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.

Nobody has explained what skills that ridiculous advertising test would show for a shelf stacker that a test actually involving shelf stacking would.

Assessment centres are not there to demonstrate you can do basic tasks such as shelf stack, operate a till etc. All those tasks can be taught. Tesco would not ask you to operate their till in an assessment centre for example as you would not know how. Till operation can be taught. As can shelf stacking and many other tasks.

Assessment centres look for other skills such as good communication, customer service, good attitude, problem solving, ability to work with others etc. Those skills cannot easily be taught, nor do businesses want to have to do that. Teaching someone how to use a till, stack shelves etc is the easy part. That's why they don't assess for it. They want well rounded candidates who work well with others and have a good attitude.

You can do all that in a specific shelf stacking test. You dont need to make them do something that has nothing to do the job they want to do.

Assessment centres are not there to demonstrate you can do basic tasks such as shelf stack, operate a till etc. All those tasks can be taught

I have to disagree with you.

I think I would be great at coming up with an advertising campaign but no amount of teaching would overcome the pain of picking up items and putting them on a shelf for 8 hours per day.

Equally Dd has worked with people who dispite having all the qualifications to do a certain job they just cannot get the hang of operating a till no matter how much explanation or training they had.

What one person considers a simple task another will have a mental block and can’t get it right

Assessment centres look for other skills such as good communication, customer service, good attitude, problem solving, ability to work with others etc.
And yet people who have done the job, and those of us who have seen it being done, claim none of these skills are needed as it's essentially a solitary job that involves taking items and putting them on shelves, not devising fucking advertising campaigns.
It's no wonder productivity is so low in this country when we have so many bullshitters advocating utter bullshit.

You asked a question, I answered it. I just tried to explain what the company is looking for from these assessment centres yet you reply rudely.

and those of us who have seen it being done, claim none of these skills are needed

Right, because a) seeing a job being done is exactly the same as knowing what it entails and b) no shelf stackers ever get promoted into other roles.

@JenniferJareau

You asked a question, I answered it. I just tried to explain what the company is looking for from these assessment centres yet you reply rudely.

I reply rudely because it is a bullshit process, that's all. I didn't mean to be personally rude, but I really can't have any respect for this process since it is so obviously ridiculous.

@heartsonacake

and those of us who have seen it being done, claim none of these skills are needed

Right, because a) seeing a job being done is exactly the same as knowing what it entails and b) no shelf stackers ever get promoted into other roles.

Nice selective quoting.

I assume you're just defending the indefensible for fun and giggles.

I still think there is a feeling here, that some of you think you are too good to work in a supermarket job! Shocked when you’ve failed at the first hurdle.
I work for Tesco. One of the main strengths amongst the colleagues is the amazing team work. So *this is what those tests are good at checking for! I work on the shop floor, l am paid more than min wage for my role also.
All jobs are pretty much open to all, if there is an opening. So, the work ethic:style of Tesco will need to be understood by all colleagues in all positions!
We don’t refer to others working in various other teams as “ shelf stackers” btw, it’s usually people that have failed the initial tests that do that! Managers and even the store manager ( on occasion) can be seen doing that!

I assume you're just defending the indefensible for fun and giggles.

It’s not indefensible. You’re just bitter because you couldn’t pass it and seem to think you have an entitlement to because you see it as an “easy” job that “anyone” could do and believe you’re better than it.

You’ll say otherwise, of course, but your attitude is evident throughout your multiple posts in this thread.

These assessments work to find the best person for the job, and not just physically doing the job, but fitting in with the culture. These types of places like to promote those who’ve started at the bottom, so yes, it is important they have the eight worth ethic for that company.

@heartsonacake

I assume you're just defending the indefensible for fun and giggles.

It’s not indefensible. You’re just bitter because you couldn’t pass it and seem to think you have an entitlement to because you see it as an “easy” job that “anyone” could do and believe you’re better than it.

You’ll say otherwise, of course, but your attitude is evident throughout your multiple posts in this thread.

These assessments work to find the best person for the job, and not just physically doing the job, but fitting in with the culture. These types of places like to promote those who’ve started at the bottom, so yes, it is important they have the eight worth ethic for that company.

I have said upthread that I don't consider myself "above" the Tesco job nor do I consider myself entitled to it. I have had a range of jobs over my lifetime including some pretty unpleasant ones - I don't consider it beneath me and I categorically did not say I should pass the test - I was asking for advice on what they were looking for originally and there were some kind offers of help which I may take up if the job is advertised again.

Then we got sidelined into an argument about some bloke being told he and others had to design a TV advertising campaign in order to be considered for an out-of-hours shelf stacking job at a different supermarket. I still haven't seen anything from anyone that even comes close to explaining why that would make any sense.

You seem to determined to keep on repeating "culture" without any proper explanation of what you mean, as if saying that explains everything.

I am not doing down the people who work in Supermarkets - otherwise why would I be applying? I have done retail work before too.

But the idea that you have to sit and come up with an advertising campaign is like something weird out of "The Apprentice".

Plenty of others on the thread have shared their negative experiences of these daft tests but you seem determined to say they are wonderful at all costs, for what reason other than just being argumentative, I have no clue.

@withlotsoflove

I still think there is a feeling here, that some of you think you are too good to work in a supermarket job! Shocked when you’ve failed at the first hurdle. I work for Tesco. One of the main strengths amongst the colleagues is the amazing team work. So *this is what those tests are good at checking for! I work on the shop floor, l am paid more than min wage for my role also. All jobs are pretty much open to all, if there is an opening. So, the work ethic:style of Tesco will need to be understood by all colleagues in all positions! We don’t refer to others working in various other teams as “ shelf stackers” btw, it’s usually people that have failed the initial tests that do that! Managers and even the store manager ( on occasion) can be seen doing that!

