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Promotions
Do you assert yourself effectively?
assert yourselfAre you good at getting what you want? Here’s your chance to rate yourself with our quiz. Be honest about how you’d react to these ten situations and discover whether you come across as self-assured, scary or a doormat. Then check out our tips on how you can improve your assertion techniques.
 
send this quiz to a friendsee all quizzes
 
 
1. You’re mentoring a new staff member and, after several months, she still isn't confident enough to do tasks without asking first. Her constant need for reassurance is becoming a strain. The solution is to:
  Try to find someone else to take her on.
  Tell her she needs to start using her initiative and learn to stand on her own feet, and that you’re now only available for an hour each week.
  Find out why she needs so much support, then set limits on how and when she can access your help.
 
2. Your manager asks you to work late for the third time this week. You know the deadline’s important, but you’ve promised your daughter you'll be home for bath time tonight. What do you do?
  Explain you have other commitments and offer to come in early the next day instead.
  Realise that staying late is inevitable, ring home to explain, then spend the rest of the day feeling resentful and guilty.
  Tell your boss you’ve already done your fair share this week, that your family life is suffering as a result, and it’s time he asked someone else.
 
3. You work for a company with a ‘long hours culture’ and it’s wearing you out. You want to cut back to a four-day week. Despite preparing realistic solutions to issues you knew would be raised, you're turned down. Your next step is to:
  Threaten to resign if they won’t compromise.
  Ask for a detailed, written explanation of why, then rework your proposal in response to the objections.
  Plead with them, explaining that the way you are working is making life impossible for you.
 
4. In a staff meeting a colleague presents one of your ideas as her own. How do you react :
  Say nothing because you don't want to cause an argument in front of everyone, but have a word with her afterwards to set the record straight.
  Express disbelief and firmly point out that this was your idea in the first place and that you resent her being underhand.
  Say how pleased you are that she’s backing you up and invite her to work with you on this.
 
5. In an interview you’re asked about childcare arrangements. You suspect, quite rightly, that they’re not allowed to ask this. What do you say?
  I can see why you’re still working towards being an equal opportunities employer.
  It hasn’t caused problems in the past and I don’t foresee it causing any in the future.
  Do you ask male applicants the same illegal question?
 
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