Prepare for TK Maxx Online Assessments and Assessment Centre

This PrepPack™ combines Talent Q-style numerical, verbal, logical, situational judgement and Excel tests, interview Preparation, guides and tutorials.

TK Maxx is a subsidiary of TJX Europe; recruitment to jobs can be carried out under either name, depending on what position you are applying to. Graduate programmes are run by the parent company TJX Europe for TK Maxx and HomeSense.

There are three main areas to the TK Maxx graduate scheme: Finance, Merchandising & Buying and Business Technology, whilst other recruitment channels include industrial placements and experienced hires. This article sets out the stages of the graduate scheme recruitment specifically, but it is relevant to other positions as well.

The first stage is the TK Maxx online application. This application includes both uploading your CV and filling out information on a set form. There are also a few questions for you to complete asking about you, your skills and motivation for joining TJX Europe/ TK Maxx.

You must ensure that your CV includes all the information about your education and experience that is relevant to your application with TK Maxx. Build a CV that stands out with CV builder product. Plan your answers to the questions on the form carefully; you may even want to draft them on Word and copy them in, once you are sure they are finished. Don’t forget to use the STAR method to ensure that your answer contains all the details required.

If your application form meets the standard required by the recruitment team, you will be pushed to the recruitment stage. This stage involves two sets of online assessments: the online aptitude tests and the video interview. You have 5 days to complete both assessments. Preparation for both is crucial, as they are the point at which the largest number of applicants will be turned away.

You are given three aptitude tests to take, which should take 35 minutes to complete. These aptitude tests are a verbal, numerical and logical reasoning test, designed to get a full picture of your cognitive ability. These tests assess your skills while putting you under pressure. Practice is key to ensuring that you get a good score on your test.

Learn more about the tests and how to prepare below.

• Numerical reasoning tests examine how well you can understand and apply the information you receive in a numerical format such as a graph or table. In order to answer a set of multiple-choice questions, you must be able to manipulate the data you have been given and perform calculations such as percentages, ratios and the basic mathematical functions. Get your numerical reasoning practice in with the range of tailored numerical reasoning test practice packs.
• Verbal reasoning tests look at your ability to understand written information and use it to answer a question. In this test, you have usually given a passage of information to read and then a question for you to answer based only on what is said in the text. All questions are multiple choice, but that doesn't make them any easier. Get your verbal reasoning test practice today to start understanding how to answer these questions.
• Logical reasoning tests are also known as non-verbal or abstract reasoning. These tests assess your problem-solving skills. You are usually given a set of shapes and asked to determine the pattern linking them together so that you can choose the next shape in the sequence from a list of options. These tests are often fast-paced, but thorough studying will help you identify solving strategies and move through the test quickly and accurately. Prepare for your logical reasoning test with the non-verbal reasoning practice.

The TJX Europe video interview is sent to you at the same time as the online tests. The aim of this interview is to give the recruitment team a more visual introduction to you. You have five days to complete the interview, but you should plan to take it in one sitting.

This is a pre-recorded interview which contains 10 questions. You have 30 seconds to read each question, think about your answer and up to 3 minutes to give your answer. Example questions are listed below, but prepare to talk about yourself, your experience, skills and interests. Ahead of the video interview prepare examples that can be used to illustrate your answers, organising each example around the STAR method.

Talking into a camera is a new skill to many, so you would be wise to practise giving your answers talking into a video. This interview package is tailor-made to give you the preparation you need to excel in the interview. 

TK Maxx interview questions vary between the different schemes, but there is an emphasis in these interviews on your skills and motivations for working with TJX Europe, as well as your knowledge and opinions on the market in which the company operates.

Some of the questions you may have in your video interview include:

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Why have you chosen TK Maxx and this programme?
• Describe a time you changed something in a process.
• Discuss the off-price model & how it affects Business Technology.
• TK Maxx wants to grow in size over the next couple of years. How can it achieve this?
• Describe your biggest mistake in your studies or work and how you handled it.
• Talk about a store and why there are different products in different locations.
• What part do you play in a team and what skills do you bring?
• Explain off-price buying and how it differs to normal buying.

The final stage of the TJX Europe recruitment process is the assessment day, which is tailored to the applied programme. This is a long and intense day, where you are expected to perform at the top of your game throughout a range of different assessments. There are approximately 8 to 12 people at each assessment centre and you will experience a set of exercises, including individual and group exercises, a presentation and interview.

These exercises are built around a case study which is given to you at the assessment day. While exercises may vary, below are some of the exercises you may experience.

• Individual data exercise - This task is again designed to examine how you work through and understand pieces of information. An example exercise used in the past is that you are given a list of future projects to decide which are suitable for TJX to pick up. You are given a set budget and a list of projects to accept or reject. In some cases, you are then asked to give a presentation on an element of the task you have just completed. Prepare for this exercise with the case study practice tools.
• Group exercises - You will usually have more than one group exercise on your assessment day. Some of the tasks you may have include discussing the data analysis exercise that you have just completed as a group and coming to a set of conclusions about it; or as a group coming to an agreement about future product lines that would be commercially viable in a TK Maxx store. Throughout your group discussion, you are watched by a team of assessors who are marking you on your teamwork, contribution to the conversation and on your ability to express your opinion when you agree or don’t agree with the direction the group are moving in. Group discussions can be difficult as you balance saying enough without taking over the entire conversation. Gain some valuable group discussion tips with the group exercises pages and packs.

Applicants for some programmes will be told to prepare a presentation ahead of the assessment centre. This presentation will be on a relevant topic to TK Maxx and the programme you are applying to, for example, an applicant to Buying and Merchandising may be asked to prepare a presentation on stores and trends. Other applicants will be asked to prepare a presentation at the assessment centre based on the individual data analysis exercise. Either way, your interviewers are looking at your verbal communication skills and how well you can deliver information to an audience. The presentation pages offer advice on how to create and deliver a presentation that stands out.

The final exercise at the TK Maxx assessment day is the face to face interview. You will usually have two interviewers from the area you are applying to. This interview is predominantly a competency-based interview, asking you questions about you and your skills and what you have to offer to TK Maxx. The interview will also contain some technical questions, with an emphasis on what you know about TK Maxx. There is a particular emphasis on what makes TK Maxx different from other shops, as well as the business model they employ.

Example interview questions include:

• Describe a time when you have veered away from the status quo.
• Describe a time when you disagreed with how things are done.
• Tell us about some TK Maxx stores you have visited and how they are different from each other.

Ahead of the interview, prepare a new set of examples to use in your answers, with the STAR method to ensure that you give a complete answer. You will also want to do your TK Maxx homework by reading up on the company and the section you are applying to, as well as visiting stores with an employee's eye rather than as a shopper.

Once you have pulled together all your research and sample answers, you should rehearse your delivery. The interview preparation service will give you all the interview preparation you need and guidance on how to be even better in your real interview.

If you are successful at the assessment centre, the next piece of news you receive from TK Maxx should be a job offer.