Assessment Centres

A guide to the Graduate recruitment process by the Lancaster Careers Team.

Congratulations if you have got to this stage! An invitation to an assessment

centre is a clear indication that you are being seriously considered as a potential

candidate for the job or place on the graduate scheme or internship programme.

For more support visit Careers in The Base

on Alexandra Square.

Come to a drop-in session o receive further advice on

assessment centresactivities and how to best

prepare for them - no appointment needed(Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri: 10-12,

2-4pm)

Visit TARGETconnect to book a Mock Assessment

t

centre:

careers@lancaster.ac.uk 01524592767

The Assessment Centre: An Overview:

Assessment Centres evaluate your suitability for a job through various tasks and activities,

allowing employers to test skills in a way that may not be possible in a traditional interview.

They are usually hosted over a full day, and sometimes 2 days including an overnight stay.

Occasionally, the candidates need to pass the morning activities and be invited to return for

the afternoon. Assessment Centres vary in size with anything from 6 to 25 other candidates.

Assessment Centres are usually the next stage in the recruitment process after an

application stage that can include a CV, cover letter and application form, telephone or

video interview and/or a face to face interview.

Assessment Centres are a good way of predicting your potential, as they give a number of

assessors a chance to see you over a longer period of time and in different situations.

An invitation to assessment centre for any type of role, graduate or not, is recognition that

you have so far convinced the employer that you have potential to succeed in their business.

The necessary competencies required to undertake this role have so far been demonstrated

and you appear to match the requirements.

If you have an upcoming Assessment Centre, make sure you check the Knowledge Bank first for

insider information on what to expect: http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/careers/students/

assessment- centres/

On the website, we have provided a series of Assessment Centre Videos that will help you prepare

and gain a good insight into this type of selection.

What to expect:

An assessment centre is a place where a number of candidates will be brought together

for assessment and can last the course of a full day. They are usually held at Head Office

but can be regional or held in country houses and involve up to two days of testing.

Assessment centres are frequently used among large recruiters and are typically the final

stage of the selection process. They usually involve a combination of individual and group tasks; some are designed to mirror the job you are applying for, while others focus more

on the desired competencies or behavioural characteristics required for the job.

The following is a list of activities that recruiters tend do use, some will use all, but most will pick a

selection:

Competency-based interview.

Role-play exercise.

Group exercise.

E-Tray exercise.

Sales pitch or presentation.

Analysis Exercise.

Essay or written exercise.

Psychometric Test –

numeracy, literacy,

verbal reasoning and personality.

In-tray/e-tray exercises:

In-tray exercises are designed to measure how effectively you manage your workload. You will be given a range of emails, memos, messages, reports and correspondence, together with information on the organisation. You may be asked to prioritise tasks based on the information provided, including drafting replies, delegating and recommending action to supervisors. There will be a time limit to complete the task. E-tray versions of the exercise will involve dealing with a series of emails which arrive on your computer.

The exercises assess your problem analysis and judgement skills, together with your

communication and time management.

Tips for the e-tray:

Attention to detail.

Read the brief.

Logical.

Prioritise.

Urgent/important (use grid).

Give reasons.

You can practise an in-tray exercise at: https://www.assessmentday.co.uk/in-

tray- exercise.htm

Group Exercise:

Group exercises can take different forms; you might expect to find a problem solving or work-simulation exercise, followed by discussion around the problem solving process. Remember this is not a competition; the purpose is to see how you interact with others and how you perform under pressure.

The assessors are looking for how individuals function as a member of the group. Thismay include participation and contribution, the ability to present reasoned arguments, effective communication, listening skills, or negotiation and co-operation. Your own contribution to the team process will normally be more important than the outcome of the exercise.

Examples of group exercise activity:

Icebreaker or short introduction welcome activities. Problem-based or ethical scenarios. A business or work related case study. Team challenges.

Advice for the group exercise:

Try to develop a relationship with the group – use names and encourage quieter

members.

Remain calm when challenged.

Be confident to speak out tactfully and assertively if you disagree.

Have opinions, but listen to others. Be prepared to debate.

Provide clear and logical arguments

Keep an eye on the time to ensure the task is completed.

Remember that the quality of what you say is more important than how often you speak!

Try to give structure to the group discussion by setting objectives and sticking to the brief.

If appropriate, take stock, summarise where the group are up to and what still needs to

be achieved in the time remaining. This can help the group to prioritise.

Things to avoid:

Keep reiterating the same point if the group is not listening – if you feel it is important,

wait for a quiet moment then raise the point again.

Be impatient or angry with other team members.

Talk over others.

Blend into the background – the assessors cannot give you credit if you do not speak!

Psychometric tests:

These are used to assess your aptitude and personality and can come in varying forms. You may have come across these at a previous interview stage.

They can often be referred to as ability tests and will depend on your role which you may receive, for example if you work for a bank they may be interested in your numeracy skills.

Many graduate employers now use psychometric tests as part of an overall selection process, whether at an assessment centre or during the preliminary screening stage.

Psychometric tests are used to assess the abilities and personality traits of job applicants and are often completed online.

You can practise psychometric tests online for free through the Knowledge bank on the Careers

website: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/careers/students/psychometric-tests/

If you need further information or help with tests, please contact our Psychometric Tests

Tutor.

Role-Play:

These exercises will in the most part, relate to the area you have applied for. If you are attending an assessment centre for a marketing position, you could be expected to role- play a pitch to a potential client or for a customer service role or you could role-play a difficult customer and complaint.

Role-plays are a business simulation exercise where you are given a brief and assigned a

role to be maintained throughout the exercise, they are usually related to the type of work

to which you have applied.

