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.

[ChrissyPlummer]

JenniferJareau well, I suppose you could say that but he could have been brilliant to have a shelf stacker and would have helped his team. Doing that task tells them nothing about how people will actually perform in the job role they are applying for. There are other exercises they could have chosen (I’ve done build a tower using just newspapers or marshmallows and spaghetti when I’ve sat interviews/courses) that may have felt less intimidating and people may feel more suited to their skills. My friend no longer works there and this was over 20 years ago. She said though as pp have said it costs the company a lot of time and money when a simple application form and interview would do just as well for certain roles.

For my NMW retail Christmas temp jobs, the store took on over 80 temps, on varying lengths of contract. That’s 100s of application forms to read, 100s of phone interviews and then assessment days for the 80 that made it. Some people were only given a two week contract.

As The80sweregreat said, perhaps the process should be changed for min wage jobs then people can be given a chance. I know loads of people who won’t apply for jobs because the application process puts them off or they’ve failed them too many time’s and get fed up, even though in some cases, they’re already working for the same company and want to apply for another role. As Goyle said, they won’t take references from your current manager, or appraisals or anything else.

[ArgumentativeAardvaark]

For my NMW retail Christmas temp jobs, the store took on over 80 temps, on varying lengths of contract. That’s 100s of application forms to read, 100s of phone interviews and then assessment days for the 80 that made it. Some people were only given a two week contract.

It’s crazy, isn’t it? Whereas I work in an environment where people will be taken in for jobs that pay six figure salaries on the strength of a CV and two one-hour interviews conducted by people with zero training in interviewing and no set structure. It works well about 75% of the time, if it doesn’t we just let them go after a month’s probation.

[bendmeoverbackwards]

Oh God, I feel your pain!

My 18 year old dd was looking for a job at the end of last year and a job came up at our local Tesco express/petrol station.

She went through the online process, answering the questions as best she could. She didn't get any further.

This was for a rubbish-y job in a petrol station staffed by middle aged men who don't give a stuff about customer service. They just lob boxes around

[Bargebill19]

FWIW- I’ve just secured extra hours through an agency. No silly pre interview quizzes.
Just a phone call plus CV and a copy of birth certificate and drivers license. All done in less than 20 mins.

[bendmeoverbackwards]

Which agency @Bargebill19?

[Elsewyre]

@bendmeoverbackwards

Oh God, I feel your pain!

My 18 year old dd was looking for a job at the end of last year and a job came up at our local Tesco express/petrol station.

She went through the online process, answering the questions as best she could. She didn't get any further.

This was for a rubbish-y job in a petrol station staffed by middle aged men who don't give a stuff about customer service. They just lob boxes around

And your daughter isn't even up to the standard of "middle aged men"?

[Bargebill19]

Pertemps agency.

[Bargebill19]

We have a lot of agencies around here - we are in warehouse central for the midlands. I suspect they all operate on the basis of

1. do understand and communicate in English and 2) can you start ASAP
   
   For me that fine - as I operate on a I will work so long as you pay me in full and on time as agreed.

[LastTrainEast]

"I kept failing the Tesco one, Googled the answers and got a job there"

Not mine I hope.

[JenniferJareau]

Doing that task tells them nothing about how people will actually perform in the job role they are applying for.

I agree that the exercise itself doesn't sound that well suited but these type of exercises tells you how candidates communicate, their problem solving skills, teamwork skills etc. Yes it is a brief snapshot, but it tells you a lot about the candidate.

People can exaggerate or lie on their CV or application form, an assessment centre shows you what they can actually do.

The fact he walked off showed he clearly wasn't suited for the role.

[heartsonacake]

these type of exercises tells you how candidates communicate, their problem solving skills, teamwork skills etc. Yes it is a brief snapshot, but it tells you a lot about the candidate.

^ This. People think these tests are pointless and have no meaning and get particularly angry when they can’t pass them because they see the job as below them in the first place, but the reality is that how a person answers says a lot about them.

You can be the best employee in the world in terms of doing the actual task but if you don’t fit in with the workplace culture and aren’t the type of person to fit in with that business you’re not a good employee fit for them at all.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

One guy asked if he was in the right interview as he said he’d applied to stack shelves overnight (in the days before 24-hour opening)and had they put him in a management interview by mistake? He walked out when they said it was the right one for his job

The recruitment process worked though. He was asked to do a simple task designed to judge teamwork, and he couldn't be arsed

What has coming up with an advertising campaign got to do with shelf stacking,

Utterly ridiculous

All that interview did was to ascertain who was good at making up adverts not who was good at shelf stacking.

Used to do shelf stacking many many years ago and it was a pretty solitary job.
Don’t know where team work would play a part

[MulticolourMophead]

@ScrapThatThen

I don't think the people who are saying they are easy have actually had recent experience of this kind of hell. These are widely used in the civil service and dh (with 20 years civil service experience, lots of sense and knowledge) cannot pass them. He may now need to stay in his current role forever. He also says that people widely apply for posts they don't really want just to get a chance to practice them otherwise they miss out on the job they really want because of the stupid test.

