Assessment Centres

Some companies like to select employees through assessment centres and it can seem daunting so here are details on a few things you may expect on the day.

What are Assessment Centres?

They normally take place between one and three full days and are usually the final part of the interview process.  The process can involve some or all of the following:

• Psychometric tests
• Role Play
• Group exercises
• Oral presentations
• Written exercises
• Presentation Exercise
• Individual interviews

What is the company looking for?

It is important to be yourself during an assessment centre, but it is also useful to know what kinds of qualities a company is looking for throughout the recruitment process.  These qualities might include:

• Personal drive
• Influencing skills
• Communication and team work skills
• Numerical and verbal reasoning
• A sense of ambition
• Initiative

Assessors will look for evidence of these aptitudes and qualities over the course of the assessment centre using various different testing methods.

Psychometric Tests

Many people panic when they hear the words ‘psychometric tests’.  There is no cause for concern as they are only one part of the selection process.  So even if you feel that the test did not go well, you can still impress in other ways.

There are two types of psychometric test: aptitude tests and personality questionnaires. Aptitude tests assess your abilities and personality questionnaires help to build up a profile of your characteristics and personality.  Basically, psychometric tests are tools for measuring the mind (‘metric’ = measure; ‘psycho’ = mind ).

Why are they used?

Many employers believe that psychometric tests give an accurate prediction of whether you are able to do the job (found out from aptitude tests) and whether your character is suited to the work (found out through personality questionnaires).  Research shows that, statistically speaking, psychometric tests are one of the most reliable forms of predicting whether or not a candidate is suitable for a job.

Aptitude Tests

They do not examine general knowledge but test your critical reasoning skills under strict timed conditions.  They normally test verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning and the level of difficulty is commensurate to the job type and level.  Your score is compared to the ‘norm group’ which is usually made up of current jobholders who have done this test in the past.  You should aim the complete 70%-80% of the questions and get 70%-80% of those questions correct.

Ways to improve your score

Spending hours practising will not significantly improve your score but will make you more confident and improve your time-keeping so…

• Get examples of these tests and practice.  There are several books on the market or check out in the library
• Have a watch in front of you and work out roughly how long you have got for each question.  Bear in mind that the questions can get progressively more difficult
• Strike a balance between speed and accuracy.  Do not waste time on too difficult questions but do not give up too easily
• Avoid wild guessing – some test marks are deducted for incorrect answers (called ‘negative marking’)
• For numerical reasoning, brush up on basic arithmetic as well as fractions, ratios and percentages.
• For verbal reasoning, try the very exciting activity of reading manuals, technical reports, as well as academic and business journals.  Extracting the main points from the passages of text and summarising their meaning will also help.

Personality Questionnaires

They are designed to indicate if you are suitable for a job as success in a job also depends on your personal characteristics and qualities.  Unlike aptitude tests, there are no right or wrong answers.  Selectors are looking for certain characteristics rather than an overall profile. Questions focus on personality aspects such as:

• How do you relate to other people
• Your work style
• Your ability to deal with emotions (your own and other people’s)
• Your motivation, determination and general outlook

There is no point in trying to answer questions how you think the company would like you to be as these questionnaires have checks build in to catch you out so corny as it sounds, just be yourself as you will have to be once at work.

Group Exercises

The most common sorts are:

• Group tasks
• Group discussions

Group tasks tend to be of a practical nature, e.g. asked to build something using limited materials.  If it is a group discussion, you may be assigned a chair to steer the group. The discussion topics are often related to the context of the work for which you are applying, i.e. leisure, hospitality.

The traits that a company will be looking to see that a candidate can:

• Make regular contributions
• Influence the group
• Express themselves with clarity
• Show original thinking
• Acknowledge the views of others
• Facilitate the discussion

Do not dominate the group, make yourself heard but do not bore everyone with the sound of your voice.

How to shine in group exercises

You do not need to be the original thinker to impress.  Often thinking that you need to be clever and original can paralyse you with pressure.  Instead try these techniques.

• Ask others what they think – good if you are struggling to say anything
• Summarise – effective for reminding all what has been discussed to check whether people agree or disagree.  Moves the group forward
• Clarify – if you do not understand, ask.  It will help others as well and assessors like that
• Bring in the quiet members of the group – shows sensitivity to group dynamics and can prevent one or two people dominating the discussion.
• Keep the group on track time wise or topic wise

Oral Presentations

The company will normally request that you prepare for this in advance of the day so do not panic when reading this!   A presentation usually lasts between three and fifteen minutes.

Top Tips

• If given a choice , choose something that interests you – your enthusiasm will shine through
• Always give an outline, main points and a conclusion
• Try not to read it – it will be dull and monotonous
• Keep it simple – avoid complex jargon and information
• If possible, use personal anecdotes to make it more interesting
• Read your audience – pitch your message at their level of understanding
• Project your voice so everyone can hear you
• Practise beforehand
• DO NOT PANIC!

Written Exercises

There are two very common forms:  ‘in-tray’ exercises and ‘drafting’ task.  ‘In-tray’ exercises test your ability to prioritise so have a reasoned rationale for why you did what you did.  ‘Drafting’ tasks normally involve writing letter to someone in response to a problem or difficult situation.  There are no right or wrong answers – it is to see how you would deal with it that shows your thought process.  Simple things like grammar and spelling mistakes should be avoided as should the use complicated language.

Overall Top Tips

• Ask whether the company is willing to fund transport/ hotels. Often travelling down the night before and staying in a local hotel will mean you are fresher and therefore perform better on the day.
• Arrive within plenty of time on the day. There's nothing worse than running in late when the day has already begun- these assessment days run strictly to time.
• Read up on the company
• Manage your time during exercises
• Do not despair if one exercise goes badly
• Get a good night’s sleep beforehand
• Use all coffee and lunch breaks to speak to assessors and create an impact. Ask intelligent questions and show an interest in them and their business.

Remember that you are assessed across a number of exercises. It is rare that any candidate performs well in all of the exercises so accept that some parts of the day will go better than others. Do not crumble if one exercise goes badly.