Assessment Centres Introduction Assessment centres are proving to be an increasingly popular tool in the recruitment process for the majority of leading graduate recruiters. They offer companies a chance to observe the way candidates operate and interact with each other and so gain more information on the candidates' abilities, with respect to key job demands, than they might otherwise by conventional interview. Potential recruits are whisked away to an alien environment for between 24 and 48 hours and placed in various scenarios where they are required to perform a range of tasks using the same skills and qualities as they would need in a real-life work situation. Although the thought of participating in such a centre may not be all that appealing, you should see such assessment centres in a positive light. This is because they have been deliberately employed to ensure that any decisions made are based on objective results and achieving a consensus of opinion from a number of different assessors. In addition, the activities will have been specifically designed to have a close relevance to features of the job and several assessment techniques will be used to measure the different attributes required. It is essential that individuals act naturally and don't try to pretend to be what they assume is the company's model candidate. You should be confident in your own abilities, as it is those which have got you to the assessment centre in the first place. There will be a number of different activities spread out over a period of time, so don't worry if you fare badly in one of the exercises, as it is your overall performance that will be of interest. Although you will be compared to the others in your assessment group, try not to think you are in direct competition with them. Most assessors will be looking for evidence of teamworking skills and, in any case, the activities set will probably have been deliberately chosen so that the more you work together as a team, the more likely you will be to achieve success. Preparation As regards preparation for such centres, the same advice applies as that for interviews. By carefully thinking what qualities and skills the assessors will be looking for, you can greatly improve your chances of performing well. These will tend to be the soft skills needed to work with others, such as interpersonal and behavioural skills, which are harder to measure in a formal interview setting and yet arguably give the best indication as to how well an individual will fit with a company's culture.The main attributes that employers are looking for at assessment centres can be grouped as follows: Action - leadership, motivation, flexibility, drive. Relationships - teamwork, interpersonal skills, oral communication, awareness of others. Judgement - analytical reasoning, decision making, commercial awareness, strategic planning. Presence - self-confidence, calmness, political awareness, communication skills. Prior to attending any assessment centre, you should be given some information regarding the types of activities in which you will be participating. This should enable a certain amount of preparation, as at least you will have an idea of what to expect and the qualities that are likely to be sought at each stage. The various activities that are used at assessment centres typically comprise of role plays, group discussions, in-tray and presentation exercises, team tasks and psychometric tests. Assessment Activities Role Play: this is likely to be the activity that most closely assesses your problem solving ability as well as your business acumen. Think carefully about what the assessors are looking for as you could well be placed in a difficult or confrontational situation to see how well you handle it. It is important to be flexible in your approach and think through any recommendations fully to consider their implications. You will be assessed as much on how you approach a problem as your actual solution. Group Discussion: the difficulty with this exercise is the need to strike a balance between putting forward your opinions and risk dominating the group or sitting back and risk making no contribution at all. The composition of groups will necessarily vary, sometimes with two or three dominant characters, sometimes with none. The skill is to quickly identify the make-up of your group and to contribute accordingly. Assessors will be looking at your ability to listen and speak in equal measure to the other members of the group. You should be prepared to show flexibility and recognise the contributions of others, even if that may mean admitting weaknesses in one of your own proposals. Above all, remain positive throughout ensuring that any criticism you give is constructive and avoid scoring points at other people's expense. Typically, a group will be required to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of several potential solutions and then recommend a shortlist within the stated time limit (30-45 minutes). A common feature across all types of groups, however, is that with so many individuals keen to make a salient point or two, discussions can often wander aimlessly and waste precious time, resulting in mad rush at the end to beat the deadline. In order to avoid this, it is vital, at the outset, to agree upon an objective means of measuring each solution's worth to enable a structured and logical argument. Secondly, the assessors will want to see all members of the contributing, so make sure everyone is given the opportunity to express their opinion. Finally, and most crucially, keep a close eye on the time and make sure there is enough left over to summarise the group's findings and form a conclusion. In-Tray Exercise: This exercise is just what you might imagine it to be, involving you being given the contents (letters, memos, emails etc.) of an imaginary in-tray and then being asked to determine the order in which you would deal with them. Just to make things interesting, these contents will usually consist of a range of items of varying degrees of importance and urgency, some of which will undoubtedly be inter-related requiring one to be tackled before another etc. The purpose is to simulate the administrative aspects of a job and the need to recognise which tasks must be done before others. This type of test measures your ability to prioritise and act effectively and efficiently whilst under extreme time pressure. Presentation Exercise: Similarly, this activity is precisely what it says it is, requiring the planning and then presentation of a prescribed subject area. It is important to spend time at the beginning making sure you have a good grasp of the information before starting to plan your talk, as you are unlikely to have time later to do so. The better you know the subject, the greater the likelihood that you will choose a good structure and be confident in your presentation. As each talk is likely to be done in front of both assessors and candidates, those with experience of public speaking will be at an advantage, so try to get some practice speaking to a group of at least 4-5 people. When individuals are nervous their natural reaction is to speak quickly, so be wary of rushing or else you will end up finishing early or need to prepare twice as much as the other candidates to last the expected time (usually 10-15 minutes)!! Although you won't be expected to finish to the exact second, make sure you time your talk well and finish with a concise summary and strong conclusion. And finally, make sure you look up occasionally (which, incidentally, will help to project your voice) and at least try to look like you are comfortable talking in front of a group by smiling!

