Harrods Assessment Tests

Harrods Online Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a stock control assistant at Harrods Online. A recount you asked for turned up a mistake in your own figures, and the colleague who did it said, in front of two others, that he had wasted an afternoon on your arithmetic. It stung and he was largely right. The next count is due on Thursday and it needs two people, one of whom is normally him. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ask your supervisor to put somebody else on Thursday's count, since working alongside him this week would be uncomfortable for both of you after what was said.
   2. Refuse to work with him on Thursday's count after the way he spoke to you, and say you would rather do it on your own or not at all.
   3. Acknowledge to him that the figures were wrong and say what you have changed, and do Thursday's count with him as planned since the count needs two people.
   4. Say nothing about it, do Thursday's count as planned, and let the remark fade rather than reopening something that was fair comment anyway.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Acknowledge to him that the figures were wrong and say what you have changed, and do Thursday's count with him as planned since the count needs two people.

   Least effective: B. Refuse to work with him on Thursday's count after the way he spoke to you, and say you would rather do it on your own or not at all.

   A: Redesigns the rota around one awkward afternoon: the count is harder to staff, and the two of you have to work together again the week after in any case.

   B: Withdraws from a job that needs two people after a disagreement: Thursday's count is put at risk to answer a remark made about an afternoon.

   D: Lets an unrepaired working relationship stand: the count happens and he has no reason to think the mistake will not simply repeat.

   The most effective response is to acknowledge that the figures were wrong, say what you have changed, and do Thursday’s count with him: the criticism was largely fair, saying so is what restores the working relationship, and the count that needs two people gets them. It beats asking for somebody else on Thursday, because the rota is rearranged around one bad afternoon and you will work together next week anyway. It beats letting the remark fade, because he has no reason to expect anything different next time. The least effective response is refusing to work with him on Thursday: a count that needs two people is put at risk to answer a remark, which is a different kind of wrong from avoiding him or from staying silent. The principle: when the criticism is fair, own it and stay in the work with the person who made it.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a brand assistant at Harrods Online. An agency has said it will “try” to have the campaign artwork ready for the launch date, which is in three weeks, and has twice declined to confirm it. Your manager asks you in a corridor whether the date is safe, because she is about to commit the launch to a wider group. Everything else about the launch depends on that date. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say the date looks likely but that you would rather she waited a day, and go back to the agency for a firm answer before she commits to anybody.
   2. Tell her the agency has twice declined to confirm and has only said it will try, and offer to get a definite answer today before she commits the date.
   3. Tell her you will check and come back to her, then chase the agency and reply once you have something firm, rather than answering in a corridor.
   4. Tell her the date has been booked with the agency, since they have said they will try and there is no sign yet that it will actually slip.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell her the agency has twice declined to confirm and has only said it will try, and offer to get a definite answer today before she commits the date.

   Least effective: D. Tell her the date has been booked with the agency, since they have said they will try and there is no sign yet that it will actually slip.

   A: Softens the position without resolving it: she is left holding a probability, and the wider group is waiting on a commitment she cannot yet make.

   C: Withholds what you already know: she may commit the date in the meantime, and the fact that the agency has twice refused to confirm is exactly what she needs now.

   D: Reports an intention as a commitment: she commits a wider group to a date the agency has twice refused to confirm, on the strength of a word you chose for them.

   The most effective response is to tell her the agency has twice declined to confirm and has only said it will try, and offer to get a definite answer today: she has the true position at the moment she needs it, and the gap is being closed rather than described. It beats saying the date looks likely and asking her to wait, because she is left with a probability and no commitment. It beats saying you will check and come back, because she may commit while you are chasing and you already know the important part. The least effective response is telling her the date is booked: an intention is reported as a commitment, and a wider group is committed to a date the agency has twice refused to confirm, which is a different kind of wrong from hedging or from deferring. The principle: when somebody is about to commit, give them what you know at once, especially when what you know is that nothing is confirmed.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a purchasing assistant at Harrods Online. A supplier has changed two of its delivery terms, and the change affects a colleague’s ordering more than it affects yours. He is meeting that supplier on Thursday and does not know about it. The note explaining the change is in a shared folder he has access to but rarely opens. You found out yesterday. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Raise it at the team meeting on Thursday morning so the whole team hears about the change together, which is a better use of everybody's time than a set of separate messages.
   2. Let him find out at Thursday's meeting, and leave the note where it is in the shared folder that he already has access to.
   3. Forward him the note today with a line saying which two terms have changed and what they mean for his ordering, since Thursday's meeting is where he will need it.
   4. Rework his order proposal yourself with the new terms applied, and send it to him on Thursday morning so that he has something ready to take into the meeting.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Forward him the note today with a line saying which two terms have changed and what they mean for his ordering, since Thursday's meeting is where he will need it.

