WHAT ARE ASSESSMENT CENTRES?

The term assessment centre is not about a place; it is used to describe a selection process. Assessment centres combine interviews with a range of other assessment activities. This enables employers to gain a more rounded picture of you when making recruitment decisions. They can involve a large investment on the part of the employer, in both time and money.

Traditional recruitment interviews often focus on past performance: how well you can discuss and explain situations you have previously dealt with. Assessment centres, on the other hand, simulate the competencies required for the job, and are looking at how well you might be able to perform if selected.

When are you likely to face assessment centres?

Many employers have assessment centres as part of their recruitment process. Traditionally they take place after initial screening interviews, but can be used at any stage. They are often used when there are large numbers of people to be assessed, for example with graduate recruitment programmes or training schemes. Assessment centres are also more popular with public sector employers. You usually find assessment centres where the organisation is looking for more than one candidate.

The history of assessment centres

Assessment centres are not new inventions. In fact they were developed by the War Office during the Second World War to select candidates to become Officers for the Armed Forces. The War Office Selection Boards (WOSBies) were devised as they wanted to assess candidates in a range of scenarios that simulated ‘real-life’ situations.

What happens in a typical assessment centre?

Typically you will join a group of other candidates for a series of tests or ‘assessments’. These are designed to show your potential employer(s) whether or not you can demonstrate most of the personal and technical skills required or preferred to do the job. Assessment centre programmes can be intensive, and may involve at least a whole day, so be prepared to eat lunch and possibly other meals there. You might even be required to stay overnight for a two-day assessment centre.

You will usually be assessed against a set of key requirements, or competencies, which the employer is looking for. There are many tasks which employers use at assessment centres. They include group exercises and individual exercises. Because there are several activities, it does mean that just because you feel you have performed badly in one, you can still retrieve the situation in other exercises or activities. This chapter outlines common activities you may face at an assessment centre.

What are they assessing?

There is no set list. Typical qualities, skills, attitudes or competencies an employer might be looking for could include the following, but this is by no means an exhaustive list, or a list that every employer might be looking for all of!

• analytical ability
• calmness
• commercial awareness
• decision-making
• drive
• flexibility
• interpersonal skills
• leadership
• logical thinking
• motivation
• negotiating and persuasion skills
• planning
• presentation skills
• response to pressure
• self-confidence
• strategic thinking
• teamwork
• verbal communication.

Why have assessment centres?

Advantages for you

• You often get to find out a lot more about the company.
• You get to understand the organisation’s expectations and values.
• Successful candidates can often find they have met many staff, and feel more ‘at home’ and part of the company.
• As well as tests, you often have access to staff and managers from the company on an informal basis, such as over meals, coffee etc.

Advantages for the company

• They can make better decisions. The idea is that the more data you have about a candidate, the more likely you are to be able to make the right recruitment decision – the reliability and validity of selection decisions is improved. There is a large body of evidence that assessment centres which are well designed and run are one of the most valid methods for predicting a candidate’s performance in a job. The evidence also shows that they are one of the fairest and most objective means of gathering data to make recruitment decisions.
• Ease of planning and administration. If you are recruiting large numbers of candidates, juggling interviewing schedules can be an absolute nightmare, so many companies prefer to have a day or few days of assessment centres and see all the candidates over a short period of time. This would apply, as we have already said, for recruitment such as graduate recruitment, training scheme intakes etc.
• Increasing management and/or staff involvement. One big advantage of assessment centres is that existing managers and/or supervisors become more involved in the recruitment and selection of new employees. Obviously they need to be trained for this, but it does mean that they can participate more than usual. Many managers can be involved in assessment centres, but the number of people who can interview each candidate is limited by practicality. The fact that there are social elements to an assessment centre, such as tea, coffee, lunch etc, means that a larger number of staff can get to meet candidates.

The other applicants

Be nice to everyone!

Always be courteous and pleasant to other candidates. Your prospective employer may well judge how you will behave with your colleagues by how you behave with other candidates during the selection process. It’s surprising how much skilled recruiters can pick up on, so don’t fall into the trap of letting other candidates make you appear anything other than positive and professional.

It’s not necessarily a competition

It is highly likely that more than one candidate will be selected from those attending the assessment centre. So you should not feel that you are in competition with the other candidates in any way. In fact, one or more of them could well end up being your colleagues, if you get the job, so co-operation and friendliness is in order. Bearing in mind that one of the big things likely to be assessed is cooperation and teamwork, you cannot afford to treat an assessment centre like a competition.

