Assessment centres

Hello and welcome to Assessment Centres: Top tips. Today we're going to talk about 10 top tips to help you be successful at assessment centres. Tip number 1, start with the logistics, practicalities. Assessment centres can feel intimidating, but can also be exciting. You're being given the opportunity to understand the organisation better and demonstrate that you can do the tasks you discussed in your application. If you have a digital assessment, you'll be sent information about the software or platform the recruiter uses.  Test your set up, that's everything from your video and microphone to programmes in the background to see whether they slow down the assessment platform. The platform might be disrupted if you have other things running, and you may need to use a particular browser. Digital assessments were found to be a flexible and effective option in recent times, and employers have recognised the many benefits, including the reduced environmental impact of travel and the increased diversity and inclusion. If you have a disability, and this type of assessment presents any challenges, you can contact the employer to discuss relevant adjustments. If you plan to use a headset, ensure you can be heard clearly and that it doesn't obstruct the professional view of you during video elements. Avoid spaces where other members of your household may be passing through, if possible, to reduce interruptions. If in person, know where you're going and plan your route. If you plan to use public transport, identify a backup and aim to arrive early. The dress code is usually business professional, unless you are explicitly told otherwise. Take a watch to keep track of your own time. There may also be a clock timer on the wall, or timers may be counting down for different assessments. Keep the organisation's contact information handy regardless of whether it's in person or digital. If you have any trouble with setup or you're going to be late, maybe the bus isn't on time, then this is useful to have and it will stop you panicking and feeling panicked during the assessment. Tip number 2, check the invite for activity details. All of the information that you need in order to do well at your assessment should be available in the invite. It will tell you what kinds of activities to expect and perhaps how you might prepare for those. Assessment Centres are an excellent method of understanding a candidate's suitability for the role because you're being given a trial run, you're being asked to do activities which will be relevant. And this then makes it more reliable and fairer on the candidates. So rather than being about just how well you can articulate yourself, it becomes how well you can do the activities you'll be doing in the job. There will be an assessment framework. Sometimes you're given this to begin with and sometimes you're not. You'll be observed and those observations will likely be recorded whether or not it's in person or digital. And after the tasks, the observations are then classified and evaluated using a scoring matrix. These are the types of activities that you might expect. If you're interested in learning more about psychometric tests, we have a page on the website named Selection Tests and lots of samples on Careers Service Plus, which you can find in the Quicklinks on the website. You can use our Top Tips video recording on Psychometric Tests to learn more about the variety of assessments. In-tray or e-tray exercises simulate having a stack of paperwork or having an inbox full of e-mails or tasks that you need to complete. It's about prioritising what you might be doing day to day in your job. A written analysis may ask you to read through different information, and then come up with a response. It might be that you need to write a report, or it might be that you need to draught an e-mail or come up with a set of recommendations about what you've read. A group exercise may be similar, but with other candidates, either looking at the same information or looking at different sets of information. So discuss right at the beginning whether you've all been given the same context for the task. You'll often be in a separate room to read through the information you're given and then brought together as a group afterwards. You might also have a role play that can be within the group where you're playing a certain role within your group exercise. Or it could be with the assessor, for example. They are role playing as a customer and you've been given a brief on your role as the employer. Game based assessment may be used to place applicants in simulated work environments, or you could have a more traditional situational judgement test. In essence, this is the employer giving your work related task to do. Read all instructions very carefully to understand what the employer is looking for and assessing. But avoid letting this influence how you behave. Act as naturally as you can to understand whether you would be a good fit with this employer. Remember, you are being assessed throughout the assessment centre. An interview may take place as part of the assessment centre, or it might happen on another date after the assessment centre. There may also be a tour of the workplace. If in-person, or a question and answer opportunity, or networking opportunities. It's important to make the most of these. You can meet lots of different people talk to members of staff over lunch and coffee. These are usually informal, but remember, you might be being informally assessed at these social events. If alcohol is on offer, drink in moderation. Adjustments can be made, requested, if you choose to disclose that you have a disability. However, you are not obligated to tell the employer what your disability is during recruitment. It is your responsibility, though, to be specific about what adjustments you need. For support on when, how to disclose, speak to a Careers Consultant. 