John Lewis reveals interview questions online in inclusivity drive

John Lewis has started publishing interview questions online, in a move which could benefit neurodiverse applicants.

People applying for jobs at the retail group, which also includes Waitrose, can now view a list of compliancy-based interview questions on its website.

The move is designed so applicants can take the time to think about their past experiences and skills, and prepare different examples to take to interview.

It is expected to help the retailer attract people from a variety of backgrounds, and to have specific benefits for neurodiverse people, which can include autistic people, or those with ADHD or dyslexia.

The group stressed that interviews will still be in-depth with detailed follow-up questions, and that people will not know which specific questions will be used during their interview.

“Interviews can feel daunting, and for some – particularly those who are neurodiverse – nerves can seriously impact performance,” said Lorna Bullett, the head of talent acquisition for John Lewis Partnership (JLP).

“Anyone who has ever recruited will know that there are sometimes candidates who would be capable of performing to a high standard in a role but don’t always give the best performance at an interview.

“It made us question why we couldn’t do something different with the assessment process and we decided to publish our interview questions.”

She said there had been early signs the move was working well for the company and its candidates.

The National Autistic Society recommends that employers provide questions a few days in advance for autistic people who can have more difficulty processing information quickly.

The charity says it means applicants have a chance of constructing more meaningful responses.

Joey Nettleton Burrows, the charity’s policy and public affairs manager, said it was a “brilliant” decision by the retailer.

He said: “Providing questions in advance is one important adjustment that employers can do to the interview process to make employment more accessible to all, particularly autistic people who can face huge barriers in finding and staying in work.

“Autistic people have a huge amount to offer employers, and more and more businesses are recognising the benefits of having a diverse workforce full of people who offer a variety of skills and different ways of thinking.

“It is vital that employers are open to reasonable adjustments.”

JLP’s initiative goes further than making “reasonable adjustments” to the recruitment process for disabled people, which is a legal requirement for UK companies.

Interview questions published by JLP include “tell me about a time when you actively stepped in to improve teamwork and collaboration within a team”, and “when have you taken the time to provide very difficult feedback to someone?”

Tom Cornell, a psychology consultant at HireVue, said employers should be encouraged to rethink their hiring processes to embrace neurodiversity.

He said: “When organisations seek to enhance neurodiversity within their workforce, a crucial starting point is evaluating their recruitment processes.

“Frequently, traditional hiring methods, such as lengthy cover letters and face-to-face interviews, directly put neurodiverse candidates at a disadvantage.

“The qualities highly valued by employers in these settings, such as maintaining eye contact, engaging in small talk and interpreting body language, can pose challenges for certain neurodiverse applicants.”