Home Depot Assessment Tests

Home Depot Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a people team graduate at Home Depot. You have been helping two colleagues resolve a disagreement about how weekend hours are shared. This morning one of them told your manager that you had handled it badly and taken the other’s side. You had not, and you have the notes of every conversation. The two of them still have to agree a rota for next month, and you are the only person who has both accounts. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Send your manager the notes of every conversation straight away, so that the accusation is answered in full before it has a chance to settle into anybody's view of you.
   2. Ask him what he felt was one-sided and say what you did and why, so that the three of you can agree how the rota conversation is run from here.
   3. Withdraw from the rota discussion because he complained about your handling of it, and leave the file for whoever picks it up next month.
   4. Carry on running the discussion exactly as before and say nothing about the complaint, since answering it would only give it a weight it does not deserve.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Ask him what he felt was one-sided and say what you did and why, so that the three of you can agree how the rota conversation is run from here.

   Least effective: C. Withdraw from the rota discussion because he complained about your handling of it, and leave the file for whoever picks it up next month.

   A: Defends yourself before finishing the job: the file goes to your manager, the rota is no nearer agreement, and the complaint has become the main event.

   C: Withdraws after a complaint: the one person holding both accounts leaves the problem behind, and the two colleagues are further from a rota than when you started.

   D: Leaves a stated grievance unaddressed: he believes you took a side, and every suggestion you make from here is read through that belief.

   The most effective response is to ask him what he felt was one-sided, say what you did and why, and agree with both of them how the conversation runs from here: the complaint is treated as information rather than as an attack, the person who made it is the one you discuss it with, and the rota still gets agreed. It beats sending your manager the notes at once, because that answers the complaint and abandons the job. It beats carrying on as though nothing was said, because he now reads everything you suggest as taking a side. The least effective response is withdrawing from the rota discussion because he complained: the only person holding both accounts walks away, and next month’s rota is left to somebody starting from nothing, which is a different kind of wrong from over-defending yourself or from ignoring the grievance. The principle: when your impartiality is questioned, address it with the person who questioned it and keep doing the work.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a procurement graduate at Home Depot. A supplier you deal with weekly, whose contract comes up for renewal in about six months, has offered you two tickets to a match this Saturday. He says he cannot use them, that they would otherwise go to waste, and that it is nothing to do with the renewal. You would have to declare anything you accepted. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Accept the gift of the two tickets, since the renewal is six months away, the tickets would otherwise be wasted, and refusing would be awkward with somebody you deal with every week.
   2. Accept the tickets and declare them straight away, since declaring is exactly the mechanism that exists for offers like this and nothing is then hidden.
   3. Decline, explain that you cannot take anything from a supplier whose renewal you handle, and mention the offer to your manager so that it is on the record.
   4. Decline for now and suggest he offers them again once the renewal has been decided, since the difficulty is entirely about the timing rather than about the tickets.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Decline, explain that you cannot take anything from a supplier whose renewal you handle, and mention the offer to your manager so that it is on the record.

   Least effective: A. Accept the gift of the two tickets, since the renewal is six months away, the tickets would otherwise be wasted, and refusing would be awkward with somebody you deal with every week.

   A: Takes a personal benefit from a supplier whose contract you handle: the renewal is in the diary, and every conversation between now and then is affected whatever either of you intends.

   B: Treats a declaration as permission: the register records what happened, and it does not make it appropriate for you to hold them.

   D: Postpones the benefit rather than refusing it: a gift promised for after the decision is still attached to the decision.

   The most effective response is to decline, explain that you cannot take anything from a supplier whose renewal you handle, and tell your manager the offer was made: it keeps the renewal clean, it is straightforward with somebody you deal with weekly, and it puts the approach where the process can see it. It beats accepting and declaring, because a declaration records a thing rather than making it appropriate. It beats deferring the tickets until after the renewal, because a benefit promised for afterwards is still attached to the decision. The least effective response is accepting the gift of the two tickets: a supplier whose contract you handle has given you something personal, which colours every conversation until the renewal, and that is a different kind of wrong from over-relying on the register or from postponing. The principle: when you hold a decision about somebody, their generosity is not a separate matter.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a service recovery assistant at Home Depot. You have to tell your team on Monday that all case notes now have to be written up before the end of each shift. The change was made because the evening team’s notes have repeatedly been missing, which everybody privately knows. The new rule applies to all three shifts. You are the person announcing it. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Announce the change and explain that the evening team's unwritten cases are the reason for it, and that everybody else is caught only incidentally.
   2. Announce the change, explain what problem it solves for cases handed between shifts, and say how it will be reviewed if it turns out to be unworkable.
   3. Announce the change without explaining why, since the reason involves one shift's performance and there is nothing to gain from getting into that on a Monday morning.
   4. Announce the change and say it has come down from above, so that the team direct any objections to the people who actually decided it rather than to you.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Announce the change, explain what problem it solves for cases handed between shifts, and say how it will be reviewed if it turns out to be unworkable.