Handling difficult candidates

Some of the other applicants may be less friendly to you. They may regard you as a rival, and treat you accordingly. This can make exercises difficult, as teamwork is often essential to succeed. Take it as a compliment that they think you are strong competition and rise above it all! You can only look better by comparison.

Be conscious of social settings

As well as the interviews, exercises and tests, the programme of an assessment centre also has an informal or ‘social’ side. How you mix and who with is something that may increase (or decrease) your chances of being successful. Managers, staff and candidates meet each other over an extended period, so candidates can often be observed interacting with other candidates in other ways:

• over dinner
• in conversations at the bar
• when touring the building.

THE EXERCISES

Group exercises

Why have group exercises?

These are simply designed to see how you work in a group:

• Are you a leader or follower?
• Do you communicate well, or hang back and let everyone else get on with it?
• Do you argue when challenged, or stay calm and polite?
• There may also be an element of comparing you with other group members.

What do they involve?

Group exercises can include candidates being required to discuss a topic or resolve a problem. Such exercises are typically designed to examine areas such as planning, organising, leadership, communication skills, analysis, synthesis, influencing etc. They can also be practical exercises, like building a simple tower or bridge from building blocks and materials under certain conditions and restrictions, such as not being able to step on certain parts of the floor etc.

Interacting with others

In a group exercise you are, to a certain extent, dependent on the other people in your group. Difficult personalities may make it very hard for you to behave normally, but remember, in group exercises usually how you do something is far more important to the assessor than what you do.

Conflict situations

You need to be aware that some exercises are deliberately set up to induce a conflict between group members. If this happens, stay calm and assertive. Be flexible, to accommodate others, without compromising your own situation. Never criticise others unless the remark is constructive. Above all else, always try to reach a group conclusion or decision, even if this cannot be unanimous.

Individual exercises

What are individual exercises?

These are exercises designed to assess your own individual ability. Sometimes you may be in a room with a group of people, but all given individual exercises to do separately. It’s important to remember that this is an individual exercise, and so there is no point in being intimidated or put off by others who work more quickly or in a different way from you. After all they may be totally wrong, so there is no point in being conscious of what others are doing really.

What do they involve?

Exercises can range from writing an essay on a topic to solving a problem. Interviews are the most common form of individual exercise, when you think about it, and a ‘traditional’ one-to-one interview may occur, or you may face a ‘panel interview’ with several interviewers. This may take place instead of a one-to-one interview, or as well, so be prepared.

Specific exercises

The rest of this chapter will concentrate on specific exercises you may face, whether they are conducted in a group or individually. For example, a case study might be carried out individually, or in a group.

CASE STUDIES

What are case studies?

One particular type of exercise is a case study. This is where you are given a business scenario, and you have to analyse it and complete a task. This may typically be to make decisions about what should be done, to prepare a presentation of your ideas, or to write a report. This is usually an individual exercise, but may also be carried out as a group exercise where it would allow the employer to assess your discussion and communication skills, as well as your ability to solve the case study.

Handling the information

Typically you would be provided with a large amount of factual information in the scenario or as additional information.

Handling irrelevant information

Not all of the information given to you may be relevant, as part of the assessment may be to see how good you are at managing large volumes of information.

Handling ambiguous information

You may also find that some of the information is ambiguous, so beware of jumping to too large conclusions. If you have to make an assumption, say where you have done so.

Handling contradictory information

Another potential problem is that some of the information given may even be contradictory. If this is the case you may either have to make an assumption, as above, or allow for possibilities in your answer (‘if X is true, then I recommend

. . . If, however, Y is true, then my recommendation would change to . . .’).

Useful advice for case studies

There are some points that can help you manage a case study:

• Keep to the time allowed – don’t lose track of time and not get the work done.
• Answer the question or task you are set – if you are asked to prepare a report, prepare a report. If asked to produce a presentation, do a presentation, not a report!
• Explain your thinking. If you have made an assumption or judgement about data that is wrong, this can be offset if you have explained that this is what you did. Otherwise, there is no explanation for what could be a totally wrong answer.
• If you are asked to make a decision, make one – don’t sit on the fence. If your decision is dependent on assumptions or other data, say so. (‘In the absence of other data, I recommend . . . However, in the real world I would first like to check the figures for . . . before making any decisions.’)
• Don’t panic. The exercise may have been set up so that you cannot finish. Just do the best you can in the time allocated.