Assessment Centres

Introduction

Assessment centres are proving to be an increasingly popular tool in the recruitment process for the majority of leading graduate recruiters. They offer companies a chance to observe the way candidates operate and interact with each other and so gain more information on the candidates' abilities, with respect to key job demands, than they might otherwise by conventional interview. Potential recruits are whisked away to an alien environment for between 24 and 48 hours and placed in various scenarios where they are required to perform a range of tasks using the same skills and qualities as they would need in a real-life work situation.

Although the thought of participating in such a centre may not be all that appealing, you should see such assessment centres in a positive light. This is because they have been deliberately employed to ensure that any decisions made are based on objective results and achieving a consensus of opinion from a number of different assessors. In addition, the activities will have been specifically designed to have a close relevance to features of the job and several assessment techniques will be used to measure the different attributes required.

It is essential that individuals act naturally and don't try to pretend to be what they assume is the company's model candidate. You should be confident in your own abilities, as it is those which have got you to the assessment centre in the first place. There will be a number of different activities spread out over a period of time, so don't worry if you fare badly in one of the exercises, as it is your overall performance that will be of interest. Although you will be compared to the others in your assessment group, try not to think you are in direct competition with them. Most assessors will be looking for evidence of teamworking skills and, in any case, the activities set will probably have been deliberately chosen so that the more you work together as a team, the more likely you will be to achieve success.

Preparation

As regards preparation for such centres, the same advice applies as that for interviews. By carefully thinking what qualities and skills the assessors will be looking for, you can greatly improve your chances of performing well. These will tend to be the soft skills needed to work with others, such as interpersonal and behavioural skills, which are harder to measure in a formal interview setting and yet arguably give the best indication as to how well an individual will fit with a company's culture.The main attributes that employers are looking for at assessment centres can be grouped as follows:

Action - leadership, motivation, flexibility, drive.

Relationships - teamwork, interpersonal skills, oral communication, awareness of others.

Judgement - analytical reasoning, decision making, commercial awareness, strategic planning.

Presence - self-confidence, calmness, political awareness, communication skills.

Prior to attending any assessment centre, you should be given some information regarding the types of activities in which you will be participating. This should enable a certain amount of preparation, as at least you will have an idea of what to expect and the qualities that are likely to be sought at each stage. The various activities that are used at assessment centres typically comprise of role plays, group discussions, in-tray and presentation exercises, team tasks and psychometric tests.

Assessment Activities

Role Play: this is likely to be the activity that most closely assesses your problem solving ability as well as your business acumen. Think carefully about what the assessors are looking for as you could well be placed in a difficult or confrontational situation to see how well you handle it. It is important to be flexible in your approach and think through any recommendations fully to consider their implications. You will be assessed as much on how you approach a problem as your actual solution.

Group Discussion: the difficulty with this exercise is the need to strike a balance between putting forward your opinions and risk dominating the group or sitting back and risk making no contribution at all. The composition of groups will necessarily vary, sometimes with two or three dominant characters, sometimes with none. The skill is to quickly identify the make-up of your group and to contribute accordingly. Assessors will be looking at your ability to listen and speak in equal measure to the other members of the group. You should be prepared to show flexibility and recognise the contributions of others, even if that may mean admitting weaknesses in one of your own proposals. Above all, remain positive throughout ensuring that any criticism you give is constructive and avoid scoring points at other people's expense.

Typically, a group will be required to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of several potential solutions and then recommend a shortlist within the stated time limit (30-45 minutes). A common feature across all types of groups, however, is that with so many individuals keen to make a salient point or two, discussions can often wander aimlessly and waste precious time, resulting in mad rush at the end to beat the deadline. In order to avoid this, it is vital, at the outset, to agree upon an objective means of measuring each solution's worth to enable a structured and logical argument. Secondly, the assessors will want to see all members of the contributing, so make sure everyone is given the opportunity to express their opinion. Finally, and most crucially, keep a close eye on the time and make sure there is enough left over to summarise the group's findings and form a conclusion.

In-Tray Exercise: This exercise is just what you might imagine it to be, involving you being given the contents (letters, memos, emails etc.) of an imaginary in-tray and then being asked to determine the order in which you would deal with them. Just to make things interesting, these contents will usually consist of a range of items of varying degrees of importance and urgency, some of which will undoubtedly be inter-related requiring one to be tackled before another etc. The purpose is to simulate the administrative aspects of a job and the need to recognise which tasks must be done before others. This type of test measures your ability to prioritise and act effectively and efficiently whilst under extreme time pressure.

Presentation Exercise: Similarly, this activity is precisely what it says it is, requiring the planning and then presentation of a prescribed subject area. It is important to spend time at the beginning making sure you have a good grasp of the information before starting to plan your talk, as you are unlikely to have time later to do so. The better you know the subject, the greater the likelihood that you will choose a good structure and be confident in your presentation.

As each talk is likely to be done in front of both assessors and candidates, those with experience of public speaking will be at an advantage, so try to get some practice speaking to a group of at least 4-5 people. When individuals are nervous their natural reaction is to speak quickly, so be wary of rushing or else you will end up finishing early or need to prepare twice as much as the other candidates to last the expected time (usually 10-15 minutes)!! Although you won't be expected to finish to the exact second, make sure you time your talk well and finish with a concise summary and strong conclusion. And finally, make sure you look up occasionally (which, incidentally, will help to project your voice) and at least try to look like you are comfortable talking in front of a group by smiling!