Argos Christmas temp jobs...

System

Grrrr @ Argos

applied a few years ago and had to partake in some group exercise that basically consisted of us pretending to be elves. I didn't get the job

Wings_of_Ambition

xXMessedUpXx wrote: »

...had to partake in some group exercise that basically consisted of us pretending to be elves. I didn't get the job

Haha! Gawd... I think I'd probably walk out if they told me that was the group exercise. In fact, I can't even think how that would show your interpersonal skills... it's just people making fools of themselves. Idiot managers.

tandraig

They arent idiot managers!! they watch very carefully during group interviews - they are looking for friendly people who are helpful to others...........good numerical skills......a willingness to muck in.......not being fazed by unusual situations (dont you think they KNOW their interviews bizarre?)......team qualities.............leadership qualities.............and probably many other qualities i didnt spot they were looking for.
I am in 4th year of Psychology degree with OU and love people watching so I sussed the interview method pretty quick - its more popular and common in USA and this way they see how people react to diff situations. You cant do that in traditional type interviews can you?

Wings_of_Ambition

tandraig wrote: »

They arent idiot managers!! they watch very carefully during group interviews - they are looking for friendly people who are helpful to others...........good numerical skills......a willingness to muck in.......not being fazed by unusual situations (dont you think they KNOW their interviews bizarre?)......team qualities.............leadership qualities.............and probably many other qualities i didnt spot they were looking for.
I am in 4th year of Psychology degree with OU and love people watching so I sussed the interview method pretty quick - its more popular and common in USA and this way they see how people react to diff situations. You cant do that in traditional type interviews can you?

I somehow doubt the majority of managers/interviewers at Argos have psychology degrees behind them. If you want to see teamwork, get them to do a team exercise. Previous examples mentioned have been to design a superhero. I understand Asda sometimes get you to design an advertising campaign for a donut. You can see all the leadership/teamwork/helpfulness skills you want in such an exercise. But getting people to pretend they're elves.... that's just plain idiotic. I imagine people that are highly capable of working at Argos would feel damn stupid and somewhat degraded doing such a thing - it's hardly similar to your average working day. Do you think interviewers for jobs at a bank ask such things? Or those selecting airline pilots? Or even the management at McDonalds? If Argos want to hire professionals, then they should have a professional selection process, and "Right everybody, pretend you're elves" falls far short of that title.

tandraig

you misunderstand me wings - I wasnt saying the managers had psychology degrees - if they did they wouldnt be working for argos - just dreaming up daft interview techniques. I said i found the interview surreal but that I can see what they were designed to do and had heard or read about these techniques being used a lot in USA. I have no idea what interviews for bankers or airline pilots are like as I have never attended one! as for the management at McDonalds I believe they usually come up 'through the ranks' or buy a Franchise. but saying all that I can agree with your main point - why make people look silly at interviews?

djb215

Eee this thread got busy whilst I was at work!!

Pretending to be elves, sounds before my time!

Last year the activity we used was:

'You are a single person living in a 2 bedroom house that is furnished for yourself alone. Your family has invited themselves to stay for Christmas, so you need to furnish your house to accomodate them! Using the Argos catalogue, design a poster with items that would keep your guests occupied and so that you can accomodate your guests!'

We looked for imaginative ideas, beyond 'airbed' and 'nintendo wii'.

Don't know what this year's activity is, but if you get on an assessment just remember there is no 'I' in Team

:rotfl::D

tandraig

I worked for argos 3 years ago djb! I have no doubt they have devised different 'team exercises' by now! i have tried to advise potential employees who havent come across this sort of thing before - neither had I - but i didnt take it too seriously at the time and with the exercise I didnt feel foolish - but if anyone had asked me to be an elf I am not sure I wouldnt have walked out! especially as I was convinced I wouldnt get job! but i did and can honestly say that working on the tills in argos was really quite good! i got a great embarrasing story out of it anyway!

jboyle4eva

Hey,

Wow, great thread to find. I put in my application to my story on Tuesday. But, how long do I have to wait before I will hear back? It says "If you don't hear back from us in two week your application has not been successful" but I'm sure as it's only early Sept it could be longer before I hear back? Do you think I would be too eager to go in store and ask about my application?

Also, I was a Christmas Temp in Zavvi last year.....would that help my application?:p

djb215

jboyle4eva wrote: »

Hey,

Wow, great thread to find. I put in my application to my story on Tuesday. But, how long do I have to wait before I will hear back? It says "If you don't hear back from us in two week your application has not been successful" but I'm sure as it's only early Sept it could be longer before I hear back? Do you think I would be too eager to go in store and ask about my application?

Also, I was a Christmas Temp in Zavvi last year.....would that help my application?:p

Give it longer than 2 weeks, but no longer than 4, we put ours out last week and we're not doing any assessments until the 17th at our store.

As for Zavvi, as long as you personally didn't cause the chain to go bust it counts as work experience :rotfl:

achtunglady

I went into my local argos asking for an application form to be told submit a cv, this would be looked at, then providing you were deemed suitable, they would give you an interview THEN you fill in an application form, and not to submit the cv for another two weeks in case the assistant manager lost it!!!!
I did xmas temp work for argos 10 years ago (eek was it that long ago) so have an idea of whats expected, whether as backroom staff or on the shop floor, having had 10 years experience for woolies where i started as a xmas temp and then taken on when a vacancy arose.