HANDLING PANEL INTERVIEWS

What are panel interviews?

A panel interview is where you are interviewed by more than one person. This can be very stressful, especially if you’re not expecting it. One interviewer is nerve-wracking enough for some people, two is added pressure, three or more is very daunting even at the best of times.

You need to remember that, very often, panel interviews are not as planned and efficiently organised as you might think. It’s tempting to imagine that the interviewers have a well-thought-out schedule of who will ask what questions and when. In real life not only is this not very common, but human nature being what it is, people will jump in and ask a question when they feel the time is right – perhaps when you say something that makes them interested or curious.

Who to address your answers to

People can only answer one question at a time. When someone asks you a question, look at them and answer them. It’s their question. But don’t exclude the other interviewers. As you are answering, focus on the person who asked you the question, but look round at the other interviewers as you are talking. It’s that simple – you don’t have to do anything that you wouldn’t do at a party or meal with friends!

You may find that one person doesn’t ask any questions. They may be taking notes, or they may just not ask anything. Don’t ignore them just because they aren’t asking anything. You need to give eye contact and attention to everyone.

Find potential ‘allies’

Your potential boss

If the person who would be your potential boss if you got the job is on the panel, make sure you give them plenty of attention. Don’t ignore others, but remember that your manager may well have a casting vote, and will certainly be important to have on your side. In any event, the most successful candidate may not get hired if the manager doesn’t feel they could work with them.

People who are supportive

Look for someone on the panel who seems to be friendly, or agreeing with what you are saying. They are an ally, and you can look to them for support and encouragement. But don’t be tempted to end up speaking mainly to them just because they are listening sympathetically and encouragingly – you need to make an impression on everyone, remember.

Find the ringleader if there is one

There is often one person leading the panel, or someone who naturally takes over and to whom the others defer. If you can spot this, make sure you try to impress him or her, as they may well influence the opinions of others later, when they discuss how the interview went.

Handling interruptions and several questions at once

Handling interruptions

If you are interrupted, it doesn’t matter who does the interrupting – whether or not it was their question. Just answer and deal with the interruption, focusing on the person who raised it. If it helps, pretend there is only one interviewer.

Dealing with multiple questions

If there is a pause in the questions, or two people start to ask a question at once, this is nothing to worry about. It’s their problem and lack of co-ordination – let them sort it out! If you are really in doubt, just ask, ‘Sorry, what would you like me to answer first?’ Disorganised panel interviews are not your fault, and there’s no point getting upset or distracted by multiple interviewers.

SIMULATIONS

What are simulations?

Simulations are exercises where you resolve a problem that is an example of a real-life situation. They range from a group of candidates playing roles in an exercise (for example playing members in a meeting, to assess teamwork and/or communication), to individually doing a case study.

These exercises are quite good, because they can be fun, and they give you a real feel for the work you might be doing if you got the job. Designed well they are also quite fair tests, as they are based on how you might perform in the job, not what you have done before. A simulation might be a group exercise such as described earlier, where you have to construct a bridge from blocks and rope without stepping on certain areas of the floor.

Key competencies

The employer is looking for evidence that you are reasonably sensible, have common sense and can solve problems. They need to know you can react sensibly to tasks, and have ideas about how to create solutions. They are usually not looking for lengthy analysis in depth, just an indication that you can cope with the demands of the job.

The ‘in-tray’ exercise

A common simulation exercise is an ‘in-tray exercise’. This is where the contents of an imaginary in-tray are presented to you to prioritise and/or deal with. This can be a very useful exercise, if it is designed so that the in-tray contents are typical things that the jobholder might face – for example samples from an actual task or good quality examples. The exercise requires you to read the items, sort them, analyse the contents, assign priorities and sometimes go on to regenerate responses. Other exercises might include planning an event, evaluating a case study etc.

DISCUSSIONS

What are discussion exercises?

These are discussions on a set topic. You may be given a role, or a leader for the discussion, but this is rare. Usually the group is simply set a topic which you are asked to discuss for a fixed amount of time. The topic is usually a controversial one, in order to stimulate lots of discussion!

Key competencies

Obviously, it is your communications skills that are being tested here. Extremes of behaviour such as saying nothing or dominating the discussion will probably not be looked on favourably. Generally speaking, employers will be looking for evidence of:

• participation and contribution
• reasoning with and convincing others
• effective communication
• listening skills
• negotiation and co-operation
• interaction with others etc.