   Least effective: A. Announce the change and explain that the evening team's unwritten cases are the reason for it, and that everybody else is caught only incidentally.

   A: Blames a named group in an announcement: the rule is delivered as a punishment for one shift, and every one of them hears it from a colleague in front of the others.

   C: Withholds the reason to avoid the awkwardness: a rule with no explanation is followed for a week and then quietly dropped.

   D: Disowns a message you are delivering: the rule arrives with nobody behind it, which is the surest way to make sure it is not followed.

   The most effective response is to announce the change, explain what problem it solves for cases handed between shifts, and say how it will be reviewed: the reason is honest without being about anybody in particular, the rule is owned by the person delivering it, and there is a route if it proves unworkable. It beats announcing it with no explanation, because an unexplained rule lasts a week. It beats saying it came down from above, because a message nobody stands behind is not followed. The least effective response is explaining that it is the evening team’s fault: people hear their own shift named in front of everybody, which is a different kind of wrong from being unhelpfully brief or from disowning the message. The principle: explain a change by the problem it solves, never by the people it is aimed at.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a customer care assistant at Home Depot. A customer is asking for a refund that is larger than you may approve. Refunds above your limit need a manager, and the manager is in a meeting for another hour. The customer is polite, has waited a long time already, and says he needs to know before he leaves for work. The refund itself looks reasonable to you. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Approve the part of the refund that is inside your limit now, and tell him the rest will need a manager's decision that you will chase this afternoon.
   2. Tell him it is fine to expect the full refund and that nobody senior needs to look at a case as clear as his, which you have not actually checked.
   3. Tell him the refund is above what you can approve, put the case to the manager with your recommendation as soon as her meeting ends, and give him a time you will ring back.
   4. Interrupt the manager's meeting to get a decision on the refund now, since the customer is leaving for work shortly and has already waited a good deal longer than he should have had to.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell him the refund is above what you can approve, put the case to the manager with your recommendation as soon as her meeting ends, and give him a time you will ring back.

   Least effective: B. Tell him it is fine to expect the full refund and that nobody senior needs to look at a case as clear as his, which you have not actually checked.

   A: Settles the easy half and leaves the substance: he gets part of an answer and still has to wait for the decision he actually rang about.

   B: States as settled something nobody has decided: he leaves for work believing the money is agreed, and the manager may see the case quite differently.

   D: Escalates by interruption: an hour's wait for a call back is a smaller cost than pulling a manager out of a meeting for a case that is not urgent in that sense.

   The most effective response is to tell him the refund is above your limit, put the case to the manager with your recommendation as soon as she is free, and give him a time you will ring back: he knows exactly where his case is, the decision goes to the person who owns it with your view attached, and the call back is a commitment you can keep. It beats approving the part inside your limit, because the decision he is waiting for is the rest. It beats interrupting the meeting, because an hour is a smaller cost than that. The least effective response is telling him it is fine and nobody senior needs to look at it: he leaves for work believing the money is agreed and nobody has decided anything, which is a different kind of wrong from half-answering or from escalating clumsily. The principle: say what is decided, by whom and when, rather than what the person in front of you would like to hear.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a stock control assistant at Home Depot. 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.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a people team graduate at Home Depot. A team member has told you privately that her line manager has been changing her shifts at short notice for a month, and that she has stopped saying anything because it is not worth the friction. She has asked you not to make a fuss. Repeated short-notice changes are something the people team is meant to look at. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Take it straight to the manager's own manager today with the dates in front of you, since a month of short-notice changes is exactly what the people team exists to pick up.
   2. Suggest she raises it with her manager herself, and offer to help her prepare what she wants to say if she decides to do that.
   3. Explain to her that a month of short-notice changes is something you have to pass on, agree with her how and when it is raised, and raise it so that she is not surprised.
   4. Tell her there is nothing the people team can do without a formal complaint from her, which is not something you have actually checked.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Explain to her that a month of short-notice changes is something you have to pass on, agree with her how and when it is raised, and raise it so that she is not surprised.

   Least effective: D. Tell her there is nothing the people team can do without a formal complaint from her, which is not something you have actually checked.

