ASSESSMENT CENTRES

Bruce Woodcock University of Kent Careers and Employability Servicebw@kent.ac.uk

You can download a copy of this presentation at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm

What is an assessment centre?

• 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

• Good news! Normally only 5% of the original applicants will get this far

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.

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

What happens at an assessment centre?

Group exercises:

• Discussions

• Practical tasks

• Role play

Individual exercises:

• Written tasks

• In-tray exercises

• Psychometric tests

• Presentations

• Interviews

A number of different exercises, which are likely to include:

Plus socialising with assessors, fellow-candidates and recent graduates

The most frequently-used exercises at assessment centres

• Interview 97%

• Psychometric test91%

• Group discussion 89%

• Personality test 79%

• Case study 71%

• Presentation 61%

• In-tray exercise 48%

How will you be assessed?

• By people with clipboards!

• On a range of competencies that are important in the job you are applying for:For marketing it might be negotiating and persuading skillsFor computing it might be more problem solving and analytical skills

• By more than one person

• On your own merits

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.

Group exercises

• Discussions

• Practical tasks

• Role play

Group DiscussionsDiscussion 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

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”

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

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

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

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

In-Tray/E-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!

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

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

What happens after the assessment centre?

or

How you can prepare

• 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!

Further help and information

• Assessment Centre Videoswww.kent.ac.uk/careers/IntVid.htm

• Web pageswww.kent.ac.uk/careers/selection.htm

Careers Employability Award on Moodle

Assessed by a range of quizzes and assignments

Will greatly improve your career planning and jobhunting skills, giving you strategies to make career choices and will increase your chances of getting a graduate level job.

Takes about 12 hours to complete

On completion you will get a University of Kent Careers Employability Award to add to your CV

Get 60 Kent Employability points for successful completion of the module.

DX_CEA

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/moodle.htm

THE END …. of this presentation

Careers and Employability Servicewww.kent.ac.uk/careers

At the end of Keynes driveway, Opening hours 9.00 am - 5.00 pm, Monday to

FridayDuty adviser each weekday 10.30 – 12.30

and 2 to 5

ASSESSMENT CENTRES

Bruce Woodcock University of Kent Careers and Employability Servicebw@kent.ac.uk

You can download a copy of this presentation at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm