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.

[JenniferJareau]

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.

Not ridiculous at all. He was asked to do a task to help get the job he was going for and he flounced. Tells you he didn't really want the job and is inflexible. Not someone most companies want working for them. I've said the task was well off topic and I would have said in my head had that been me 'Really 🙄!' but I would have done it because I wanted the job.

Some assessment centres are not about the actual job skills, but to see how candidates communicate, work with others etc.

[HollysBush]

I remember my boyfriend in the late 90s filling in one of these (massive paper booklet he posted back!). There were stupid questions like “Do you work best on your own or in a team?” I mean, how are you supposed to answer that?!

[JenniferJareau]

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

As you'll see in my reply above they are not looking for anything to do with advertising, it is about the candidates and how they communicate, work together, problem solve etc. When you assess that is what you look for and score accordingly.

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

Just the fact the candidate could communicate with their manager effectively, help other colleagues if needed. It is a pretty standard skill
employers look for.

[Washyourhands48]

I always laugh when I read threads like these, “Oh, I’m so clever yet the supermarket application is obviously only looking for stupid people”


🙄🙄🙄🙄

[SummerBreeze23]

Has anybody else read this thread and been tempted to apply for a job just to see if they can pass the test?

[bruffin]

As you'll see in my reply above they are not looking for anything to do with advertising, it is about the candidates and how they communicate, work together, problem solve etc. When you assess that is what you look for and score accordingly.
Except it proves nothing about your ability to do the job or common sense or even communication properly.
I been working since 1979, i hate role play , it proves nothing about me other than i am not good at role play.

As you'll see in my reply above they are not looking for anything to do with advertising, it is about the candidates and how they communicate, work together, problem solve etc. When you assess that is what you look for and score accordingly.

If they are going to do this type of test then doing something to do with stocking shelves , ie give them a list of stuff to stack, have a couple of items missing so they need to ask would be a much better way of ascertaining if they have the right attributes for a shelf stacker.

[Hingeandbracket]

@JenniferJareau

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.

Not ridiculous at all. He was asked to do a task to help get the job he was going for and he flounced. Tells you he didn't really want the job and is inflexible. Not someone most companies want working for them. I've said the task was well off topic and I would have said in my head had that been me 'Really 🙄!' but I would have done it because I wanted the job.

Some assessment centres are not about the actual job skills, but to see how candidates communicate, work with others etc.

As I said the test is "are you so desperate that you will do obviously stupid and irrelevant things just to prove it to us".

[Hingeandbracket]

@Washyourhands48

I always laugh when I read threads like these, “Oh, I’m so clever yet the supermarket application is obviously only looking for stupid people”

🙄🙄🙄🙄

Not what I said - I was asking for help in how to give the answers they want as I too dim to see it.

[Hingeandbracket]

@HollysBush

I remember my boyfriend in the late 90s filling in one of these (massive paper booklet he posted back!). There were stupid questions like “Do you work best on your own or in a team?” I mean, how are you supposed to answer that?!

That's funny as 99% of jobs I see advertised say stuff like "must be self motivated and able to work on own initiative as well as closely with others with conflicting objectives and ambiguous requirements"

In other words, no-one knows what the fuck is going on in this job.

[BertieBotts]

It's so random. I've tried to answer those questions before and what I really want to say is "I'd do whatever policy I was told when I was training" but that is never an option. It's like they think you're just going to ignore their rules and do it your own way so they need to see what your own way is before they will tell you what to do.

[Hingeandbracket]

@BertieBotts

It's so random. I've tried to answer those questions before and what I really want to say is "I'd do whatever policy I was told when I was training" but that is never an option. It's like they think you're just going to ignore their rules and do it your own way so they need to see what your own way is before they will tell you what to do.

Exactly - is there some rare set of “workplace culture” thinking that makes you suitable for working at Tesco and that only a few people have?
These tests are a daft game.

[raspberryk]

I tried a few times to pass the Tesco one never did. Managed to get a job at Waitrose though and my customer service and work in general is excellent. I figured Tesco perhaps didn't want quite such good customer service, or didn't want you to use your own common sense.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

Some assessment centres are not about the actual job skills, but to see how candidates communicate, work with others etc

But it was for a shelf stacking job.
I have done the job and apart from break times there isn’t any communication with anyone else.

You are on your own in an aisle.

Even today if you asked any of the shelf stackers for help in my local 24 hour supermarket they are unlikely to be able to help you as they don’t speak English.

I am now wondering how the hell they filled out the questionnaire and managed to get all the right answers and get the job when in these times myself and dc weren’t even worthy of an interview.

[JenniferJareau]

As I said the test is "are you so desperate that you will do obviously stupid and irrelevant things just to prove it to us".

No the test is, as I've outlined, designed to test a number of skills. It is awkward and weird but that's the way it is. If a candidate can't see or accept that, then that's up to them but they shouldn't complain when they don't get the job if they won't participate.

