To be baffled by Tesco's screening questions

[Hingeandbracket]

I applied for a job at Tesco but failed their questionnaire, which suggests situations and asks you to choose a multiple choice answer for what you would do in each.

I always struggle with these kinds of tests as it often seems to me that all are good answers - or none - and there isn't an obvious answer.

Does anyone who has passed this test have any tips about how it works?

I want to work and I am prepared to put myself out to help people - but it is very hard to see exactly what Tesco are looking for in these ambiguous questions.

[Hingeandbracket]

@Saladd0dger

Hi op I work for Tesco and often fill out the questionnaire for dyslexic friends. Just popping out at the mo but more than happy to help you fill it in later

Thanks so much @Saladd0dger the job I wanted has expired now but I will DM you if another one comes up if that's OK?

[LadyofTheManners]

Are you sure it was that you failed on?
I went for a job with Tesco a few years back as a mate recommended me. Had lots of experience, all sorts of good references. They turned me down and mate was incensed.
When she asked as she said she had far less experience than me, she was told it was because I went to the local high school, rather than the grammar school like my mate.
Baffled that they could pull a stroke like that to be honest

[Hingeandbracket]

@LadyofTheManners

Are you sure it was that you failed on?
I went for a job with Tesco a few years back as a mate recommended me. Had lots of experience, all sorts of good references. They turned me down and mate was incensed.
When she asked as she said she had far less experience than me, she was told it was because I went to the local high school, rather than the grammar school like my mate.
Baffled that they could pull a stroke like that to be honest

This is what Tesco said -

Following completion of the assessment, we won't be moving your application forward in the selection process this time. We hope the feedback that you received at the end of the assessment will support your understanding more about your strengths and help you with any future applications.

[myusernamewastakenbyme]

I have failed these ridiculous tests too...its very frustrating when you know you can do the job standing on your head.

[CrowdedHouseinQuarantine]

dd did a lidl one, really, the questions were pretending they were from actual staff, and there was a time limit.

[dancinfeet]

I did one for Next - one of the questions was along the lines of 'do you believe in luck' then further down, 'would you consider yourself a lucky person' or something to that effect. WTH, how does that reflect my ability to do the job?
Also was annoyed as it wanted my current and previous employers reference from last 5 years - I am usually self employed so have no one to put down as such, but no section that I could explain why, or to ask who they would like a reference from instead, so I don't expect to hear back from them.

[IrmaFayLear]

I did one and the question was, “A colleague cannot use the new computer System, what do you do?”
A: tell your line manager
B: help them access training
C: complete their work for them

I smugly and speedily picked B obviously. Obviously not! Turned out the “correct” answer was C - do their work, because this was a job working in a team and you should always take one for the team .

Apparently in some of these tests you have to pick the answer which corresponds to that which the existing workforce favours when they do the test. Most dubious.

[AnnaBanana333]

I'm sorry, how bloody frustrating. Interviews are also a terrible way to recruit, but at least you get a chance to explain yourself to a real human.

[Saladd0dger]

Absolutely, I’m usually around here somewhere

[whiplashy]

I also failed this OP

[healththrowawayx]

Yes, I know it’s not the exact test you took, but you can see the sort of answers they’re looking for. In short, just choose the most cheesy customer service option. Yes, in reality your actual role will vary from what these tests suggest.

[blankethog]

The answers the Tesco ones are almost always 'find a supervisor' which is really funny as I work there and 90% of the time you're lucky if a supervisor is on the shop floor. And mine would be very pissed off if I went to find him for half the things they recommend asking a supervisor for!

[emmcan]

The answer is -

D) Point at the arrows on the floor and act as though the customer is committing child murder by not strictly adhering to them.

[Ponoka7]

The answer to spillage is that you never walk away from a spillage.

The slip has to be recorded as an accident. Your manager is usually the trained first aider, so it would be them you call. Or the first aider. The customer whose had the accident wouldn't be left, even if it means closing a till. You've got to cover yourself and the company that you work for.

If the customer was angry, you get the manager, not just the first aider.

There's instances were you can't take the initiative, because you have legal duties and your company's policies and procedures.

[wildcherries]

'I did one and the question was, “A colleague cannot use the new computer System, what do you do?”
A: tell your line manager
B: help them access training
C: complete their work for them
I smugly and speedily picked B obviously. Obviously not! Turned out the “correct” answer was C - do their work, because this was a job working in a team and you should always take one for the team.'

I would have failed on this, and it would annoy me that I was expected to do other people's jobs for them. That's not what I understand teamwork to be.

[MintyMabel]

These are indirectly discriminatory to various people. E.g. I am autistic and find it difficult to answer theoretical questions.

If you make them aware, they have to make reasonable adjustments.

