ASSESSMENT CENTRES

1. ASSESSMENT CENTRES Jenny Keaveney Careers Advisory Service 28th November 2012

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. Group exercises: Discussions Practical tasks Role play Individual exercises: Written tasks In-tray exercises Psychometric tests Presentations Interviews What happens at an assessment centre? A number of different exercises, which are likely to include: Plus socialising with assessors, fellow-candidates and recent graduates

7. 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%

8. 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

9. 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

10. Group exercises • Discussions • Practical tasks • Role play

11. 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

12. 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”

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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!

18. 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

19. 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

20. What happens after the assessment centre? A job offer! or Rejection

21. 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!

22. 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

23. THE END …. of this presentation GOOD LUCK! 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