Transcript Slide 1

Understanding Assessment
Centres
Careers and Student
Employability
Session Aims
To help you
 Gain an appreciation of how assessment
centres operate
 Understand why employers use
assessment centres
 Better prepare for assessment centre
activities
What is an Assessment Centre
 ‘A method for assessing aptitude and performance;
applied to a group of participants by trained assessors
using various aptitude diagnostic processes in order to
obtain information about applicants' abilities or
development potential”
 Invitation to an Assessment Centre usually occurs
towards the end of the graduate recruitment process.
The typical process would be:
 Application Form – usually online
 Online Psychometric Test
 Initial Telephone interview
 Invitation to Assessment Centre
Assessment Centre Activities
Typically an Assessment Centre will run
over 1-2 days at either the company’s
offices or at an external location:
Activities might include:
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Group Activities
In-tray Exercises
Individual Presentation
Psychometric Test- if not already used
Panel Interview
Group Activities
These vary but can include:
 Discussion exercise: candidates given a topic and asked
to discuss
 Planning activity: candidates given a brief and asked to
work together to organise
 Role play: candidates asked to play out specific scenario
usually related to the roles on offer
 Fun exercises: candidates asked to work together on
something more light-hearted as a means of developing
group dynamic, e.g building a paper tree!
General Tips on Group
Exercises
 Remember that the assessors are looking for a
range of qualities – ability to lead, to listen, to work
in a team, to offer ideas
 Try not to hog the discussion – you may come
across as bombastic!
 Make sure you do contribute – assessors need
something to base their assessment on!
 Find a balance between contributing your own ideas
and supporting the group.
 Demonstrate active listening skills throughout.
In-tray Exercises
These can include:
 Prioritising and justifying typical daily
activities
 Writing an email/letter responding to a
query
 Checking a document for errors
 Evaluating a document and summarising
its contents/recommending actions
Psychometric Tests
 They are standardised procedures for
measuring, usually, aptitude or personality
 Employers use them to measure
characteristics against job-related criteria
 They are useful to employers because they
help filter applicants
 They can be used at different stages of the
recruitment process
Types of Psychometric Tests
Tests can include:
 Ability or aptitude tests – verbal,
numerical, diagrammatic
 Personality questionnaires
Ability or aptitude tests
 Measure logical reasoning abilities
relevant to job
 Possible to improve your score in these
tests by practising beforehand
 Strictly timed
 Taken under examination conditions
 Usually multiple-choice tests
 There is always a right answer
Personality questionnaires
Personality questionnaires
 Less frequently used by recruiters
 Designed to:
– measure character traits
– assess how your personality functions in different environments
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No right or wrong answers
Not strictly timed
Usually taken online
Important to answer the questions as honestly as possible, and not
to try to predict what employer is looking for
 No real advantage to practising tests beforehand, but may be worth
familiarising yourself with them in advance, in order to know what to
expect on the day
Before the test
 Get some practice:
 CaSE Website
 Profiling for Success
– Find out from your recruiter which test publisher they
use
– See Useful resources section for info on other
practice tests
 Brush up on your verbal reasoning and maths
skills
 Let recruiter know about any special needs
During the test
Pay attention to any instructions
Raise any issues before test starts
Ensure you have been provided with a calculator, pencil and
rough paper
If you get stuck on a question, move on to the next one
Multiple choice:
– Try to work out answer, then see if it matches any of those given
– If no match, even after checking your reasoning/calculations,
make an educated guess
Concentrate, stay focused, and ignore what other people are
doing
Keep an eye on the time
Useful Resources
 Profiling for Success: Practice tests in verbal and
numerical reasoning and the opportunity to undertake
personality assessments. Available through the CaSE
website.
 Prospects: Information and advice about testing and
assessment days.
 Psychtesting: British Psychological Society's
Psychological Testing Centre.
 Saville Consulting: Preparation guides for a range of
numerical, verbal and diagrammatical tests.
 SHL Direct: An information service about
assessment methods which provides an overview of
selection processes, interview hints, assessment
centre advice and sample tests. You can also take
example personality and motivation questionnaires.
 Team Technology: Access the Myers Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI), a commonly used assessment by
employers to discover a candidate's personality type.
Presentations: “It’s not what you say
it’s how you say it”
Body Language 55%
Tone of Voice 38%
Words 7%
First Impressions
 You have 4 – 7 seconds to
make a positive impact and
good opening impression
 Start with a good, strong, solid
introduction - practice it in
advance
 Remember to introduce
yourself, smile and connect
with the audience through
confident eye contact
Set Objectives
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What is this presentation about?
What am I seeking to achieve?
Is the purpose to inform or persuade?
What is my key point that I must get
across to the audience?
Nature of Presentation
 Audience – how large will it be? What level
of knowledge will they have?
 Venue – where will it be, what facilities are
there?
 Timing – how long have I got?
Structure
Use the rule of three to structure your presentation
1. Introduction – Introduce what you are going to
tell them and why it is important, include a
hook
2. Main body of talk – 3 key points, stories etc.
3. Conclusion – Summarise what you’ve told
them, include a call to action
Content
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Attention span of the average listener is only 6-8 minutes
Keep it simple
Strong start, make 3 main points, strong finish
Know your material – Use brief notes/words on cards
Grab the audiences attention and be memorable
Don’t apologise for anything
Include a call to action (if relevant)
Prepare and practice your opening and closing
statements carefully
Ways of Engaging your
Audience
 Start with a Hook - pose a question, statistic, quote to
illustrate the key message
Consider using:
 Anecdotes/stories to convey a particular point
 Personal touches if relevant
 Controversial quotes to grab attention
 Interesting facts/opinions
 Images to convey key points/messages quickly
 Appropriate humour
 Visual aids if appropriate – PowerPoint, Flip Charts
Interviews
Often the final stage of the process
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Panel of Interviewers
Questions around your application
Competency based
Scenario based
Motivational Questions
Best advice- attend an Interviews Workshop
Book a Mock Interview
Try our Interview Simulator (CaSE site)
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Any Questions?