L'Oreal Assessment Tests

L’Oreal Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a trading assistant at L’Oreal. 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Withholds the fact that decides what the number is worth: tomorrow's meeting uses a figure whose basis is known to be out of date by the only person who knows it.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.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a customer experience graduate at L’Oreal. 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.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are an availability analyst at L’Oreal. Two teams have each asked for a report by noon, and each says their meeting depends on it. You can produce one properly by noon, not both. It is ten o’clock. Both teams have asked you directly and are waiting to hear. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Produce a rough version of each by noon, with a note on both saying the numbers have not been checked and should be treated with care in the meetings.
   2. Tell both teams now that only one report can be ready by noon and ask which meeting cannot proceed without it, so that the people who know their meetings choose.
   3. Tell both teams their reports will be ready by noon, and decide later in the morning which one you actually finish.
   4. Start on the report for the team that asked first and let the other team hear at noon, since first come first served is the only fair rule you have to go on.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell both teams now that only one report can be ready by noon and ask which meeting cannot proceed without it, so that the people who know their meetings choose.

   Least effective: C. Tell both teams their reports will be ready by noon, and decide later in the morning which one you actually finish.

   A: Splits the work so neither is usable: two unchecked reports go into two meetings, and the caveat does not stop anybody quoting the figures in them.

   C: Promises what cannot be delivered to buy quiet: both meetings are planned on a report arriving, and one of them finds out at noon that it was never coming.

   D: Applies a rule instead of asking: order of arrival has nothing to do with which meeting actually cannot proceed, and the second team learns too late to adapt.

   The most effective response is to tell both teams now that only one report can be ready, ask which meeting cannot proceed without it, and start on that one: the people who know what their meetings need make the choice, they make it at ten rather than at noon, and the report that matters most gets the full two hours. It beats producing rough versions of both, because unchecked numbers get quoted whatever the note on them says. It beats working to order of arrival, because who asked first has nothing to do with which meeting is stuck. The least effective response is telling both their reports will be ready and deciding later: two meetings are planned on a promise you know cannot hold, and one of them learns at noon, which is a different kind of wrong from doing both badly or from choosing by the wrong rule. The principle: when you can only do one, say so early and let the people affected choose which.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a customer experience graduate at L’Oreal. You have two pieces of work today: a backlog of forty customer messages that have been waiting since Friday, and a survey summary a manager asked you for by this evening for a meeting tomorrow. You cannot finish both. The messages have no stated deadline, and several customers are waiting on replacements. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Do half of each so that the manager gets something to work with tomorrow and the oldest messages in the backlog are cleared before the end of the day.
   2. Work through the message backlog and start the survey summary tomorrow, without telling the manager that the summary he asked for will not be ready for his meeting.
   3. Tell the manager this morning that the backlog is forty messages deep and ask whether he wants the summary tonight or the backlog cleared, so that he can weigh the two himself.
   4. Finish the survey summary first because it has a stated deadline, and leave the messages until tomorrow since none of them carries a date that anybody has given you.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell the manager this morning that the backlog is forty messages deep and ask whether he wants the summary tonight or the backlog cleared, so that he can weigh the two himself.

   Least effective: B. Work through the message backlog and start the survey summary tomorrow, without telling the manager that the summary he asked for will not be ready for his meeting.

   A: Splits effort so nothing finishes: a half summary is not usable in a meeting and twenty answered messages leave twenty customers still waiting since Friday.

   B: Withholds a slip from the person planning around it: the choice may be right, and he walks into a meeting tomorrow expecting a document that was never started.

   D: Reads a deadline as the only measure of urgency: forty customers have been waiting since Friday and several are waiting on replacements they cannot get elsewhere.