Assessors will be watching the way you analyse the situation, how well you think on your

feet and how you are able to express your ideas.

You will be judged on your interpersonal skills, how you listen to and understand the other

person, whether you develop a relationship with the other person, and the extent to which

you are able to influence them and come to a mutually agreed outcome to the situation.

Tip:

The key is to listen to the other person and don’t enter the role play expecting a

predetermined outcome.

Interview:

Prepare for Assessment Centre interviews as you would for any other. Research the organisation, keep in touch with current events by reading newspapers, journals and watching the news, follow their tweets and take time to view the assessors profiles on LinkedIn.

Example Questions:

Warm up Questions: Why did you decide to study your subject at Lancaster University? Tell me about yourself: focus on your skills, characteristics and successes. Begin withhighest achievement or qualification, then a brief work history and examples of skillsdeveloped, or similar with academia history.

Information gathering questions: What are your strengths? – Pick three that are desired by the employer and evidence them. What are your weaknesses? Turn these into a positive; never say none or that you work too hard.

Commercial Awareness: How do you keep up to date with business changes? What will be the most important issue facing our industry over the next five years?

Competency Based Questions: Describe a situation where you led a team.Tell me about a time you worked in a team – they want your role in the team, what ‘I’ did

not ‘we’ did.

How to answer competency-based questions:

Also known as structured questions, these are questions that require an example where you can evidence your skills and how you have dealt with similar situations that may occur in this job.

You should aim to answer the question using the STAR format: Situation.Task.Action.Result.

The question will start with describe a time, tell me a time, give me an example.

Questions you could ask: How often is my performance appraised? How many graduates do you retain?

What is the typical career path within this area?

For more help on how to prepare for interviews, read our Interview guides available at:

https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/careers/students/interviews/

Social Event:

It is likely that there will be an informal event such as a lunch or a coffee break at some point. Whilst you are not being formally assessed, you may be under observation. Use thisopportunity to find out more about the company culture and the experiences of staff within the organisation.

It is quite common for candidates to have lunch with current trainees and/or hiring managers. This is your opportunity to find out more about the job and the company. Have questions in mind and talk to staff.

Consider how your behaviour appears to the employer. Make an effort to speak to the people you meet and bear in mind that assessors have been known to ask for the opinions of other company personnel who have met you.

Never be tempted to check your phone for emails, texts or missed calls—employers can

view this as disinterest!

What might the day look like?

09:00: Arrival & Registration.

09:30: Group Introduction to the company, plan for the day and an overview of the training

scheme.

10:00: Group Exercise (timed task).

10:45: Break.

11:00: Psychometric test – personality, numeracy and literacy.

12:00: Lunch.

12:45: Competency Based Interview (45 minutes).

13:45: E-tray exercise and present this to a senior member of the team.

14:30: Close of day.

Danone Assessment Centre: Case Study:

Stages of Danone Graduate recruitment process:

1. Application stage (Pre-assessment centre).

2. Interviews.

3. Group Exercise.

4. Presentations.

Assessment Centre Format:

The process is carried out in one day and unsuccessful candidates will leave throughout, following

assessed performance in the assessment activities.

Danone’s top tips for the group exercise:

Make your own points. Build on others' points.Don’t interrupt. Say something…anything. Body language. Bring quieter members into the discussion. Include your own professional research where possible. Challenge people if you disagree. Contribute throughout the exercise. Use positive language. Make eye contact.

General advice from Danone recruiters:

Be authentic. We want to see the real you. We want you to judge if the company is right for you. Prepare & research.

What is the assessment centre looking for?

The following are some of the key skills and capabilities – but it is not an exhaustive list. Organisations

may recruit based on other skills and values specific to their industry.

Adaptability, Commercial awareness,

Communication, Creativity, Decision making,

Leadership, Organisation,

Persuasion, Planning, Teamwork, Time management.

Remaining calm and overcoming nerves:

If you have prepared as much as you can then you will feel more relaxed and know that

you’ve given it your best.

Dress well; this will give you an air of confidence.

Understand all candidates will have an element of being nervous.

Prepare yourself that if you make a mistake you can overcome this, this shows you are

natural, assessors will be looking at how you recover from this.

Test your knowledge on what you have researched, if you remember the key facts you should

remember them on the day, but remember there will be other jobs and you will gain more

confidence and experience.

Preparation for the Day:

Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance – the 5 Ps of success continues with your assessment. In

order to pass this stage of the application preparation is key, and will ensure you are calm and ready for

the day.

Research your sector.

Research the employer:

What is the size of the business?

What are its products/services?

Who are the competitors?

What is there public image/perception?

How long has it been trading?

Where are the headquarters and is it global?

What is their culture and values?

What recent news articles have they had, how much press do they receive?

Understand your interest in this career and the employer – demonstrate your enthusiasm

Define what you can bring to the company

Read back on your application/CV.

Prepare your own questions in you have an interview included in the format.

Plan your day, how you will get to the assessment centre and how to ensure you will be

on time.

If in doubt about anything, call the employer to clarify.

Dress appropriately.

Prepare and take any required documents as requested and a notepad with your questions and

to take any notes that may be required.

…and finally:

Try and get a good night’s sleep the night before and eat some breakfast!

The top tip they feedback is ‘enjoy the day, and be yourself’.

If you want to discuss your preparation, go through your presentation and anything

else then book a Careers appointment – we also run Mock Assessment Centres

throughout the term.

For more information and help visit http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/careers/

Get in touch:

https://lancaster.targetconnect.net

careers@lancaster.ac.uk

01524592767