Graduate Careers at John Lewis
A dynamic, modern enterprise comprising 27 department stores, with more on the way… for bright and ambitious graduates, there could hardly be a more inspiring prospect than John Lewis.
As an expanding organisation, we are committed to investing in you as a leader of our future. As a retailer with a unique culture, we promise to welcome and reward your contribution from the moment you join. As an exciting business where vision, energy and determination are prized assets, you’ll have unlimited potential to make a visible impression on our success.
In addition to all the benefits of being a Partner in the business, with a share of the profits and a ‘say’ in how it is run, you can look forward to intensive and comprehensive training which is widely respected as among the best in retailing. Early responsibility is matched by a wealth of long-term career options across the Partnership.
New for September 2009 is a John Lewis buying scheme. Starting salary will be £24,000 and you will be predominately based at our head office in London. We believe the scheme will enable you to become a Buyer within 3 to 5 years. In your first year you will be given an entry level position in Buying, supported by training and development coaching to help you learn the basics. You will also spend some time in one of our shops, and be given additional projects to broaden your experience, In your second year we anticipate you having an Assistant Buyer role. This will involve line manager responsibility and supporting the Buyer to deliver a distinctive and profitable assortment. From this point there are a number of options available to you. You could work within one of our Buying support functions to broaden your experience and understanding, or you may move to a more senior Buying role. We recognise that everyone is unique and we will work with you to identify the best path for you to achieve your goals.
We run a retail scheme, leading to the appointment to a Department Manager level role within 12-18 months. The starting salary will be £24,000. After appointment as a Department Manager, the next step will be working towards being a member of the senior management team, the Steering Group after 3-4 years. Applications for 2010 entry will open in September 2009.
We also offer Summer Placements. If you’re a university undergraduate, this could be a chance to learn about our business and demonstrate your potential to become a graduate trainee.
Applications to all graduate schemes are now closed and will reopen in September for the 2010 schemes