   The most effective response is to tell the manager this morning how deep the backlog is and ask which he wants, then do that: he owns the priorities between his meeting and the customers, he can only weigh them if he knows both, and asking costs five minutes at the start of the day rather than an apology at the end of it. It beats doing half of each, because half a summary is useless in a meeting and half a backlog leaves the same customers waiting. It beats finishing the summary first on the strength of its deadline, because forty customers waiting since Friday is the more urgent thing even though nobody put a date on it. The least effective response is working the message backlog without telling the manager his summary will not be ready: the decision may well be the right one, and he finds out tomorrow, in the meeting, which is a different kind of wrong from splitting your effort or from mis-ranking the work. The principle: where you cannot do both, the person whose plan changes hears it from you first.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a resourcing assistant at L’Oreal. 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.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a procurement graduate at L’Oreal. 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.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a supply chain graduate at L’Oreal. You produce a weekly report that a planner uses to set orders. For three weeks running one line has come out short of what the sites asked for, and you have corrected it by hand each time without saying so. The planner reads the corrected number and is happy with it. Sending this week’s report is a five-minute job. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Correct the line by hand again this week and start keeping a note of each correction, so that there is a record to show somebody if it happens for a fourth or fifth week.
   2. Send the report with the pattern set out in the covering note, and take the three weeks of corrections to the planner today, since he is the one setting orders from that line.
   3. Send the report with the line corrected as usual, without mentioning that the same line has now been short three weeks running.
   4. Stop correcting the line and send the raw figure this week, so that the shortfall shows up in the planner's own numbers and he raises it himself.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Send the report with the pattern set out in the covering note, and take the three weeks of corrections to the planner today, since he is the one setting orders from that line.

   Least effective: C. Send the report with the line corrected as usual, without mentioning that the same line has now been short three weeks running.

   A: Gathers evidence instead of raising it: the pattern is already three weeks old, and the planner keeps setting orders from a number somebody is quietly repairing.

   C: Withholds a pattern the reader is entitled to: the number looks trustworthy precisely because the repair is invisible, and the person who could fix the cause does not know there is one.

   D: Makes a point by letting something fail: the planner sets an order from a figure you know to be wrong, and learns about a three-week problem the hard way.

   The most effective response is to send the report with the pattern set out in the covering note and take the three weeks of corrections to the planner today: he is setting orders from that line, the repeated shortfall is the actual finding, and a five-minute job does not become a reason to keep it to yourself. It beats correcting it again and starting a note, because the evidence needed to raise it has existed for three weeks already. It beats sending the raw figure so the problem shows itself, because that teaches the planner by damaging his order. The least effective response is sending the corrected report and saying nothing about three weeks of shortfalls: the correction makes the number look sound, so nobody investigates a cause that is still there, which is a different kind of wrong from gathering evidence too long or from proving a point. The principle: a problem you have quietly worked around is still a problem, and the person relying on the output owns it with you.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a customer experience graduate at L’Oreal. A colleague is on leave for a fortnight and her cases have come to you on top of your own. You are working late and falling behind, and forty cases are now past the promised reply date. She has left you her login so you can see her case notes, and using it would let you close cases in her name much faster than working through your own queue. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Work through both queues in date order and accept that some cases will be late, since the fortnight is nearly half over and there is no way to answer everything on time.
   2. Clear the backlog using your colleague's login while she is away, since the cases have to be answered and working in her name is much quicker than moving each one across to yourself.
   3. Answer the oldest forty first and leave your own newer cases until the backlog is clear, so that nobody is waiting longer than the promised date by more than a day or two.
   4. Tell your team leader today how many cases are past the promised date and what you can realistically clear, so that the queue can be shared out while your colleague is away.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell your team leader today how many cases are past the promised date and what you can realistically clear, so that the queue can be shared out while your colleague is away.

   Least effective: B. Clear the backlog using your colleague's login while she is away, since the cases have to be answered and working in her name is much quicker than moving each one across to yourself.

   A: Absorbs the overload silently: it is honest work and nobody who could add a person, extend a promise or reset expectations has been told the position.

   B: Breaches the rule on who acts under whose name: the queue may shrink, and every case closed that way is recorded as the work of somebody who is on leave.

   C: Rearranges the queue without changing its size: the oldest are rescued, your own newer cases now age past their dates, and the workload itself is unaddressed.