   Least effective: B. Let him find out at Thursday's meeting, and leave the note where it is in the shared folder that he already has access to.

   A: Times the telling for the sender's convenience: Thursday morning is hours before his meeting, which is not enough time to rework what he was going to ask for.

   B: Leaves a colleague to discover it in the room: the information is technically available to him, and the only person who knows it matters to Thursday chooses not to say so.

   D: Does a colleague's thinking for him: he arrives with a proposal he did not build and cannot defend when the supplier pushes back on it.

   The most effective response is to forward him the note today with a line on which terms changed and what they mean for his ordering: he gets it in time to think, it comes with the part that makes it matter to him, and the work stays his. It beats raising it at Thursday’s team meeting, because that is hours before he sits down with the supplier. It beats reworking his proposal for him, because he then walks in with a position he cannot defend. The least effective response is letting him find out at the meeting because the note was in a shared folder: availability is not telling, and the one person who knew it mattered to Thursday decided not to mention it, which is a different kind of wrong from mistiming the message or from over-helping. The principle: when you know something changes a colleague’s week, tell them yourself and early, whatever else it was published in.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a procurement graduate at Harrods Online. Working through delivery notes for a different piece of work, you find that one supplier’s notes have been recording pack sizes that do not match what is actually arriving, and have done for at least six weeks. Nobody has raised it. The supplier is being reviewed in a fortnight, and the pack sizes feed the figures that review uses. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Correct the pack sizes in the figures yourself for the six weeks that you can see, so that the review in a fortnight at least starts from numbers that match what was delivered.
   2. Pass the whole thing to the manager who owns the supplier relationship without mentioning the review in a fortnight, and treat your part as finished.
   3. Raise it at the review itself in a fortnight, when the supplier and the manager are both in the room and the pack sizes are on the agenda anyway.
   4. Take it to the manager who owns the supplier today with the six weeks set out, say what it does to the review's figures, and offer to check how far back it goes.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Take it to the manager who owns the supplier today with the six weeks set out, say what it does to the review's figures, and offer to check how far back it goes.

   Least effective: A. Correct the pack sizes in the figures yourself for the six weeks that you can see, so that the review in a fortnight at least starts from numbers that match what was delivered.

   A: Alters figures nobody asked you to alter: the numbers stop matching the notes that produced them, and the recording fault that caused it is now invisible to the person accountable for the supplier.

   B: Hands a finding on without what makes it urgent: the manager receives six weeks of notes with no mention of the review that is about to use them.

   C: Times the disclosure for the meeting it should have preceded: the review is prepared on figures everybody now knows are wrong, and the correction lands as a surprise.

