Explained per part › Work situations (SJT)
Work situations (SJT)
You read a work situation and judge possible responses: which is the most and which the least effective? Employers compare your choices with what their best employees would do. The options often look alike.
HireVue Virtual Job Tryout (e.g. Shell), Harver (e.g. FrieslandCampina), Cappfinity (e.g. Nestlé and Heineken) and many interviews. Also under Interview → Multiple choice on this site.
How to solve it
Tomorrow you present your team’s results to the board. Tonight you find an error in a figure on the slides. The colleague who made them is on holiday. Responses: (a) correct the figure, note it on the slide and tell your manager; (b) present it as it is and correct the error later; (c) remove the slide; (d) have the presentation postponed.
- What is the problem? A wrong figure the board will see tomorrow.
- Who needs to know? Your manager, because it is the team’s presentation.
- Which response solves it and is open? (a): corrected, transparent, the manager knows.
- Which is least effective? (b): you knowingly present a wrong figure to the board.
Answer: Most effective: (a). Least effective: (b). (c) and (d) solve it, but you lose information or time.
Try it yourself
1. A customer calls, angry about a late delivery. Deliveries are not your department. What is most effective?
- Listen, apologise for the inconvenience, find out who handles it and say when the customer will hear back.
- Give the number of the logistics department.
- Explain that deliveries are not your department.
- Promise delivery tomorrow.
Show the answer
A. You take ownership without promising what you cannot deliver. Referring them on is reasonable but passes the buck; a promise you cannot keep is least effective.
2. You realise you will miss a deadline you agreed last week. What is most effective?
- Report it now, with a proposal: what will be ready when.
- Quietly work overtime and hope you make it.
- Wait until someone asks about it.
- Ask a colleague to take over, without telling your manager.
Show the answer
A. Flagging early gives others time to adjust. Waiting is least effective.
3. A new colleague keeps asking you questions, which slows your own work. What is most effective?
- Agree a fixed moment each day for questions and point to useful documents.
- Keep answering every question immediately.
- Ask your manager to do something about it.
- Ignore messages until your own work is done.
Show the answer
A. You help your colleague and protect your own work. Ignoring is least effective; going straight to the manager is too soon.
Tips
- Know the company’s values. Safety and integrity almost always come first.
- The best response tackles the problem yourself and involves the right people.
- The least effective response is often: doing nothing, hiding something or promising what you cannot deliver.
- Watch your role in the situation: what may you decide, and what not?
Practise with new questions: Work situations (SJT)
Numbered practice tests with an explanation for every answer, plus interview and assessment day practice. No account needed.
Practise for free →This page was created with the help of AI based on public sources and may contain errors. Always check dates and requirements with the company. Updated: 8 October 2026.