I applied for a position in IKEA Glasgow and a week later was emailed offering me to attend an open evening on the Wednesday of that week. If you ever go to the open evenings, prepare for the amount of people to show up. I overheard one of the IKEA employees who was helping people like me around say to someone that they predicted around 400 people to show up for that evening.
At the open evening, there were 2 people from each department within the store (Customer relations, Sales, Logistics and Food) and there were ques of people waiting to speak to the employees. The idea is, if you are relaxed and speak well about yourself and show you are interested in seeing what IKEA has to offer (and you have don't have an issue talking with other people) you will be taken over for a mini interview. I was taken over for a mini interview after talking with a woman from customer relations.
My interview lasted 10 minutes or so and was with one of the department managers. Don't worry about the interview, its totally informal and relaxed, so just chill and tell the interviewer what you know about IKEA and what you've achieved (during my interview, when I ran out of things to say, I would say "And the food is superb", this is not advisable haha). I was told they would match what the interviewer had written during my interview with what I had written on my CV that I sent and would decide if I was a possible match.
A few days later I got a call saying I had been successful in my interview and was to attend an assessment center on the Wednesday the next week. This is where the group tasks took place. My group tasks lasted for about 1hr 15mins or so. I am not going to tell you how to act at the assessment centers because either you're a people person or you're not. Just make sure you don't shy away and are quiet, but don't become obnoxious or pushy as they will pick up on this. Our first task was to speak to the person next to us and find out about them, and then tell everyone in the room about that person. The managers that were assessing us also introduced each other which did put my mind at rest. After that, we pick a product sold by IKEA and answer some questions about it (what we think it is, what other uses it could have, how much we think it costs). You then have to present what your group thought to everyone in the room (not as bad as it sounds). One point to make, whenyou've finished presenting, one of the managers told us what the product actually was and how much it was. If you ask the managers a question about the product, this is a good thing to do as it shows interest in IKEA.
We were then shown a room and we had to identify who we thought the room was for and why we thought this, as well as anything we would change (don't take a backseat at this part, as they are watching for teamwork skills, communication and an eye for detail and design). You then have to present your findings to everyone in the assessment room.
I've been told I would be emailed if unsuccessful and phoned if successful in passing this stage of the process. I haven't received an email but received a call from a private number yesterday and am hoping its them.