I applied online. I interviewed at Lush (Telford, England) in Sep 2017
Interview
1) You need to create a really unique cover letter which allows your personality to shine through, and let them know a bit about you while also telling them why you'd be good working there.
2) If they like your cover letter you get invited to a big group interview where you have to really stand out from the other 20 so people in whatever tasks they give you which vary store to store. Very useful to know about the products plus company ethics at this stage! We had to make an ethical campaign and present it, then sell a gift box, then demonstrate a product.
3) If you did well in the group interview you will be invited to a trial shift. It's really important to do as many demonstrations of the products as possible and talk to lots of people and be really friendly. Also product knowledge will again be really useful here but if you don't know ask the staff as it looks really bad if you give the customer wrong information. It usually lasts for about an hour and a half, plus if you get the job they pay you for it plus give you a free lush product at the end!
I applied online. I interviewed at Lush (Auckland, ) in Oct 2017
Interview
The first interview stage was a group interview - which is really relaxed! There were about 8 people and the whole time we were completing activities such as demoing massage bars, bath bombs, and selecting items for specific celebrities. It was a really fun interview; it didn’t even feel like an interview.
I applied in-person. The process took 5 days. I interviewed at Lush (Merry Hill, England) in Sep 2017
Interview
I went into the store to apply for the job and they gave me an application form on which I had to put my availability and three reasons why I wanted to work for Lush. I was also required to attach an A4 poster to show off my personality and creativity. I was then emailed a few days later and invited to a group interview.
I attended the interview with around 15 other people. We were given name tags and asked to state our name, our favourite Lush product and our favourite book - this was a task to show your confidence and let the interviewers get a first impression of you. It's important to speak clearly and confidently and have good eye contact with the interviewers.
We were then asked to shout out things that we knew about Lush, and it's important that you contribute to make an impression. As a recent graduate I wasn't used to talking over people and frustratingly a lot of my ideas were said before I could speak, so my advice would be to try and say your ideas as quickly as possible and not to worry about appearing rude. We were then split into groups of about 7 and told we had 15 minutes to come up with a presentation of a product we were given (my group was given Skindrink to present). We were supposed to give a kind of sales pitch to the interviewers that would encourage them to buy the product.
I was happy with this task as I know a lot about Lush products and was excited to give all my ideas to the group. The interviewers came around the room and listened in to the groups and made notes. Our group then presented the product the way we would in store and the presentation seemed to go well.
Unfortunately I received an email from the interviewers saying that they couldn't give me the job but were extremely friendly and told me I could email them and ask to receive feedback which I did. Their feedback was basically that I was too quiet during the presentation and was too accommodating to the rest of my team, allowing them to cut into what I was saying, although I found this confusing as I was fairly confident in the presentation and I thought the initial listing of facts about Lush had been my downfall. It seems that the company are simply looking for the loudest, most outgoing candidates and do not care too much about teamwork or product knowledge. It was a shame because I know that if I had been accepted I could have been a fantastic Lush sales assistant as I am passionate about the brand and offer fantastic customer service. I think maybe Lush needs to include a 1 on 1 interview section to the application process as well so that they do not miss out on some great candidates.
However, the interview was great experience and the atmosphere was friendly and not intimidating so if you have little experience of group interviews you may find it worth it to apply even if you don't believe you will get the job.