   The most effective response is to take it to the manager who owns the supplier today with the six weeks set out, say what it does to the review’s figures, and offer to check how far back it goes: it reaches the person who can act while a fortnight is still enough time, and it carries the consequence rather than only the observation. It beats passing it across without mentioning the review, because the manager cannot act on a deadline nobody has told him about. It beats raising it at the review, because the preparation everybody does beforehand is built on figures already known to be false. The least effective response is correcting the pack sizes in the figures yourself: the numbers stop matching the notes behind them, the supplier carries on recording the wrong sizes, and the person accountable for that supplier can no longer see any of it, which is a different kind of wrong from handing the finding on bare or from raising it too late. The principle: something you found outside your own remit is carried to somebody who can act on it, with what it means attached, and never quietly repaired.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are an availability analyst at Harrods Online. An order for next week has been stopped by a system block because the volume is well above the agreed limit for that line. The manager who normally lifts a block is away, the ordering window closes at six, and you hold the rights to release a blocked order yourself. Without the order there will be nothing on that line for a week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Release the blocked order yourself before six, using the rights you hold, and leave a note on the file for the manager to read when he is back.
   2. Ring the manager covering for him now with the volume, the limit and the six o'clock window, and ask for a decision either way before the window closes.
   3. Let the order fail at six and put it through on Monday when the manager is back and can lift the block himself in the ordinary way.
   4. Split the order into three smaller ones that each sit under the limit, and tell your supervisor what you have done when she is back on Monday.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Ring the manager covering for him now with the volume, the limit and the six o'clock window, and ask for a decision either way before the window closes.

   Least effective: A. Release the blocked order yourself before six, using the rights you hold, and leave a note on the file for the manager to read when he is back.

   A: Breaches a limit that exists to be a limit: the rights make it possible and nobody with the authority to set the volume aside has agreed that this is the week to do it.

   C: Accepts the worst outcome without testing it: nobody has yet asked a single person whether the limit can be set aside, and a week of nothing is the result of that silence.

   D: Builds a workaround around a control: the same volume arrives, the limit is neither respected nor changed, and the next person to look at the line sees three ordinary orders.

   The most effective response is to ring the manager covering for him with the volume, the limit and the six o’clock window, and ask for a decision either way: the block is a limit somebody set deliberately, somebody with authority is always covering, and the deadline is a reason to ask quickly rather than a reason not to ask. It beats letting the order fail until Monday, because nobody has been asked and a week of nothing is a heavy price for not asking. It beats splitting the order into three under the limit, because that leaves the control formally intact and practically gone. The least effective response is releasing the blocked order yourself: the volume limit is set aside by the person it was meant to stop, which is a different kind of wrong from giving up or from being too clever. The principle: rights are what let you act, not what makes the action yours to authorise.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a scheduling coordinator at Harrods Online. A team member has asked for a weekend off in three weeks’ time and needs to know soon because she wants to book something. The manager who approves these is away until Thursday and has not seen the request. Requests like hers are usually agreed, but two other people have already been given that weekend. She has asked you today whether she can go ahead and book. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell her the request is as good as approved and that the weekend will be fine, since requests like hers are nearly always agreed once the manager sees them.
   2. Tell her the request is with the manager, that two others already have that weekend, and that you will have an answer for her by Thursday evening.
   3. Tell her you cannot say anything until the manager is back, and leave it there so that nothing you say can be taken as an answer either way.
   4. Tell her to book something refundable and say you will try to sort the rota out afterwards if the manager turns the request down.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell her the request is with the manager, that two others already have that weekend, and that you will have an answer for her by Thursday evening.

   Least effective: A. Tell her the request is as good as approved and that the weekend will be fine, since requests like hers are nearly always agreed once the manager sees them.

   A: Gives a certainty you have not got: two people already have that weekend, so the one thing that might make this request different is the thing she is told not to worry about.

   C: Withholds what you do know to stay safe: she is planning something, and the fact that two people already have that weekend is exactly what would help her plan.

   D: Commits somebody else's decision on her behalf: the booking is safer, and a manager who has not been asked is expected to make the rota fit.

