ASSESSMENT CENTRES

What is an assessment
centre?
• 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
• Potential Appraisal of existing
employees
 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?
A number of different exercises, which are likely to include:

Group exercises: Individual exercises:

• Discussions • Written tasks
• Practical tasks • In-tray exercises
• Role play • Psychometric tests
• Presentations
• Interviews

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
• Discussion of a scenario
 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