   A: Escalates over the person who raised it: the conversation happens about her rather than with her, and the next person with a problem watches how this one went.

   B: Leaves the pattern with the one person least able to change it: the offer of help is genuine, and the shifts carry on exactly as they were.

   D: States a limit that does not exist: she stops looking for help on the strength of a rule you invented, and the pattern goes unexamined because of it.

   The most effective response is to explain that a month of short-notice changes has to be passed on, agree with her how and when, and then raise it: it is honest about what you can and cannot promise her, it keeps her in the conversation about her own situation, and the pattern reaches the people who are meant to see it. It beats going straight to the manager’s manager today, because she is the person it happens to and she finds out afterwards. It beats suggesting she raise it herself with your help, because she has already judged that route not worth the friction and nothing changes. The least effective response is telling her the people team can do nothing without a formal complaint: that is a limit you have not checked and it is not true, so she stops looking for help on the strength of it, which is a different kind of wrong from escalating over her head or from under-reaching. The principle: be honest about what you must pass on, and take somebody with you rather than either around them or nowhere at all.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a trading assistant at Home Depot. A large account has queried a charge on last month’s invoice. You have pulled the figures and can see the charge is correct, but the reason it changed is a contract term you do not fully understand. The account manager is out today. The customer wants an answer before the end of the week, and it is Wednesday. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Reply with the figures you have checked and what they show, say that the contract point needs the account manager, and book time with him for tomorrow morning.
   2. Explain the contract term to the customer as best you understand it, and say you will confirm it with the account manager tomorrow.
   3. Send the query on to the account team without the figures you have already checked, and let them start the contract point again from the beginning.
   4. Reply to the customer that the charge is correct and leave the reason for the account manager to explain when he is back in the office tomorrow.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Reply with the figures you have checked and what they show, say that the contract point needs the account manager, and book time with him for tomorrow morning.

   Least effective: C. Send the query on to the account team without the figures you have already checked, and let them start the contract point again from the beginning.

   B: Answers outside what you actually know: an approximate account of a contract term is the thing most likely to be quoted back at the business later.

   C: Passes the problem on stripped of the work already done: the account team starts from nothing, the day you have spent on it is wasted, and Friday is two days away.

   D: Answers the easy half only: the customer did not ask whether the charge was right, they asked why it changed, and that is the part being deferred.

   The most effective response is to reply with the figures you have checked and what they show, say the contract point needs the account manager, and book time with him for tomorrow: the customer sees progress and an honest boundary, the checking work is used, and Friday is still comfortably reachable. It beats explaining the contract term as best you understand it, because an approximation about a contract is exactly the sentence that gets quoted back later. It beats replying that the charge is correct and leaving the reason to the account manager, because the reason is what was asked. The least effective response is sending the query on without the figures you have already checked: the next person starts from nothing, a day of work disappears, and the deadline is two days out, which is a different kind of wrong from over-reaching or from answering only half. The principle: escalate the part you cannot answer, with the part you can attached to it.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a customer experience graduate at Home Depot. A change to how refunds are processed starts on Monday and will add three days to how long they take. About four hundred customers are waiting on refunds now. A notice has gone on their online accounts, though most customers open those only when something goes wrong. You have their contact details and the change is public. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Add a line about the change to the standard reply the team sends when customers write in, so that anybody who contacts us from Monday is told about the delay.
   2. Draft a message to all four hundred explaining the change in detail and why it is being made, and send it once your manager has approved the wording next week.
   3. Propose a short message to the four hundred waiting customers today, saying what is changing and what it means for their refund, so that they hear before it bites.
   4. Assume the customers who need to know will see the notice on their accounts, since it is published there and the change has been made public already.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Propose a short message to the four hundred waiting customers today, saying what is changing and what it means for their refund, so that they hear before it bites.

   Least effective: D. Assume the customers who need to know will see the notice on their accounts, since it is published there and the change has been made public already.

   A: Waits for the customer to make the first move: the people who write in are told, and the ones who simply wait and wonder are not.

   B: Times a warning to arrive after the event: the fullest explanation is worth less than a short one that reaches people before their refund is late.

   D: Assumes a published notice is a message received: the people affected rarely open those accounts, and the one team that knows that has decided publication is enough.