   The most effective response is to tell her the request is with the manager, that two others already have that weekend, and that she will have an answer by Thursday evening: she gets the true state of it, the one complication that might change the answer, and a date, which together are what let her decide about booking. It beats saying you cannot comment until the manager is back, because the two existing bookings are useful to her now. It beats telling her to book something refundable, because it still expects a manager who has not been asked to make the rota fit afterwards. The least effective response is telling her it is as good as approved and the weekend will be fine: the complication that makes her case different is waved away, which is a different kind of wrong from telling her nothing or from over-promising a fix. The principle: tell somebody what is actually known, complications included, and give them a date rather than a comfort.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are an availability analyst at Harrods Online. You and a colleague are presenting a joint piece of analysis on Thursday. You have done the numbers and he has done the site interviews. Two of your sections are unfinished and you have a separate deadline on Wednesday. He has said he is happy to present alone if that helps. Thursday’s audience will ask about the numbers. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell him today which two sections are unfinished, agree what you can realistically have ready by Thursday, and split the presenting so that you take the numbers.
   2. Present together as planned and finish the two sections on Wednesday night after the other deadline, since they are nearly done and nobody else needs to know they were late.
   3. Ask to move Thursday's presentation to next week, since two unfinished sections and a Wednesday deadline is not a position to present a joint piece of work from.
   4. Give the presentation to your colleague to deliver on his own, without telling him which two sections you have not finished.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Tell him today which two sections are unfinished, agree what you can realistically have ready by Thursday, and split the presenting so that you take the numbers.

   Least effective: D. Give the presentation to your colleague to deliver on his own, without telling him which two sections you have not finished.

   B: Keeps a risk to yourself: if Wednesday night goes wrong, the first anybody hears about two missing sections is in the room on Thursday.

   C: Moves the date before trying the day: two sections and a colleague who has offered help make Thursday reachable, and the audience is assembled for it.

   D: Hands over a job with a hole in it: he stands in front of an audience that will ask about numbers he did not build, unaware that two sections are missing.

   The most effective response is to tell him today which sections are unfinished, agree what is realistic by Thursday, and split the presenting so you take the numbers: he can plan around the true position, the Wednesday deadline is accounted for, and the part of the audience’s questions only you can answer is answered by you. It beats presenting as planned and finishing on Wednesday night, because a private risk becomes everybody’s problem if the night goes badly. It beats moving the presentation, because Thursday is reachable and the audience is already assembled. The least effective response is handing him the presentation without saying two sections are missing: he faces questions about numbers he did not build, not knowing what is absent, which is a different kind of wrong from carrying the risk quietly or from postponing. The principle: a colleague can only cover for you against the truth, so tell them what is actually missing.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a trading assistant at Harrods Online. A figure you produced for a weekly pack rests on an assumption about supplier lead times that changed on Friday. With the new lead times the figure would be materially different. The pack goes to a manager this afternoon and the meeting that uses it is tomorrow. Reworking the figure properly takes half a day, which you do not have. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Rework the figure quickly this afternoon with an estimate of the new lead times, and put the estimated version in the pack instead of the one you can support.
   2. Put the figure in the pack as it stands, without flagging that the lead times behind it changed on Friday, since the rework cannot be done before this afternoon in any case.
   3. Put the figure in with a clear note that the lead times changed on Friday and what that does to it, and tell the manager before the pack goes out so nothing surprises him.
   4. Leave the figure out of the pack altogether and explain in its place that the number is being reworked after a change to supplier lead times.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Put the figure in with a clear note that the lead times changed on Friday and what that does to it, and tell the manager before the pack goes out so nothing surprises him.

   Least effective: B. Put the figure in the pack as it stands, without flagging that the lead times behind it changed on Friday, since the rework cannot be done before this afternoon in any case.

   A: Substitutes a guess for a stale fact: neither number has been checked, and the estimate carries none of the working the original at least had.

   B: Withholds the fact that decides what the number is worth: tomorrow's meeting uses a figure whose basis is known to be out of date by the only person who knows it.

   D: Removes the evidence rather than qualifying it: tomorrow's meeting loses a usable number and gains nothing it can decide with.

