1) Stan is working as an administrator at an investment bank.

In
three months the branch will change its banking information-
system.

What is the best response Stan should take in order to respond to

this change?

A: Refer clients and staff members to employees with more

experience in the system.
B: Stan should turn to his supervisor every time he has an important
question.
C: Stan should take time to take the online course and read the
system guide.

Explanation=

Correct response: C By taking the online course (response C), Stan is

preparing for the upcoming change. He is likely to gain tools that can
help him deal effectively with problems that may occur while
working with the new system. This is a responsible and well-thought
response, which shows adaptability by showing willingness to take
steps in adapting to a new situation, and problem solving by
choosing a strategy that is likely to prevent and solve future
problems.

Explanation: Referring clients to more experienced staff (response

A), could solve some of the problems clients might encounter- but
Stan is not taking an active part in the solution, and is not, in fact,
doing his job. There is also no strategy or plan for him to become
familiar with the new system, thus he remains incapable of doing his
job. Here Stan is showing that he has no willingness or ability to
adapt to the new situation. Causing his colleagues to add additional
workload to their busy schedule shows flawed problem solving.
Turning to his supervisor at every step of the way (response B) shows
Stan lacks the ability to adapt independently to new situations. This
signals that he has a problem with adaptability. It's also likely that
the supervisor is not really needed for every step of the way- and so
this is flawed problem solving.

2) You've been working in the same place for the past three years
and have managed to work your way up. Lately, you have been
feeling that you have reached your potential in the company so
you start pursuing options for advancing your career in other
companies. You are now in the midst of negotiations for a new
position.

Rumours that you are leaving have spread in your current work
place.

1: Since the rumour is already out, you update all your

acquaintances in the organisation that you are in the midst of
negotiations for a new position. This may even encourage your
directors to promote you within the company.#
2: Because the rumour is out you update your manager and
only him about your intention of leaving. Since you are still an
employee there, you keep working normally.
#3: Since the rumour is already out and you will probably leave,
you invest a little less in your work and a bit more in attaining the
new position
.#4: Since it is only a rumour, you don't update anyone until
you actually hand in your notice. Nothing has been decided yet.

Explanation: Ideally, you probably wouldn't inform your workplace

about your likely resignation until you actually got the new position.
However, the circumstances of this scenario are different since word
has got out. Thus, this item examines the way in which you maintain
your work relationships despite potential conflict. Let's consider each
response individually:

Response #1: You fail to inform your superiors about your probable
resignation. This response is likely to jeopardise your relations with
them. This is not a positive response.

Response #2: This is the best response choice: you keep working as
usual and only update your superior as he will need to find someone
to replace you. Despite your possible departure, you continue to
demonstrate your commitment to the company. This attitude will
also be beneficial in maintaining good relations with your superiors.

Response #3: This response reflects poor work ethics on your part. It
is unfair towards your employer and is also likely to jeopardise your
hard-earned reputation in your workplace. Thus, this is not a positive
response.

Response #4: You take a passive stance, disregarding the fact that
rumours have been going round the office regarding your probable
departure. This response will not contribute to a good relationship
between you and your superiors/teammates. This is not a positive
response.

3) In the past week, you notice that Felix has been reading a
newspaper during work while the supervisor is out of the
office. Last week the supervisor was absent a lot- and Felix
seems to be reading while he should be completing his tasks.

What would you do first?

A: Talk to Felix. Explain that meeting team deadlines is important,
and that by reading the newspaper he is preventing your team from
reaching goals.
B: Don’t intervene. This is between Felix and the supervisor.
C: Talk to the supervisor. He should be aware of Felix not giving
enough attention to his tasks
D: Circulate an email regarding work ethics and productivity- in order
for your team to be more effective in the future.

Explanation: Here you are using a communication form which is

direct and persuasive. You are giving a proper justification for your
argument, and trying to influence Felix by showing him that his
actions are connected to the team’s performance and that he has a
vested interest in solving the problem. This response shows a good
level of communication skills, persuasion and teamwork. We
therefore chose this as the best response.

B. This response is the equivalent of doing nothing, which is rarely

the correct answer in SJT questions. Generally, in order for a passive
response to be the best, a good justification needs to be given.
Normally, the justification would be that choosing the other answer-
choices could cause more harm than good. Note that the
rationalization provided in this answer choice can be confusing. In
this case, it does seem like the problem lies between Felix and the
supervisor. However, although this doesn’t affect you directly- this
situation still negatively affects the productivity of your team as a
whole, and the organization you work in more generally. Therefore,
by choosing this response, not only are you not showing your
communication and teamwork skills- but you also show a low level of
organizational understanding- as you don’t see the connection
between solving the problem with Felix, and the productivity of your
team.