It was the same when I left the CS nearly 10 years ago, also after nearly 20 years in. People would apply for jobs they didn't want, in order to access the tests to practice.

[myusernamewastakenbyme]

A bit off point but my son applied and got a summer bar job with a local brewery...he had a phone interview first....then a face to face interview and then they phoned him yesterday to offer the job....at no point have they told him what the pay will be...this annoys me....i told him to ask but he didnt like to...we are presuming its minimum wage but it would be nice to be told.

[MulticolourMophead]

@heartsonacake

these type of exercises tells you how candidates communicate, their problem solving skills, teamwork skills etc. Yes it is a brief snapshot, but it tells you a lot about the candidate.

^ This. People think these tests are pointless and have no meaning and get particularly angry when they can’t pass them because they see the job as below them in the first place, but the reality is that how a person answers says a lot about them.

You can be the best employee in the world in terms of doing the actual task but if you don’t fit in with the workplace culture and aren’t the type of person to fit in with that business you’re not a good employee fit for them at all.

They aren't as reliable as people think.

My ex managed a team, and was good at problem solving. But his work didn't involve computers much, apart from printing price signs, so when he was faced with an assessment online, he basically fell apart.

It's the same with things like the Briggs-Myers tests. Multi million pound business with these tests, many companies use them. Yet each and every one of us could get different results every time we took one (I certainly did), and after 3-4 tests, you can work out which answers to pick to influence the result.

[PuppyMonkey]

Poor DD couldn’t get through the tests when she tried a couple of years back. DP and I tried to help and we were useless too. The trouble is there are always 2 or 3 answers that seem the sensible choice and 2 or 3 involving putting the customer first and 2 or 3 involving being a team player. DD gave up after the third or fourth attempt.

I often look at some of the less than helpful staff working in store and think “how did you manage to get through but my lovely helpful polite DD didn’t?”

[HelloDoris]

I failed the Aldi test this morning. Have to laugh, I'm far from an idiot and I chose the correct answers based on my experience of working in retail.. I however did not chose the right ones based on their wants/needs.. Ahh well onwards and upwards..

[Hingeandbracket]

The fact he walked off showed he clearly wasn't suited for the role.
It proved nothing of the sort - what a ridiculous assertion.

It proved that he was able to see that the employer wasn't looking for people who could do the job, but for people who didn't mind being made to do ridiculous, pointless and irrelevant tasks to get the job.

[Hingeandbracket]

You can be the best employee in the world in terms of doing the actual task but if you don’t fit in with the workplace culture and aren’t the type of person to fit in with that business you’re not a good employee fit for them at all.
I suppose there's some truth in this. It seems you have to forget any concept of logic, initiative, common sense or reasonableness to work at some places where they insist on mindless automata as employees - and they have to do a test to identify you maybe?

What does "workplace culture" even mean?

[IrmaFayLear]

I too was [sceptical] at “workplace culture”. I thought companies were supposed to avoid “unconscious bias”, not actively seek out clones. The test I failed was civil service, and it seems highly dubious that to gain a foot in the door you have to conform to traits that existing employees deem valuable. What if they are all lazy so-and-sos and value sloth, or are all vegans and you ticked that you favoured a ham sandwich for lunch?

[bendmeoverbackwards]

And your daughter isn't even up to the standard of "middle aged men"?

What I meant was, I have not experienced good customer service in the shop. Staff are busy rushing around, unloading boxes and can be a bit rude if you have a query.

My dd has a good work ethic, has worked in customer facing jobs before and is polite and friendly. Seems crazy that she can't even get beyond the first application stage.

[guessmyusername]

A few years ago my dd didn't pass (I hate the term failed) the Asda one. An acquaintance passed and got a job and we were as she has a problem with numbers. She ultimately got the boot. Later my dd tried for Tesco, again she didn't pass. No idea why. She is now nearly finished her masters degree and has a very good (and well paid) job in HR.

[VeganCow]

The questions are ridiculous. One is something like this- 'you are stacking shelves and overhear a conversation between a mother and daughter discussing which Prosecco should they get for their part that night. Do you A. carry on stacking shelves B. Go over and ask them if they want some help looking C. Some other equally pointless thing.

[UntamedWisteria]

DS had something like. You are stacking the bakery shelf. A customer comes over and tries to start a lengthy conversation with you.
Do you A. Ignore them B. Chat back for as long as the customer wants. C. Tell them you can't talk now as you have work to do.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

myusernamewastakenbyme

Years ago I asked the question after I had been to a second interview for a basic clerks job (pre minimum wage)

I was told in no uncertain terms that they wanted people to work for the company because they wanted to work there and not for how much money the salary was

I didn’t get the job.