Assessment Centres - Aptitude Test

33 Pages·2011·1.52 MB·English

Candidate Guide to
Assessment Centres
Going to an assessment centre? Want to know what to expect
and what the assessors are looking for? Our Candidate Guide to
Assessment Centres will tell you everything you need to know,
and how to succeed.
What are Assessment Centres (ACs)? An assessment centre is not a place in
Assessment centres are a series of itself; it is a name given to a series of
exercises commonly used by exercises. The exercises can take place at
employers to test skills not readily the employer's offices (if they have the
assessable from an interview alone. space and facilities) or at a testing
Assessment centres usually last a centre run by qualified assessors, or any
whole day but can last from half a day conference space where candidates and
up to several days of testing and assessors can get together.
assessments. You will normally be
invited to an assessment centre only
after you have passed initial screening
by the employer (for example an
application form and an online
aptitude test). The assessment centre
is usually the final hurdle in the
recruitment process, and is where the
employer really puts the candidate
through their paces.
Assessment centres take a lot of
resource and time from the employer,
75% of assessment centres use group exercises
so they put through only short-listed
candidates who they think have a real
chance of being right for the job.
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Candidate Guide to
Assessment Centres
In the good (or bad) old days, a CV and
an interview were enough to get you a
job. But employers discovered that this
wasn't always the most effective way of
selecting the right candidate. Employers
have turned to assessment centres as a
second-round selection stage because
interviews alone are very subjective and
open to bias. The assessment centre
aims to unearth the candidate's true
potential to perform well in the job. This
means the employer gets a well-
matched employee, and the candidate
gets assessed fairly on their merits.
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Chapter 1:
Assessment Centre Basics
The reason your potential employer
has invited you to attend an
assessment centre is that
assessment centres have a proven It's commonplace
track record of finding the most
for the employer to
suitable candidates for the job.
reimburse your travel
Assessment centres are not going to
expenses, so don't be
go away any time soon, so get used
to them! The assessment centre will afraid to ask.
be attended by a group of other
candidates (typically between 5 and
10), all of whom are being assessed.
The day you attend is likely to be one
of many the employer is running. It is The assessment centre will usually
important to remember that the be run by the human resource
assessment centre is just a way of department of the organisation to
finding candidates suitable for a role; which you are applying. There might
you are not in competition with the also be managers of the company, to
other candidates. If every candidate provide technical input and more
ticks all the right boxes, the probing panel interview questions.
employer will hire all of them. If Larger organisations might also have
none of the candidates meet the occupational psychologists on the
necessary standard, the employer review panel to provide professional
will hire none of them. insight into candidates' behaviours.
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Chapter 1: Assessment Centre Basics
For role play exercises the assessors decide on scores. Each candidate at
often bring in professional actors to the assessment centre will be
play the part of an awkward examined against their individual
customer or dissatisfied client. These score sheet and you will not get to
actors are very good at adopting a see your scores; the assessors often
role and because they create a complete it when you are out of the
realistic scenario, candidates often room. The score sheet will be
find it easier to behave in the way matched to the set of competencies
they would in real life. Ultimately, the employer is looking for. It is
the employer is using an assessment essential that you have an idea of
centre to simulate the kind of what competencies the employer is
situations you might encounter in looking for before you attend the
the job, and measure how well you assessment centre, so you know
deal with them. what they are looking for. A good
way to find out what values or
The assessment centre will consist of competencies the employer is
a range of selection and assessment looking for is to check on their
exercises. Typical components of an website or the original job posting. If
assessment centre are: you really want to make sure, try
asking the company's HR
- Presentation by the employer department, although they might
- Group exercises (including case not tell you explicitly.
studies and presentations)
- Individual exercises (including
aptitude tests and psychometric
tests) Almost all
- Interview (technical and
employers are happy to
personal)
provide you with
- Role play and simulation
feedback after the
exercises
assessment centre.
Sometimes the assessors
Throughout the assessment centre
also ask your opinion of
you will be examined on a score
sheet filled in by an assessor. the day to help them
Typically at least one assessor is
with designing future
assigned to each candidate on each
assessments.
exercise, and then they rotate
through the day. At the end of the
day the assessors discuss their
opinions with each other to
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Chapter 1: Assessment Centre Basics
Skills employers are typically marketplace. What services does the
assessing at the assessment centre company provide that others don't?
are: communication skills, Also something you should be doing
interpersonal skills, leadership skills, before assessment centres and
negotiation skills and your 'fit' for interviews anyway, is familiarise
the organisation. Obviously each yourself with your CV and make sure
assessment centre will be looking for you can talk about things it says you
a slightly different skill set depending have done.
on the job role. Don't be put off by
the scoring system, it's something Essential elements of an assessment
which you should be aware of but centre are:
not afraid of. • Predefined competencies (skills)
against which you will be
Here are some examples of assessed.
competencies with fictional scores • Realistic simulation of the skills
employers have used in the past. required for the role being
applied for.
• Fair and unbiased assessment.
For example pooling of data
from different assessors.
• Standardised recording of
behaviour, for example score
sheets and video.
The original job
description is a good
place to look for finding
out what competencies
the employer is scoring
you against during the
assessment centre. Find
Example competencies you will be assessed
out what they are and
against.
have these in the back of
your mind throughout
Research the company's competitors
the day.
and how the company sits within the
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Chapter 1.1:
One-day assessment centre example
With your invitation to attend an Whilst the informal activities such as
assessment centre you will be given lunch and refreshments are not
details of the day and an overview of directly scored, you should use these
what to expect. This will include an as a good opportunity to socialise
itinerary, joining instructions, with other candidates and the
address etc. The employer current employees you will likely
conducting the assessment centre meet. This will relax you for the
will have put a lot of thought into the afternoon's more interactive
type of exercises they want to use activities and the initiative will not
and the exercises will probably be go unnoticed by the assessors.
unique to them. The bespoke nature
of assessment centres means there As you can see, the day is jam-
is no set template they follow, packed. As much as your
however below is an example of a performance in each exercise, the
typical one-day assessment centre. employer wants to see how you
perform under a heavy workload, as
10:00 Arrive, collect name badges, this will simulate a busy day in the
coffee real job.