Advice for discussions

• Do not clam up and say nothing.
• Don’t talk too much.
• Consider both what you say and how you say it – don’t antagonise people or be too abrupt if you need to contradict them.
• Don’t respond in kind to antagonism from others.
• Don’t be afraid to bring in any outside knowledge you have – the brief may not be complete, and sometimes you may have to bring in other facts.
• Don’t make up outrageous facts just because you may be role playing! Candidates sometimes do this, and it may be fun, but it can also detract from the good qualities they are showing.

EXERCISES IN GROUPS

The exercises

Basically, these exercises are designed to see how well you perform in a team or group. A typical exercise might be being given a task to solve. Remember that group dynamics are important here – the employer is probably looking for people who have ideas, and can convince and persuade others.

Key competencies

The employer is most likely to be looking for people who can work easily with others – good team players. Therefore extremes, such as saying little or nothing, or hogging the limelight, can count against you. Whether the exercises are physical or mental, the employers are looking for the same things:

• teamwork
• participation and contribution
• reasoning with and convincing others
• effective communication
• listening skills
• negotiation and co-operation
• interaction with others
• possibly leadership ability
• ability to cope with difficult people
• coping under pressure.

Types of group exercise

Leaderless exercises

These are exercises where everyone has the same brief and the common objective of achieving some sort of task. No leader is nominated, and employers often look to see who naturally emerges as group leader, or who decisively takes control of the situation. Many candidates therefore assume that they have to try to become the leader in order to shine during the exercise. Remember, the leader isn’t always successful, so don’t rush in – you can make just as good an impression without being leader!

In fact, many employers will have seen whole exercises struggle because two or more people spent the beginning of the exercise fighting for leadership of the group. The rest of the time is often insufficient to achieve the task, which demotivates everyone. Far from giving a good image of the leader who ‘wins’, they are actually quite unlikely to get hired!

Assigned role exercises

This is an exercise where everyone has an assigned role that they must carry out. This may be as simple as assigning a leader and one or two other key roles, or it can extend into everyone having a different brief. This can often (and deliberately) cause conflict, and candidates are then assessed on how well they handle that situation and the resulting conflict.

General advice for tasks or exercises in groups

• Make sure you understand the task.
• Don’t waste time (or let the group waste time) on details once you understand the task properly.
• Decide on priorities – make sure everyone knows what they are.
• Be assertive with others, and make your point, but compromise where necessary.
• Work with the others, not on your own.
• Make contributions to the group, and recognise and encourage contributions from others in the group.
• Don’t lose your temper or become irritated with people.
• Keep your sense of humour, but don’t trivialise the task or anyone’s actions or contributions.
• Keep an eye on the time – most tasks are set against a tight time limit and people can often forget this. Someone usually needs to remind people how much time they have left.

GIVING A PRESENTATION

The exercise

One frequent exercise at an assessment centre is giving a presentation. This may be either on a topic of your choice, or on a topic you are given. Sometimes you are asked to prepare a short presentation and bring it with you to present – this saves time on the day.

If you are given a topic to present, this can sometimes be in the form of a mass of data to analyse and present. Do not get overwhelmed by this – structure and content are important. Boil the facts down to key items you can present clearly and simply. Don’t get too complex.

You may have to present to just two or three members of staff, to a larger group, or to the group of candidates at the assessment centre.

Key competencies

The employer is looking to see how well you can put a point across. They are testing your ability to prepare and communicate. They are likely to be unimpressed by people who are excessively nervous, and cannot speak to a group, as this wouldn’t be one of the exercises if it wasn’t required for the job.

Helpful advice for presentations

• How you present yourself will be crucial.
• Introduce yourself and your subject clearly.
• Be enthusiastic and be interested in your subject – it’s infectious and will usually make your audience interested.
• Make eye contact with the audience. If there are several people, move your gaze around, making eye contact with them in turn.
• Speak clearly and at a sensible speed.
• Speak to the audience, not at the floor, the back of the room, your notes or a projector.
• Practise beforehand if at all possible, making sure you stick to the time limit allowed.
• Practise with any equipment or visual aids you will be using.
• Try to keep things structured logically.
• Summarise at the end.
• Stick to the time limit. It is embarrassing and makes things very difficult if you run over time – the employers may penalise you, and your audience is likely to get uncomfortable and embarrassed, which can damage your confidence for other exercises.

PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS

Assessment centres may include a psychometric test. These tests may also be carried out separately from an assessment centre – it just depends on the employer. Psychometric tests will be discussed in full in the next chapter.

CHECKLIST