Sainsbury's Graduate & Professional Assessment

Sainsbury's recruitment process in 2024

1. Online application form

   • One of the first stages of the recruitment process is filling in the application form on Sainsbury's Careers website.

   • The online application form is usually presented as a questionnaire with the option of importing data from a LinkedIn or CV file.

   • The applicant is required to provide information about work experience, education, skills and other necessary details.

   • There may be questions both about job preferences (e.g. desired type of employment, country and city of residence) and more personal questions (e.g. race and ethnicity, religion, disability)

2. Online tests

   • The next stage of the Sainsbury's recruitment process is an online assessment. The candidate will be sent an email invitation to complete Sainsbury's tests.

   • Sainsbury's uses different types of recruitment tests to assess candidates and their suitability for the position they are applying for.

   • Candidates are most often asked to complete the following tests:

   • Numerical reasoning tests are standardised psychometric assessment tools that help Sainsbury's determine a candidate's ability to work with numbers and graphs, make good decisions and draw conclusions based on numerical or statistical data. The tests simulate the work environment and goals of a prospective employee. Try our Free sample Numerical reasoning test.

   • Verbal reasoning tests allow Sainsbury's to determine a candidate's ability to perceive and analyse verbal information and to draw conclusions. Free sample Verbal tests are available to practice here and here.

   • Logical (inc. Diagrammatic and Inductive ) reasoning tests are designed to assess the candidate's ability to work with abstract information. Sainsbury's Logical assessment may consist of special diagrams, geometric shapes and other lined-up images, where a candidate has to continue the row in a logically correct way. Here you can practice a Free sample Logical test, a Free sample Diagrammatic test, and a Free sample Inductive test.

   • Situational judgement tests consist of short simulated scenarios that define a working style and assess specific tasks in a working environment. Sainsbury's Situational tests are used to assess applicants' competencies, communication skills, motivation, and preferred styles of problem-solving. Try our Free sample Situational judgement test before taking the real one.

   • Mechanical reasoning tests are designed to assess candidates' critical and abstract thinking skills important for engineering and science-related positions at Sainsbury's. Free sample Mechanical test.

3. Phone / Video Interview

   • Successful candidates are invited for a 15-20 min. phone call.

   • Soft skills are usually assessed during this call by the Sainsbury's recruiter.

   • In some cases, Sainsbury's hiring manager may invite you for a video interview (most commonly conducted with HireVue.) For software engineering positions, candidates may be asked to complete a coding challenge (problems on algorithms + take-home challenges.)

4. Assessment centre

   • Successful candidates are invited to visit the nearest Sainsbury's headquarters or office.

   • Candidates will have a chance to personally meet the hiring manager, team leaders and seniors during the assessment day.

   • Sainsbury's may organise a group exercise with candidates as part of the hiring procedure.

5. Partner interview

   • The final stage of the recruitment process.

   • The candidate will have a chance to meet the hiring manager, department director and/or division lead.

   • Normally, there is no assessment at this stage.

   • Candidates are mostly expected to demonstrate soft skills and a desire to join Sainsbury's.