C. Talking to your manager about the problem could be an

appropriate and effective response, however, note that you were
asked to choose the best first response. In general, criticizing another
worker publicly without first doing so privately is considered
inappropriate and not supportive of teamwork. By choosing this
response first, you are showing low teamwork and communication
skills- as you are trying to communicate with Felix first.

D. This answer-choice corresponds to the office practice of knowing

what method of communication to choose for a given situation. Here
you are choosing a method that might not solve the problem
effectively as Felix could simply ignore the email or fails to see how it
relates to him. Choosing this response shows that you understood
that something needs to be done to amend Felix’s behavior, but you
chose to avoid communication with him directly- this could show
that you either wanted to avoid confrontation, or didn’t understand
that Felix’s behavior concerns you as part of the team. Therefore, by
choosing this response, you are not showing a high level of
communication and teamwork skills.

4) At a marketing meeting with your supervisor and the senior

marketing manager you find yourself in the midst of a conflict
between them. You know that the two do not get along
professionally and that they are in constant disagreement. They are
now arguing about strategies for a new campaign, and are asking you
to pick a side.

What would you do and why? Choose ONE option.

#1: You accept the idea of the senior marketing manager. Since she is
more senior she has more influence on your status in the company
and therefore it is politically wiser to support her.
#2: You accept the idea of your supervisor. Since he is directly above
you, he has more influence on your daily routine in the company and
therefore it is politically wiser to support him.
#3: You weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of each side and
decide accordingly without getting involved in their personal conflict.
#4: You believe that getting involved in this dispute would be
detrimental to you as both sides are superior to you. Therefore, you
refuse to pick a side saying that both strategies are equally
successful.

Explanation:

Response #1 and #2 : Both responses are similar in character.

Although you make a decision, you base it on workplace politics
rather than on your analytic abilities. Therefore, they are not the
best responses.

Response #3: This is the best response as You demonstrate an

understanding of social situations involving your superiors, as well as
the ability to analyse information and make an informed decision.

Response #4: This is a passive response as you avoid making any

decision. Thus, this is the worst response.

5) You and Travis from the sales department have been working
on a presentation about a large and important client, due by
Friday this week. Your supervisor will present your work to the
board of directors. Travis is responsible for gathering data
related to the customer, while you are responsible for
transforming his data into presentation slides. Accidentally,
Travis has collected the data from a wrong document - which
caused you to produce 30 inaccurate slides (around a day's
 work). Your manager is counting on the presentation to be
ready on time for the weekend meeting.

A: Explain to the supervisor that Travis has made an error gathering

the data- which can cause a delay in the presentation. Ask Travis
politely if he could amend the mistake- as it was mostly his doing.
B: Tell the supervisor that you and Travis made an error while
building the presentation from the data. Modify the inaccurate slides
accordingly with the help of Travis.
C: Don’t tell the supervisor about the mistake. Hand him notes with
some corrections to include while presenting the presentation.
D: No need to bother the supervisor with this. You should talk to
Travis about modifying the inaccurate slides as soon as possible.
Explanation:

Response (B) employs the practice of admitting mistakes and sharing

responsibility. Although Travis played a larger role in committing the
mistake while gathering the data, by sharing the responsibility for
the mistake, you are showing that you are a team player (teamwork).
By telling the supervisor that both of you have made an error you are
showing that you are responsible and have the integrity of admitting
your mistakes – thus allowing your supervisor to take the possibility
of being late for the deadline into account. By working together to
amend the mistake – your team has the potential of solving the task
effectively by the deadline. Explanation:

This question tests for the ability to share responsibility in a team

and the ability to admit mistakes while having the willingness to
correct them. The trick for solving the question is to choose the
response that employs both integrity and teamwork- while solving
the problem effectively.
Response (A) may seem like the correct response as Travis is
certainly responsible for the problem. However, by dropping all the
blame on Travis and not offering to work together on solving the
problem- you show that you are unwilling to share the responsibility-
thus showing low teamwork competency. Also, by criticizing Travis
behind his back you might cause unnecessary damage to his
relationship with the supervisor- as he should be given a chance to
explain himself.

Response (C) lacks responsibility and problem solving. Handing the

supervisor notes is only a partial solution if the supervisor hasn't
agreed to this solution- and is not prepared in advanced for this
solution. The quality of your work here is diminished – so you are
also showing a lack of thoroughness and attention to detail.

It is difficult not to choose response (D), as willing to work together

with Travis in order to solve the problem on time shows a high level
of teamwork. Since the intention communicated in this answer-
choice is to “not bother” the supervisor- choosing this question
reveals a low level of being responsible and a problem with working
under supervision- as you are not allowing your supervisor access to
valuable information which could affect his decision-making
regarding the presentation and the deadline.