   The most effective response is to put the figure in with a clear note on the lead time change and what it is likely to do, and tell the manager before the pack goes out: the meeting keeps a number it can use, everybody knows what it rests on, and the manager can decide whether tomorrow needs the rework. It beats reworking it quickly on an estimate, because an unchecked guess replaces a number whose working at least exists. It beats leaving the figure out, because the meeting is then deciding with nothing. The least effective response is putting the figure in without flagging the lead time change: the only person who knows the basis has changed says nothing, and the meeting treats a stale figure as current, which is a different kind of wrong from guessing or from withdrawing the number. The principle: when you cannot fix a number in time, publish what is wrong with it to the person who is about to rely on it.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a stock control assistant at Harrods Online. A weekly count shows three hundred units fewer than the system expects on one line. The trading team needs a figure this afternoon to decide what to order for next week, and they have asked you whether the count can be relied on. Investigating the gap properly means pulling the movement history, which takes about two hours. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Give the trading team the counted figure with the gap stated alongside it, say the cause is not yet known, and start on the movement history straight away.
   2. Assure the trading team that the counted figure is sound and the gap is a scanning error, and look at the movement history later in the week if anybody comes back to you.
   3. Hold the figure back until the movement history is finished, and tell the trading team they will have something reliable by the end of the day.
   4. Give the trading team the figure the system holds rather than the counted one, since the system is what their ordering tool reads from in any case.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Give the trading team the counted figure with the gap stated alongside it, say the cause is not yet known, and start on the movement history straight away.

   Least effective: B. Assure the trading team that the counted figure is sound and the gap is a scanning error, and look at the movement history later in the week if anybody comes back to you.

   B: Gives an assurance you have not earned: nothing yet distinguishes a scanning error from three hundred missing units, and next week's order is placed on a cause that was invented to close the question.

   C: Delays the decision: the order has to be placed this afternoon, so a reliable number tomorrow is worth less to them than an honest one now.

   D: Substitutes the convenient source for the checked one: the count is the only evidence anybody has looked at, and it is the number being set aside.

   The most effective response is to give the trading team the counted figure with the gap stated alongside it and start on the movement history at once: they get a number in time to order, they know exactly how much weight it carries, and the work that settles the cause begins immediately. It beats holding the figure until the history is finished, because the decision is this afternoon and an honest number now beats a certain one tomorrow. It beats handing over the system figure instead, because the count is the only thing anybody has actually observed. The least effective response is assuring them the count is sound and the gap is a scanning error: no work has been done that could support either claim, and stating a cause you have not established is a different kind of wrong from being slow or from choosing the wrong source. The principle: report what you know and what you do not, rather than supplying the certainty the person asking would prefer.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a trading assistant at Harrods Online. A business customer has asked four times when new pricing will be issued, and each time you have said it is coming. The person who sets it has not given you a date and is not answering messages. The customer says he cannot plan his own ordering without it and is starting to sound as though he does not believe you. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Tell the customer honestly that you do not yet have a date, say what you are doing to get one and by when, and go to the pricing manager's team leader today.
    2. Stop replying until you have something concrete to tell him, since a fifth message that says the same thing as the other four will only make matters worse than they already are.
    3. Tell him the pricing is held up by the person who sets it and that you have chased repeatedly, so that he can see the delay is not something you control.
    4. Promise the customer the new pricing by Friday, since these usually come through within a week or so and a date is what he keeps asking you for.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: A. Tell the customer honestly that you do not yet have a date, say what you are doing to get one and by when, and go to the pricing manager's team leader today.

    Least effective: D. Promise the customer the new pricing by Friday, since these usually come through within a week or so and a date is what he keeps asking you for.

    B: Answers a loss of confidence with silence: the customer is left to conclude that nobody is dealing with it at all, which is worse than a thin answer.

    C: Explains your own position instead of solving his: the customer still cannot plan, and he now knows the business does not answer its own people either.

    D: Gives a date nobody has agreed to: the one thing he still trusts is what you say, and Friday is invented to end a conversation rather than to be met.

    The most effective response is to tell him honestly that you have no date yet, say what you are doing about it and by when, and go to the pricing manager’s team leader today: he gets the truth and a commitment you control, and the blockage finally reaches somebody with the standing to clear it. It beats going quiet until there is something concrete, because silence reads as nobody dealing with it. It beats explaining that the hold-up is with the person who sets pricing, because that tells him about your problems rather than solving his. The least effective response is promising the pricing by Friday: no such date exists, he plans on it, and a fifth assurance that fails is the one that ends his belief in anything you say, which is a different kind of wrong from going silent or from explaining too much. The principle: when the only thing you can offer is honesty and a next step, offer those rather than a date you cannot deliver.