   The most effective response is to propose a short message to the four hundred waiting customers today, saying what is changing and what it means for them, and get it agreed before Monday: the people affected hear before they are affected, and the message says the one thing they need rather than everything there is to say. It beats adding a line to the standard reply, because that reaches only the customers who write in. It beats a full explanation approved next week, because a warning that arrives after the delay is not a warning. The least effective response is assuming the online notice will do the telling: the team knows those accounts are rarely opened, so a publication is treated as a message received, which is a different kind of wrong from reacting only to contact or from being too slow. The principle: when something you have published matters to identifiable people, tell them, and tell them before it bites.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a stock control assistant at Home Depot. The same line has run out three Fridays in a row because the level at which it reorders is set too low. You can see what it ought to be, and you have the access to change it. The setting belongs to the planning team, who review these monthly and whose next review is in three weeks. Friday is in two days. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Raise a manual order this week to cover Friday, and wait for the planning team's monthly review to deal with the setting itself in three weeks' time.
   2. Put the three Fridays into the planning team's monthly review paper, so that the setting is considered properly alongside everything else they are looking at.
   3. Send the planning team the three Fridays and the level you think it should be today, ask them to change it before Friday, and raise a manual order as cover meanwhile.
   4. Change the reorder level yourself to the number you can see it should be, since you have the access and the line has now run out three weeks running.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Send the planning team the three Fridays and the level you think it should be today, ask them to change it before Friday, and raise a manual order as cover meanwhile.

   Least effective: D. Change the reorder level yourself to the number you can see it should be, since you have the access and the line has now run out three weeks running.

   A: Treats the symptom and leaves the cause: this Friday is covered and two more will run out before anybody looks at the number behind it.

   B: Files an urgent item at the routine speed: the paper is read in three weeks and the line runs out twice more in the meantime.

   D: Breaches another team's control of their own settings: the number may well be right, and it is changed underneath the people who are accountable for it.

   The most effective response is to send the planning team the three Fridays and your proposed level, ask for the change before Friday, and raise a manual order as cover: the immediate gap is covered, the cause goes to the people who own it with the evidence attached, and the timescale asked for matches the problem rather than the calendar. It beats raising a manual order and waiting for the monthly review, because two more Fridays fail first. It beats writing it into the review paper, because that treats a repeating failure at the speed of a routine agenda. The least effective response is changing the reorder level yourself: the number may be exactly right and it is altered underneath the team accountable for it, which is a different kind of wrong from being too slow or from filing it in the wrong place. The principle: bring the evidence and the urgency to whoever owns the setting, rather than exercising an access you happen to hold.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a resourcing assistant at Home Depot. A new starter is on tomorrow’s rota, and his induction record shows the safety module outstanding. Nobody may work a shift until it is signed as complete, and the next session is on Wednesday. The duty manager tells you the shift is already one person short and asks you to mark the module done, saying the starter can sit it later in the week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Tell the duty manager today that the module is outstanding so cover can be arranged for tomorrow, and book the starter onto Wednesday's session yourself while you are in the system.
    2. Mark the safety module as complete so tomorrow's shift is covered, and make sure the starter actually sits the session on Wednesday as the duty manager suggested.
    3. Explain to the duty manager that you are not comfortable marking the module as complete, and leave tomorrow's rota gap with him to solve as he sees fit, since the shift is his to cover.
    4. Put the request in writing to the people team and wait for their ruling before doing anything about tomorrow, since the rule is theirs rather than yours.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: A. Tell the duty manager today that the module is outstanding so cover can be arranged for tomorrow, and book the starter onto Wednesday's session yourself while you are in the system.

    Least effective: B. Mark the safety module as complete so tomorrow's shift is covered, and make sure the starter actually sits the session on Wednesday as the duty manager suggested.

    B: Certifies something that was not done: the record now says a check was completed when it was not, and everyone downstream who relies on that record is reading a statement that is untrue.

    C: Avoids the difficult half of the job: refusing is right, and stopping there leaves a manager with a shift to cover by tomorrow and no help from the person holding the induction diary.

    D: Escalates a settled point: the rule is not in doubt, and a ruling that arrives after tomorrow's shift leaves the gap unaddressed and the starter unbooked.

    The most effective response is to tell the duty manager today that the module is outstanding so cover can be arranged, and book the starter onto Wednesday’s session: it holds the line the record exists for and it deals with the manager’s real problem, which is the shift, rather than leaving him with it. It beats saying you are not comfortable and leaving the gap with him, because the refusal is only half the answer and the half you hold is the diary. It beats putting the request to the people team and waiting for a ruling, because nothing about the rule is unclear and the shift is tomorrow. The least effective response is marking the safety module as complete so tomorrow is covered: everything downstream treats that record as a statement that the check happened, and writing something untrue into it is a different kind of wrong from being unhelpful or slow. The principle: a record is a statement of fact, and the pressure to make one say something convenient is exactly when it matters that it does not.