10:15 Introductions and
presentation by the
employer
10:45 Verbal and numerical
reasoning tests
11:45 Personality questionnaire
12:30 Lunch with managers and
current employees
13:30 Technical interview
14:30 Refreshments
14:45 Individual task: In-tray
exercise
16:00 Group task: Case study
exercise
17:00 Debriefing
17:30 Depart
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Chapter 2:
Group Exercises
There are many types of group why an assessment centre is more
exercise used at assessment centres. useful to the employer than a simple
In this chapter, we aim to explain a interview; how else would they find
bit about them all, and how to out that you have a worrying
perform well. Typical competencies tendency to start sulking when
measured in the group exercise are: colleagues disagree with you!
• Analytical Thinking
• Achieving Goals
• Assertiveness
Remember you can
• Creativity
• Interpersonal Effectiveness be marked for only what
• Oral Communication
the assessors see. If you
• Teamwork
have a good thought,
make sure you articulate
Group exercises at assessment
centres are measuring your ability to it.
work in a team, contribute, delegate,
and solve problems. Assessors are
looking for candidates who can listen
to other people's ideas, be positive,
and articulate their own ideas. In
short, they measure the skills which
are useful in a real working
environment. Hopefully you can see
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Chapter 2: Group Exercises
You may have heard all sorts of struggling supermarket that needs a
wacky stories from other people way to survive, it might be a natural
about what they were made to do at disaster which needs cleaning up and
an assessment centre, but modern dealing with. The scenarios are
assessment centre group exercises varied but whatever the exercise is,
tend now to follow a format which it will require team work and
simulates the sort of work you will collaborative discussion with the
have to do in the job. The days of other candidates at your assessment
building bridges out of Lego and centre.
paper cups are coming to an end, in
favour of case study type exercises The group exercise will have an
which are a more fair and accurate assessor in the room; try to ignore
assessment. To avoid discrimination, them and certainly don't engage
the employer should be assessing them. The assessor will be watching
only skills which are relevant to the to see if you can participate in group
job role you are applying for. negotiations, think on your feet,
behave courteously towards your
peers, act confidently without being
dominant, and encouraging of others
in your group. Overall, they are
assessing how you will perform in
If you notice a
everyday working life, which involves
member of the group is
getting on with people in a group.
getting ignored, make a
Often discreet cameras are recording
point of asking them the exercises so that your
performances can be watched
their thoughts. This will
remotely by assessors. Note:
demonstrate your
assessors rarely re-watch candidate
ability to work performances, any cameras are there
for people siting in another room (or
collaboratively with
country even). Assessors like to make
others.
their notes and scores live instead of
re-watching any videos as this gives
them a more realistic impression of
candidates’ performances.
During the case study, the group at
your assessment centre will be
presented with a scenario or a
business problem. It might be a
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Chapter 2.1:
Icebreaker group exercises
One of the first things candidates
might be faced with at their
assessment centre is an icebreaker Try to chat to and
exercise. The most common format become familiar with
for this is to ask the assessment
the other candidates at
centre attendees to spend 5-10
the assessment centre
minutes finding out about the
person next to them, and then tell (perhaps at the lunch, or
the rest of the group about that
meet and greet
person (a twist on the classic "tell
sessions). This will help
everyone a little about yourself").
This is a good way to get candidates you relax in the group
chatting to each other, and for the exercises, and will
group to feel more familiar with
increase your confidence
everyone. Other typical ice-breaker
in negotiating with
exercises include "tell the group
something about yourself which not them.
many people know" or "tell the
group something interesting about
yourself".
Treat this time as a good warm-up
exercise because there will not be
any marks riding on this exercise.
This is a good time to give the
impression to other candidates that
you're a friendly approachable
person to talk to, because you want
them on your side during the
exercises.
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Chapter 2.2:
What assessors look for in group exercises
To perform well in a group exercise it how you come across in relation to
helps to know what the assessor is the following qualities.
looking for. It's worth saying straight
away that they probably are not • Are you taking on board
looking for someone who dominates everyone's input?
proceedings. Many candidates at an • What balance do you strike
assessment centre fall into the trap between letting go insignificant
of wanting to own the conversation asides and making sure everyone
and speak for the longest, regardless agrees on important issues?
of the quality of their contribution. • How do you deal with quiet
This will not get you many marks. In people?
fact you will get a lot more marks by • Would the discussion benefit
tactfully getting these type of people from some structure, and how
to shut up for a minute and let are you for time?
others contribute. • Are you talking for talking's sake?
Has your contribution helped
solve the problem?
A good way of • How confrontational are you? Do
showing professionalism you have rapport with the other
candidates?
and courtesy is to use
• Do you criticise or encourage
people's names during
input from others?
the group exercise. • How convincing are you? Do you
speak with conviction?
• Can you think on your feet when
presented with an issue?
Throughout the assessment centre • Can you recognise a good idea,
try to keep in mind how you would
and how do you tactfully deal
behave in a business environment.
with weak ideas?
The assessors are essentially • Do you take time to contemplate
measuring how well you would
the problem or are you too busy
contribute to the employer's
talking?
business. Before any assessment • Have the group strayed from the
centre group exercise, think about
original exercise brief?
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