99% of adjustments are made due to dyslexia and dyspraxia. Tip number 3, practise beforehand. We have lots of different tests available for you to practise on. You can explore and practise the different types of tests available. You can experiment how it feels to be timed. There are psychometric tests, but you can also prepare yourself for group activities, for individual exercises, by practising some of the types of activities you might be asked to do. Careers Service Plus has a number of example activities that might be used at an assessment centre and can be found in the Quicklinks section of the Careers Service website. Tip number 4, review the assessment framework. Recruiters use a framework to assess your performance, whether it's for a psychometric test or an interview, an application form or a CV. They're looking for certain things and they want to be able to find evidence of all those requirements in your examples. And they want to be consistent in assessing all candidates. This framework gives you an idea of the type that a recruiter might be using. This is not representative of all, and they differ for every employer. It's based on the job description and persons specification. So you'll be able to review what types of competencies are being assessed. There may even be in your invitation. You can see that there are positive and negative indicators, and that allows them to give you a score. You will be assessed by different people, usually for different tasks, but it will be a combination of these people's opinions that then decides whether or not you are the right candidate for the role. This is an example of what a candidate feedback report might look like. It gives you some information about what kinds of skills or competencies are being observed and level of performance. You can see that not every competency from a job can be assessed in every activity. You'll have several chances to impress based on these. The rating scale is given and a summary of how well or poorly you did in the activity. Tip number 5, consider your mindset, how you are feeling. We find that some candidates perform incredibly well under pressure and they really enjoy these challenges and assessments. If that's all you're feeling, that's great. But ensure you factor in that there may be some feelings of information overload or confusion on the day. You should prepare to feel positively challenged. If you feel really overwhelmed, then it might be an indication that the type of job you've applied for might not suit you in the long term because these are the types of activities that you'll be doing day to day. Remember though, it's unlikely that you would necessarily be under these interview examination conditions at work normally. So that might be a factor. If that is the only factor, then there's not as much to worry about. But if you find that this is something that you would hate to do every day of your life in your job, then it might be an indication that this role is not right for you at the moment. Assessments should challenge you, and some parts will feel easier than others, but they are tasks that simulate the role, so keep that in mind. There may also be an element of time pressure that you need to prepare for. Perhaps a clock ticking down in the corner of your screen or on the wall. Particularly relevant if it's a digital test or activity. That can be off-putting and you may become hyper aware of it. So make sure that you practise. Practise taking information in quickly. Look at a news article or content that you would normally read online. Think about how you skim it. Quickly scanning through the information, either for key themes or to understand it. Skimming is the first step, and then you need to be able to make sense of what you have read. Time yourself to see how long this takes. Be clear about what you're being asked to produce. For example, produce a concise report, ideally not more than one page to include a title, your name, and the date, or the key messages and insights you've understood from the data and information given, and up to three recommendations for next steps or actions. Or you might be being asked to deliver a 5 minute presentation for your clients based on your analysis from the data information, including some of the things that are already in the report. How long have you got? You might have 45 minutes to read this brief and write a short report. At 45 min, you'll be stopped and asked to submit your report, or be ready to deliver your presentation, even if it's incomplete. Tip number 6, prepare for making group decisions. To be successful in group activities, your aim is to find consensus. It's not a popularity contest, and there's no way for you to just win. It's about finding compromises, Listening actively to others, considering the different techniques and methods that other people are using, and coming to an agreement at the end of it. There's no use trying to shout the loudest or talk the most. But make sure that you speak up when you have a point to make. If you notice somebody else doesn't feel confident to, you could be an advocate for them to include quieter members and help them to contribute. At the beginning, ensure everybody has time to read the brief. Perhaps you've been given different types of briefs or different information, so you should prioritise information sharing early.  