ASSESSMENT CENTRES

Jenny Keaveney
Careers Advisory Service
28th November 2012

What is an assessment centre?
Who uses assessment centres?
Why do employers use assessment centres?
What happens at an assessment centre?
How will you be assessed?
What are assessors looking for?
What happens after an assessment centre?
How can you prepare for assessment centres?
Further help and information



What is an assessment centre?

Good news! Normally only 5% of the
original applicants will get this far
A series of exercises, carried out
individually or in a small group over
one or two days, designed to measure
the competencies needed in graduate
recruits
The final stage in the selection process

Who uses assessment centres?

Most large graduate recruiters including:
The Civil Service
Local government; the NHS
Manufacturing companies
Banks, chartered accountants
Advertising agencies
Consultancies
The armed forces, police etc

Why do employers use
assessment centres?

They are one of the most reliable
indicators of successful future job
performance
They are a fair and objective selection
method
They assess candidates across a
number of dimensions

What happens at an
assessment centre?
Group exercises:
Discussions
Practical tasks
Role play

Individual exercises:
Written tasks
In-tray exercises
Psychometric tests
Presentations
Interviews

A number of different exercises, which are likely to include:
Plus socialising with assessors, fellow-candidates and recent graduates
The most frequently-used exercises
at assessment centres
Interview 97%
Psychometric test 91%
Group discussion 89%
Personality test 79%
Case study 71%
Presentation 61%
In-tray exercise 48%
How will you be assessed?
By people with clipboards!
On a range of competencies that are
important in the job you are applying
for
By more than one person
On your own merits
What are assessors
looking for?
Evidence of the competencies needed
to perform well in the job
You have already been assessed on
these on paper and at first interview
The assessment centre will look
particularly at your ability to work
with others, influence and persuade
and how others respond to you
Group exercises
Discussions
Practical tasks
Role play
Group Discussions
Discussion of a general topic, e.g.
Should tolls be introduced on all motorways?
What can be done to improve the NHS?
How can the problems associated with excessive
alcohol consumption be tackled?
Discussion of a scenario:
Assessment of bids for lottery funding
Shipwreck/desert survival
Group Exercises
Practical tasks, e.g.
Constructing a Lego tower
or paper chain
Creating an advertising
campaign for a specific
product
Crossing a shark-infested
river
Role Play
Discussion of a given topic or problem
Each member of the group allocated a role,
e.g. Marketing Manager/Finance Director
You will have information that other
members of the group do not
Need to reach an agreement or produce a
recommendation
What are assessors
looking for in group activities?
Interpersonal skills
Persuasiveness
Co-operation and teamwork
Analysis, judgement and decision-making
Initiative and creativity
Time management

Case Studies
May be one of the group exercises and
discussions, often involving role-play ..
or an individual task
Will need to study the information you are
presented with, pick out the key points and
reach decisions
which you may need to write up in a
report or to present verbally

Presentations
You may be given a topic in advance or
allocated one on the day
Keep visual aids simple and relevant
You will be allowed to use notes
small cards are best
In-Tray Exercises
Simulates the work you will be doing if
selected
You will be given a number of messages
plus attached documents that you might
find in your inbox one morning
Need to sort, prioritise and take or
recommend action
Time-limited: new emails (and even
phone calls) may keep coming in!
Interviews
Likely to be more challenging and
probing than previous interviews
but will be with a different
interviewer so be prepared for some of
the same points to be covered
especially anything that has emerged
as a weak point at previous interviews
The Social Side
May include coffee breaks/lunch with
the assessors and/or meetings with
recent graduates
Not part of the formal
assessment
but anything you say
or do could be
remembered
What happens after the
assessment centre?
or
How you can prepare for
assessment centres
You can practise for some exercises in
advance
.. and keep up to date with current
issues
Think back over your previous
interviews with this organisation
Use the information sources coming
up on the next slide!
Further help and information
At the Assessment Centre DVD (AgCAS)
www.kent.ac.uk/careers-local/vid/ACIntro/assessmentcentre.html
Book: How to Succeed at an Assessment
Centre
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/selection.htm
THE END . of this presentation
Careers and Employability Service
http://www.kent.ac.uk/ces
At the end of Keynes driveway,
Opening hours 9.00 am - 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday