four times your annual pensionable salary. This benefit is open to all employees under 70 years of age.
Sharesave and Sharebuy:
We have two great share schemes which means you can become an M&S shareholder and share in the success you helped to create.
Sharesave
Sharesave is a simple way to save any amount between £5 and £250 each month for three years. At the end of three years you can buy M&S shares at a 20% discount or get your savings back.
Sharebuy:
Sharebuy is an easy way to buy M&S shares on a monthly basis direct from your gross salary. You can invest as little as £10 and as much as £150 - or up to 10% of your gross monthly salary, whichever is the lower. This means you’ll also pay less Income Tax and National Insurance each month.
Season ticket loan:
To help spread the cost of your travel to work, you’ll be able to take out an interest free season ticket loan when you join us.
Choices
‘Choices’ is a one-stop shop where you can personalise your reward and benefits package. You can access a range of hassle-free ‘flexible benefits’, including cycle to work, car leasing and holiday buying. With some of these schemes you can save money, as they are tax efficient.
You will also be able to access hundreds of discount and cashback deals with ‘Perks’, helping you save money every day. We know that your health is really important, so we’ve negotiated a number of special deals on health and dental schemes.
Our stores:
We have a large network of stores packed with products to tempt our customers and packed with opportunities for you to do whatever it is you do best. As a Customer Assistant, you’ll work at the sharp end of making every moment special in store. This means that no detail will be too small to escape your attention and no ask will be too big for you to answer. The next step up is Section Manager. This means taking on responsibility for your own team and department; so making sure everything runs like clockwork will be down to you. Meanwhile, out Store Managers are at the helm. They co-ordinate the whole operation, ensuring we stay on course and everyone gives their very best.
Head Office
The nerve centre of our operation is our London headquarters, and we also have head offices in Stockley Park, Nottingham and Manchester. These sites are where we harness our ideas, imagination and vision to make stores come alive and ensure every moment is special. It’s where strategy takes shape and the direction for the whole business is set.
Working in a Head Office role means you’ll be at the forefront of retail; because where we lead, others follow. If you excel at what you do, you can take your place and make your mark as you innovate and inspire our customers. Sharp, savvy, commercial thinkers will excel here – and as we continue to evolve, there’ll be ever more ways for you to develop and grow.
Distribution
To make every moment special for customers, we have to ensure the right products are in the right place at the right time. That’s the job of the team at our Castle Donington Distribution Centre.
It’s one of the largest and most efficient sites of its kind in the UK. It can hold up to 15 million M&S products at any one time, so you can imagine the scale and complexity of this massive behind-the-scenes operation, especially as the site is fully automated and operates around the clock, 365 days a year.
The environment is fast, flexible and agile. We’re always looking for ways to improve the way we do things – to create a smarter, more connected distribution network and operation.
Talent needs the right conditions for it to flourish. It needs the right start in life for it to grow. We’ve taken care to ensure it has both at M&S. Many of our most senior managers started life on one of our Early Careers programmes. Invest your time and talent carefully, and we’ll make sure it shines.
Graduates:
Perfection is what inspires us; and what our customers have come to expect. As a bright, talented graduate, we see no reason why you should settle for anything less. Which is why we’ve created perfect careers with you in mind. We welcome millions of customers through our doors and to our website every single week. And our continued growth has seen us develop new channels and expand into new markets. Meaning, for you, that we can offer virtually unlimited opportunities.
So whether you want to pursue a career in retail management or specialise in one of the many Head Office disciplines that make our business tick, the perfect role is waiting for you here at M&S.
Apprenticeships:
Learn everything you need to know to get your career underway – and get paid whilst you learn. An M&S Apprenticeship is the popular alternative for those who choose not to go to uni. Learn through experience from those who have spent years developing and perfecting it. Start as you mean to go on; whether it’s in retail, distribution or head office.
Internships:
Our internships offer the chance to try before you buy. They’ll give you an invaluable insight into what makes our business tick and how you could play your part in making it run like clockwork. If you impress us and enjoy your time in the role, it could open the door to a more permanent opportunity.
Business Placements:
These are for students who are studying sandwich courses. We have a host of opportunities across many of our specialist areas for those of you looking to spend a year in industry. Many that join us on a business placement are given the opportunity to join us in a permanent role. Expect to be challenged and to grow as a consequence.
Pros
Good atmosphere, lovely people. Excellent staff discount available immediately. Flexible hours. Good work structure in the Foods department.
Cons
Extensive training. Organisational structure is far too big, no need for so many different managers or section co-ordinators.
Advice to Management
Consult each other when making decisions. Make a decision and stick to it.
Helpful (14)
Application
I applied online. I interviewed at Marks & Spencer (Norwich, England).
Interview
After going through the online assessment process, I was able to book an interview for the next week.
I went to the information desk and was greeted by an assistant manager who chatted and took me to the interview room. I was told about the role play activity, and was given about 5 pages of food to look at for the role play. The assessor left the room for 5 minutes, and when she re-entered it began. She asked for a product which was out of stock, and it was my duty to go through any options of phoning other stores, or suggesting alternatives. The role play goes on for about 10 minutes and the assessor is just looking for your customer service skills, and your ability to persuade and sell products. (My advice for this is to just go for it and be confident even if you're not - because realistically if you don't get the job you're never going to see this person again.)
After this, the assessor left the room to write up her notes, and when she returned she was with the manager. She then asked questions which I have listed below, in a very friendly and nice manner. The interview was very relaxed, and both people made me feel comfortable.
I was offered the job there and then, and was left to discuss uniform and shift pattern with the assistant manager.
I have my induction in a couple of weeks!
Interview Questions