Except it proves nothing about your ability to do the job or common sense or even communication properly.

Some skills you can easily teach. Stacking shelves is not hard. However what is harder to come by are the softer skills that these assessment centres look for. You can't test for that stacking shelves in an assessment.

[bruffin]

you can't test for that stacking shelves in an assessment.

Of course you can. Give them a list, a pile of goods , some shelves, add in a problems ie missing label, missing good etc and see how they handle it and how they communicate the problems etc

A lot of these ridiculous tests are just HR trying to justify their jobs

[Hingeandbracket]

No the test is, as I've outlined, designed to test a number of skills. It is awkward and weird but that's the way it is. If a candidate can't see or accept that, then that's up to them but they shouldn't complain when they don't get the job if they won't participate.
Explain to me again how asking candidates to design an advertising campaign for a job stacking shelves "tests" any skills that would apply to stacking shelves? You aren't making any logical sense, just uttering some vague waffle about "a number of skills". What skills relevant to shelf stacking need to be demonstrated by designing an advert? It doesn't make any sense.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

No the test is, as I've outlined, designed to test a number of skills

But how are these skills relevant to a shelf stacking job

[heartsonacake]

JenniferJareau is right.

In the main, regardless of whether the job is CEO, middle management, team leader, checkout operator, shelf stacker, companies want people who fit their bill. They want people with the right attitude and skills for their business.

So just because 99/100 people who apply for a shelf stacking job can probably physically do the job, it doesn’t mean any of them would necessarily be suitable for that workplace. And if that’s the case, there’s nothing than can be done to fix that.

You can train skills, you cannot train attitude and belief.

A job being “easy” and “one anyone could get” does not mean you’re entitled to it, or that the process should be piss easy and you shouldn’t have to put any effort in.

Every role, no matter whether it’s at the top or the bottom of the ladder, should be taken seriously and handled with professionalism with the employee displaying the behaviour and attitude correct for the business alongside the physical skills of doing the job.

[Hingeandbracket]

No-one has explained why designing an ad campaign (or more accurately, pretending to) is essential for shelf-stacking.

Of course, I am not suggesting shelf-staking is a "piss easy" job that anyone should be entitled to.

I am just asking why companies seem to want to do some ridiculous "The Apprentice" style for a job that it seems to me, ought to have some fairly straightforward requirements.

Demanding everyone in the place thinks like the CEO (or whatever the point of these tests is) doesn't seem to make a lot of sense and there has been no proper explanation of why they are needed.

[Hingeandbracket]

BTW I am quite prepared to accept that I have an attitude of needing to understand the logic and purpose of things rather than just accepting really vague wooly assertions about "skills" and "culture" that render me unsuitable for employment at Tesco.

I am just trying to get a job and pay my mortgage.

[ChrissyPlummer]

See, the thing is I may be able to pass these tests (I have done before) but an injury I have means I would be unsuitable for jobs which require a (any) degree of physical strength. I have worked in retail previously, but would find it very, very hard now as I wouldn’t be able to lift anything very heavy; it was so bad at one point I struggled to hold a drink, I could probably manage a box a day , repetitive actions also cause pain. None of these tests measure those kind of things. I might be the best at customer service and communication that there is but I’d be hopeless at the actual job.

I have done them as I said earlier, but they were specific and related to the actual job I was applying for. We had to do maths, English and report writing, but in a classroom, not online. If you got through those, you did a role play (usually with someone from HR) that consisted of scenarios that you were likely to face in the actual job (upset customer etc.) Much more helpful I’d have thought.

The tests weren’t the first thing I did though; it was a fairly straightforward application form and I also included a letter, detailing my circumstances for wanting the position and how keen I was (I lived a long way away and had to move). The manager who interviewed me actually said that they were impressed I’d bothered to write a letter and that I’d got such high test scores they “had to see me”, he admitted to being initially reluctant as I lived so far away but what I’d done showed my commitment and interest. This was about 8 years ago, today my letter would probably get binned and I’d end up being tested on something that wasn’t so job specific.

I understand what people say about teamwork and communication but most people (I find when I talk to them) would rather have an application form/CV and if called for interview on the strength of that, talk face to face and be able to demonstrate their strengths that way.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

In the main, regardless of whether the job is CEO, middle management, team leader, checkout operator, shelf stacker, companies want people who fit their bill. They want people with the right attitude and skills for their business

The problem is if you then go into the store and look around at the people who work there. Who actually presumably got through the questionnaire they seem to prefer sullen unhelpful staff.

[bruffin]

Katherine janeaway
Unless you have Nc this was your first post, so not sure how you could have explained
Nobody has explained what skills that ridiculous advertising test would show for a shelf stacker that a test actually involving shelf stacking would.

[MulticolourMophead]

These tests can't be that accurate when the supermarket industry average for staff turnover is around 35%. And I know people who join an agency and get to work in places like Tesco anyway, without having to do tests.