And consider methods for doing this in digital settings, online. Establish a method of making your decisions early. This is often where group activities go wrong, because at the last minute, the group takes a rushed vote, which doesn't normally cover everything that has been discussed. Different techniques may be used to understand what is required and how to come to a conclusion. For a SWOT analysis, you might assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for each part of the brief or information you've been given. If candidates who have been given different information, this is a useful tool. Also, keep in mind that you might have been given different personas or roles to play for your group tasks. Voting can be useful if it has formed a useful part of the discussion and has prompted discussion, but it is less useful ways to make your final decision. In digital settings, think about what would help to make the group feel connected. For example, assigning everyone 1 or 2 min to explain their view using the hand raising tool, if available online, assigning someone as the chair to ensure no one is missed. Asking someone to take notes for the group which can be shared and referred to later to see what decisions were made. And, ask questions if you don't understand to help prompt valuable discussion. Tip number 7, identify your group work roles. You may have heard of Belbin team roles, and this is something that you can have a look at online if you want to explore the concepts in more detail. But really this is a reminder that your group work role contribution doesn't have to be the same as everyone else's in order to be valuable, you might have a natural role in a group setting. For example, if you tend to be a little quiet in a group discussions, at first, you might be a thinker or you might be the researcher. You might be the person who comes up with ideas, so don't discount the value of those And equally, if you have a very confident speaker in your group, that's not to say that that's more or less valuable than somebody who covers other vital roles. Think about what you bring to the table and have confidence in what you bring, rather than worrying about what others are doing. You've been invited to attend the assessment and deserve to be there. So perhaps, you might be the motivator or the cheerleader, or maybe you're the scribe who keeps everybody on track and takes care of the time. There's value in difference, respect everyone's unique contribution, because the assessors are, that's what they're looking for. There is no discussion winner. Tip number 8, participate fully. Participate fully. Engage. Be seen, be heard, be active. Participate fully in everything that's available to you. If you've had a challenging task, put it behind you and get on with the next one. Engage with everything that you're given. One of the traits recruiters look for is how well you respond to setbacks, as it can be a useful indicator of your resilience. And can demonstrate lots of other competencies. You might enjoy the assessment, but you might not, so think of strategies now for how you will put a line under one task and move on to the next. On the day, put your phone away. Preferably switch it off. Be friendly to everyone you meet.  Prepare questions. If there are breaks, presentations, or tours, fully engage with the networking opportunity. If alcohol is involved, be mindful of your consumption. Relax. Be yourself. You might actually enjoy the day, but don't forget, this is an assessment. Tip number 9, reflect honestly but fairly on your performance. Reflect honestly on your performance, but be fair to yourself. Use positive and constructive criticism to help you move forward and think about what went well and what you would do differently next time. Highlight what you are proud of and that you thought you did well. If you're thinking about group dynamics or the group task and how you performed, don't blame others. If the team didn't perform well, it's a reflection on the team, not just one individual or yourself. If you are unsuccessful, you should be able to get feedback at this stage, as you are quite far in the assessment process, by this point, and selection often takes place after the assessment centre. You should be able to get feedback and perhaps even get some notes from the assessors. You can often reapply within a designated period of time for different graduate schemes and graduate roles. So make sure to be positive at the end and say how much you enjoyed the experience and that you are keen to apply again in the future. Tip number 10, use the Careers Service. There's a wide range of information available on the careers service website. It's a good starting point and available 24/7. Remember to check MyCareerHub regularly for job postings, including internships, information about events and workshops, employer information and resources around career planning and interests. You can drop-in to speak to one of the careers information team. If you want to speak to a Careers Consultant, you can book an appointment through MyCareerHub, once you've used our resources. Use the QR code on the top of the screen to access our website. And use the QR code at the bottom of the screen to access our schedule of drop ins. To summarise and identify next steps, start with the logistics. Check the invite for activity details. Practise beforehand. Review the assessment framework if you can. Consider your mindset. Prepare for making group decisions. Identify your group work roles. Participate fully and reflect honestly on your performance but fairly. And use the Careers Service. Look out for our other top tips videos to support you in other areas of the recruitment process.