[nevermorelenore]

God I hate these things. I remember failing one for B&Q. I'd literally just worked in a hardware store and had DIY skills, but it immediately rejected me without a single person looking at my application.

The worst application I ever had to do was for Morrisons. IIRC, the process went:

• Upload CV
• Fill in about a thousand fields with information which was on my CV and didn't autofill
• Do a looooong personality test 'how much do you agree with this statement: customers who are rude should be given a smack? Strongly agree, slightly agree... etc etc.
• Then one of the above tests with really confusingly worded situations (I think I spent an hour on their recruitment site at this point)
• Then I had a telephone interview where they asked a bunch of the same questions again and I had to describe a situation where I went the extra mile etc. etc.
• Success! I got an interview!

They then called me back half an hour later to say the job was on hold and the interview postponed. I never did hear back from them.

[nickymanchester]

My niece applied to Tesco - although this was a distribution centre rather than a store (these are the warehouses that send out stuff to the stores). Like the OP she got rejected.

However, distribution centres also hire a lot of temporary workers as well through agencies (just like Amazon and all the other big warehouses do) so she got in touch with one of the agencies that recruit locally and they employed her to work at Tesco starting the next week (they literally just wanted warm bodies that had the right to work in the UK).

She got on with the job and really enjoyed it (although, apparently you are on your feet and constantly walking for 7.5 hours a day, every day). She did really well and proved herself. After working there for nine months she recently applied for a role actually working for Tesco as a trainer and she just heard that she got it.

The important bit about this story is that she didn't have to do any sort of online evaluation or testing. Once you are working on site and the local managers can see how you work, that is a lot more important than any online test. Reading between the lines, I think that the management probably decided that she was the candidate they wanted and just went through the formal processes because they had to.

I don't know what she's on now but as an agency worker she said that she was earning £10 an hour during the week, £12.50 at the weekends and £15 an hour on bank holidays and for overtime.

I'm guessing that the actual Tesco wages are at least as high as that.

So, if there are any other routes into working where you want to work it might well be worthwhile having a look at those.

[RoyalCorgi]

I smugly and speedily picked B obviously. Obviously not! Turned out the “correct” answer was C - do their work, because this was a job working in a team and you should always take one for the team

That's so bizarre. I'd have gone for B too.

The really stupid thing, though, is that you can't know these answers beforehand, but after a day's training, you will know them. How are you supposed to instinctively know in advance what your employer wants of you? The whole reason training exists is so your employer can tell you what to do, and then you do it.

Obviously what these tests don't pick up is the important stuff like how quick you are to learn, how hard-working you are, how likely you are to piss off your colleagues or skive off work etc.

[heartsonacake]

It’s not about your experience or where you’ve worked before, it’s about whether you fit into their working culture and way of doing things.

You could be the best employee in the world in terms of doing the actual job but if you don’t fit the profile of the person they want they won’t hire you.

If there is a question regarding spillages or other safety issues, always safety first. You cannot put anything else as that’s usually an instant fail. And yes, ask a manager/supervisor options are usually the ones you need to pick.

[blankethog]

@nickymanchester. The wages are not as high as agency workers, that's why they're brought in temporarily. It's £9 and hour in Tesco and time and quarter on sundays and bank holidays. I think the warehouse workers get a small amount more, £9.50/10? But not £15 on bank holidays/sundays unfortunately x

[UntamedWisteria]

I hear you OP!

I tried to help DS do one of these last summer. It was impossible, and I am educated to post-graduate level (and work in comms!)

He didn't get a job with them ... and ended up with a much better paid summer job with normal working hours.

[wentawaycameback]

My son failed the Tesco test - passed the Co-OP test but did not get an interview because other people got higher scores. Quite enjoyed the Lidl test (you have to do some simple maths) but you need to be quick otherwise you run out of time. He went into Sainsbury with a CV, was interviewed and got a job.

[ArgumentativeAardvaark]

OP, do you know that you got the spillage question wrong, or just that you failed overall?

If you didn’t get the answers to the individual questions I think that it is highly likely that A was indeed the correct answer to the spillage one (unless D was something more appropriate), so you passed that question but failed on some others.

I’m really amazed at the one where the right answer was “do your colleague’s work”. At the very least it would be “do the work this once and then help them access training”.

[nickymanchester]

@blankethog Thanks for that. However I am pretty certain that she is earning at least as much as she was as an agency worker.

I think that the big difference is between store and warehouse workers.

Personally, I wonder if this isn't a case that could be raised under the Equal Pay Act? Warehouse staff generally get paid more than store staff (not just in Tesco) and warehouses are overwhelmingly male - my niece said that it's about 80-90% men working there.

I really do wonder how much of an influence that has on setting comparative wages?

If anybody is interested, this is the sort of working environment where my niece works (although I will emphasise that she doesn't work at this particular distribution centre):-