   The most effective response is to tell your team leader how many cases are past the promised date and what you can realistically clear, and ask for the queue to be shared: the only fix for a fortnight of two workloads is a decision about resource, and that decision belongs to somebody who does not yet know the numbers. It beats working through both queues in date order, because that is the same overload carried quietly. It beats answering the oldest first, because it moves the lateness around rather than reducing it. The least effective response is clearing cases under your colleague’s login: the record then says she answered customers while she was on leave, and using somebody’s credentials because it is faster is a different kind of wrong from struggling on or from reordering the queue. The principle: when the work will not fit, make the size of it visible to whoever can change it, and never solve it by acting as somebody else.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a supply chain graduate at L’Oreal. A business customer’s order was due yesterday and has not arrived. The tracking shows it left and then nothing. The customer has emailed once, politely, asking where it is. Deliveries occasionally turn up a day or two late without anybody intervening. Chasing it properly means ringing the carrier and waiting on hold. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Reply to the customer that the order has left and that tracking will update when it moves, which is all the information the system currently gives you about it.
   2. Ring the carrier now and say nothing to the customer until you have an answer, since a reply with no news in it will only invite another email.
   3. Wait for the order to arrive in its own time, since deliveries often turn up a day or two late and the customer has only written once so far.
   4. Reply today to say you are chasing the carrier and when you will come back to him, ring the carrier, and update him either way so that he knows a person has it.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Reply today to say you are chasing the carrier and when you will come back to him, ring the carrier, and update him either way so that he knows a person has it.

   Least effective: C. Wait for the order to arrive in its own time, since deliveries often turn up a day or two late and the customer has only written once so far.

   A: Passes on the screen rather than the situation: he can read tracking himself, and nothing about his order has actually been chased.

   B: Leaves a waiting customer with silence: the chase is right and he does not know it is happening, so his next email arrives anyway.

   C: Waits out a customer who has asked a direct question: nothing is checked, nothing is answered, and the outcome depends entirely on the order turning up.

   The most effective response is to reply today saying you are chasing the carrier and when you will come back, ring them, and update him either way: he knows a person has his problem, the chase actually happens, and the commitment is one you control. It beats telling him tracking will update when it moves, because he can see that himself. It beats saying nothing to the customer until the carrier answers, because his second email arrives while you are on hold. The least effective response is waiting for the order to turn up in its own time: a direct question goes unanswered and nothing is checked, so a good outcome depends entirely on luck, which is a different kind of wrong from being unhelpfully literal or from being quiet while you work. The principle: a customer who has asked where something is gets an action and a time, not a probability.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a commercial finance assistant at L’Oreal. Two colleagues you work with, one in trading and one in supply, have fallen out over a promotion whose cost came in well above plan. Each has told you separately that the other changed a number without saying so. Both have asked you what the other said. The figure has to be explained in Monday’s review, and you are the person who holds both versions of the file. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Ask each of them separately to walk you through their version of the change, then decide yourself which account the file supports and take that to Monday's review.
    2. Write up what the file shows and send it straight to the reviewer before Monday, leaving the two of them to sort out between themselves how the change happened and who made it.
    3. Tell each of them what the other has been saying about the change, so that both know where they stand before the review on Monday.
    4. Put both versions of the file in front of the two of them together and say what changed and when, so that they agree between them what Monday's review is told about the cost.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: D. Put both versions of the file in front of the two of them together and say what changed and when, so that they agree between them what Monday's review is told about the cost.

    Least effective: C. Tell each of them what the other has been saying about the change, so that both know where they stand before the review on Monday.

    A: Substitutes your own judgement for theirs: you arbitrate between two colleagues in private, and whichever way it lands, the loser hears the verdict at the review.

    B: Avoids the difficult conversation: the number is explained and the working relationship the next promotion depends on is left exactly as it is.

    C: Personalises the disagreement: it turns a question about a figure into a question about two people's accounts of each other, and does it in the way least likely to survive either of them repeating it.

    The most effective response is to put both versions of the file in front of the two of them together and ask them to agree what the review is told: the disagreement is about what the file shows, the file is in front of everybody, and the people who have to work together next month settle it themselves. It beats writing it up and sending it to the reviewer, because Monday is covered and nothing between the two colleagues is. It beats hearing each version separately and deciding which the file supports, because a private arbitration by the most junior person present leaves one of them told they were wrong by you. The least effective response is telling each of them what the other has been saying: the argument stops being about the promotion cost and becomes about what each said behind the other’s back, which is a different kind of wrong from ducking the conversation or over-reaching in it. The principle: put the evidence in front of both parties at once, and let the disagreement be about the thing rather than about each other.