I am certainly not saying I am too good to work anywhere - work is work.

I've cleaned toilets before amongst other fun jobs and I will do again if that's what it takes.

My problem is that I just didn't "get" the test and what it was after - and I was asking for help.

I have done shelf stacking

Dd has worked in retail and hospitality.

Ds has is a school leaver. He had just started working when the virus hit.

None of us and could get a job at Tesco’s or any other of the main supermarkets even just a temporary one during lock down.

We weren’t looking for promotions. They were temporary jobs.

you seem determined to say they are wonderful at all costs, for what reason other than just being argumentative, I have no clue.

Really, OP? You think the only reason someone would disagree with you is to be argumentative?

I think the tests are a good assessment because I know they work; I’ve regularly seen how they wheedle out people who aren’t suited to that workplace.

We weren’t looking for promotions. They were temporary jobs.

Oliversmumsarmy That’s irrelevant; temporary often turns into permanent so whatever the role, whatever the status (temp/perm), they’re looking for potential long term employees.

Our local tescos has 2 shelf stackers with very noticeble SEN. One was there for 20 odd years. I really cant see how the advertising assessment would be suitable for either of them

None of us and could get a job at Tesco’s or any other of the main supermarkets even just a temporary one during lock down.

Probably because every Tom, Dick and Harry who were also out of a job were also looking for a supermarket job over lockdown.

I work at the customer service desk at Asda and just in the first day of lockdown I had a list of nearly 150 names/numbers of people who had come in to enquire about jobs. Over the course of the next couple of weeks I would average about 80 names a day and it got to the point that our store manager told us to stop taking names as they had way more applicants than jobs and they just couldn't cope with the sheer volume of people they had to bring in.

But even with a streamlined application/interview process and a need for bodies in jobs a key component was ensuring applicants were a good fit and weren't going to do one shift and not come back, especially when we couldn't afford to waste time training people who wouldnt turn up when we had 1000+ people who would. So they may not have done a whole advertising activity but they did ensure that they did a couple of tasks within the group interviews to see how well people could communicate, work in a team, follow directions and use their initiative.

@Hingeandbracket no, sorry! I wasn’t referring to you. There are quite a few posters here though, that are coming across as better than the work that’s done in a supermarket!
As l was saying earlier, most GA level assistants get on really well ( even if just professionally) and that’s because they have been screened to fit in!

@heartsonacake

you seem determined to say they are wonderful at all costs, for what reason other than just being argumentative, I have no clue.

Really, OP? You think the only reason someone would disagree with you is to be argumentative?

I think the tests are a good assessment because I know they work; I’ve regularly seen how they wheedle out people who aren’t suited to that workplace.

We weren’t looking for promotions. They were temporary jobs.

Oliversmumsarmy That’s irrelevant; temporary often turns into permanent so whatever the role, whatever the status (temp/perm), they’re looking for potential long term employees.

OK so you have some insider knowledge about the magical nature of these wonderful tests and how they identify unsuitable applicants - I will just have to take your word for that as there's never any actual explanation of how that is. No doubt it's all too advanced for me to grasp.

Meanwhile I and others on here would like a job. The Tesco job I applied for was temporary too. I am reasonably fit and healthy, quite bright and generally cheery, get along with most people most of the time and have years of experience in working with people at loads of different levels in loads of different jobs in teams and on my own.
I turn up, on time, every time and do the job,however fun or miserable it is.
I don't think I have a God-given right to get the temporary job I applied for at Tesco - but I do think that if I can find a way to game the tests I can get a job and feed my family.

No-one has been able to explain how making people devise an advertising campaign was a suitable selection for a shelf stacking job at a supermarket other than Tesco.

No-one has been able to explain how making people devise an advertising campaign was a suitable selection for a shelf stacking job at a supermarket other than Tesco
Or how the men with SEN at our local tesco would have got hrough that test

The colleagues with additional needs would have been given an interview in line with equality at work.
The colleague that had been there ( 20 yrs) probably wouldn’t have had one at all!
Not all people are good at all things! It’s not rocket science
You can be very clever in one walk of life and suck in a supermarket/ retail setting!
It really does take a certain type of personality to get on... sometimes l feel l am not suitable either!
You need a skin of leather and a perpetual smile!
Customers can be vile / and it’s hard to rise above it.

That’s irrelevant; temporary often turns into permanent so whatever the role, whatever the status (temp/perm), they’re looking for potential long term employees

So why not say they staff for a temporary role that could become permanent

It would save people a lot of time.

Dd, Ds and I also applied to work fruit picking. (Again I have experience of this). Never heard anything back from that either

You can be very clever in one walk of life and suck in a supermarket/ retail setting

But when you do really well in a supermarket/retail setting but then can’t get even an interview as a temporary shelf stacker you have to ask what is going on?

It really does take a certain type of personality to get on... sometimes l feel l am not suitable either!
You need a skin of leather and a perpetual smile!
Customers can be vile / and it’s hard to rise above it.
I recognise this and take my hat off to retail workers. I do have some experience (albeit a long time ago) from working in a filling station where we had some lovely customers and some utterly foul ones.

@Oliversmumsarmy
As l was saying earlier , there aren’t really any “ shelf stackers”
The colleagues working the stock usually have other roles / demands. They are part of a grocery team/ produce/ health & beauty.
They have to work back stock and deliveries at a fast pace. They may be called to help on checkouts when it’s busy.
They aren’t just given a pile of cans and told get on with it!
There are lots of colleagues working the stock from different departments too!
I would imagine that the COVID situation gave the supermarkets the pick of whom they might like.
I work in customer services. We had so many applications. An unbelievably huge amount.