Job Seeking Skills

Assessment Centres

The staff of the Careers Centre met recently with a major recruitment company in Perth to talk about how they run ASSESSMENT CENTRES.

An assessment centre is a structured series of activities designed to assist employers in choosing candidates. While some companies run their own, it is more common to find them run by recruitment companies. The Careers Centre has a handout on Assessment Centres and also a video for you to view.

Here is a summary of the information that the company provided to us: * they are often used for graduate recruitment as new graduates do not have a lot of "professional" experience and the assessment centre provides a lot of material companies can use to compare candidates.

• they are very time consuming and costly for the company, so they have a lot invested in them.
• they can be spread over several days or jammed in one
• the exercises set are not necessarily achievable and in fact some of the exercises are designed for participants to fail to bring out particular behaviours in people.
• participating in your first assessment centre can be very daunting.

What can the Assessment Centre involve?

• Group sessions
• Individual exercise - presentation
• In Tray test
• Psychometric testing
• Interview
• In some rare cases some companies have a dining exercise: this is designed for companies that are looking for people who will be wining and dining clients.

Preparation for Assessment Centres

It is best to ask questions when contacted, especially about appropriate dress. As some exercises can be located outside, it may be suitable to wear smart casual clothing. Make sure you arrive in plenty of time and have parked in a suitable place (you will NOT get time to run out and move your car).

Group Exercises

These are usually used first off as they can settle nerves.

• they are designed to stimulate conversation between participants
• size of the group can vary, however 6 people is common.
• some of the exercises are creative, survival type exercises.
• the assessors watch individuals, they look for logic, reasoning skills, how people articulate, facial expressions, eye contact, body language, use of humour, the ones that encourage others.
• usually in group exercises leaders can emerge, they use bargaining skills, encouragements etc.
• you are encouraged to listen to all the other participants and to contribute to the group
• do not mumble: remember the assessors need to hear you
• relax
• some of the group exercises will be outside exercises, these are fun and designed that way!

Individual Exercise - Presentation

This exercise is usually done by one or two participants and made to the assessors. You are often pulled out of the group exercise for a time to prepare and then make your presentation.

• participants are given limited time to prepare (often less than 30 mins)
• there are limited resources available ­ usually just butchers paper and pens
• they are interested in how participants address the interviewers
• see if they provide examples, this is used to see how participants think outside of the box
• the presentation brings out coping mechanisms, to test how people deal with limited time and resources
• each of the participants could be given the same topic or different topics
• when doing presentations with someone else, make sure you share the task as they will be looking for teamwork and communication skills
• most presentations are 10-15 mins.

In Tray Exercise

This is when you are given a tray of documentation and a senario/role, and asked to deal with all documentation in a set time frame. Items can be routine or quirky.
They are looking for:

• the ability to assess information quickly and accurately
• the ability to prioritise
• organisational skills

Psychometric Testing

• the tests can vary greatly according to the needs of the employer
• can be on-line or in-person
• with on-line tests, students are encouraged to treat them seriously and not "cheat" by involving others: if the results do not match their other assessments of you, it is obvious that you have cheated.
• be honest and open in the tests
• do not over analyse the questions: go with your first answer
• the tests are timed and scaled to "the norm"
  (note: The Careers Centre has a comprehensive handout on psychometric tests and what to expect)
  

Interviews

Interviews at assessment centres are always panel interviews with your assessors and run along similar lines to regular interviews.

General Tips

• Participants are watched/assessed from the minute they enter the building, including the way that they speak with the receptionist, how they interact at morning tea etc.
• Once you have completed the assessment centre you are able to get feedback from the recruitment company: the most common method is via telephone. If you wish to go back and discuss your results in detail, you can however there will be a charge.
• If you are on any medication, it is best to discuss this with the recruitment company, as it may affect your response times or behaviour. They are required to keep this information confidential.