Assessment Centres (2) Assessment Centres (2)

A good transparent and effective selection process may include an Assessment Centre, lasting one or two days or sometimes longer. Assessment Centres are considered by many organisations to be the fairest and most accurate method of selecting staff.

Usually, these are after the first round of interviews and before the final selection but they can be used as an initial selection process and are commonly held either on employers’ premises or in a hotel. This is because a number of different selectors get to see you over a longer period of time and have the chance to see what you can do, rather than what you say you can do, in a variety of situations.

Assessment centres typically include a number of elements:

• Social/informal events, where you could meet a variety of people, including other candidates, the selectors, recent graduates and senior management. This is presented as an opportunity for you to find out about the organisation and to ask questions in a more casual setting. These events may appear informal and not part of the true assessment procedure but you should behave in a way that reflects well on you. You should certainly avoid any excesses of food, behaviour and, especially, alcohol.

• Information sessions, which provide more details about the organisation and the roles available. Listen carefully, as the information provided is likely to be more up to date than your previous research. If you are unclear about anything, ask. It is useful to have a question prepared for these sessions but make sure that the answer has not already been covered. Asking inappropriate questions just to get noticed will not impress the selectors.

• Tests and exercises designed to reveal your potential. Selectors at assessment centres measure you against a set of competencies and each exercise is designed to assess one or more of these areas. Don’t worry if you think you have performed badly at any stage; it is likely that you will have the chance to compensate later on. Also, remember that you are being assessed against these competencies and not against the other candidates so, rather than trying to compete against them, make sure that you demonstrate the qualities the organisation is seeking.

Exercises used in Assessment Centres include :

• Interviews
• Psychometric/aptitude tests
• Case studies
• In-tray exercises
• Giving presentations
• Group activites
  

For further reading :

All About Psychological Tests and Assessment Centres, Management Books 2000, 2004
How to Succeed at an Assessment Centre, Kogan Page, 2001
The Assessment Centre, AGCAS Video




Lynn Tulip
Career Management & Psychometric Consultant
W. 0870 411411
M. 07801 689801
E. lynn@assessment4potential.com
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