Assessment Centres Sally Walker Download free books at Sally Walker Assessment Centres Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres 1st edition © 2013 Sally Walker & bookboon.com ISBN 978-87-403-0523-4 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres Contents Contents Introduction About the author An Overview 10 1.1 Purpose of Assessment Centres 10 1.2 What to expect 11 1.3 Who uses Assessment Centres 12 1.4 Who are the Assessors 12 1.5 What is being assessed 360° thinking 2 Preparation 13 15 2.1 Gather all the details 2.2 Research the company and industry comprehensively 2.3 Prepare questions you want to ask at the Assessment Centre 2.4 Notify the company of any special needs 18 2.5 Review why you are a right match for the job and organisation 19 360° thinking 15 16 17 360° thinking Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers Click on the ad to read more Download free eBooks at bookboon.com © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities Dis Assessment Centres Contents Psychometric Tests 21 3.1 What is a Psychometric test and how does it work? 21 3.2 Are Psychometrics fair? 22 3.3 Can I fail? 22 3.4 Online Testing 22 3.5 Candidates with disabilities 22 3.6 Invitation to take tests 22 3.7 Practice 23 3.8 Top tips on the day for all types of ability test 24 3.9 Verbal Reasoning and Critical-thinking tests 24 3.10 Numerical Tests 25 3.11 Spatial Reasoning Tests 25 3.12 Situational Judgement Tests 25 3.13 Personality questionnaires 25 4 Presentations 29 4.1 An overview 29 4.2 Presentation in front of other candidates 30 4.3 Short presentation with limited preparation time on the day 30 4.4 Longer presentation prepared ahead of the day 31 Increase your impact with MSM Executive Education For almost 60 years Maastricht School of Management has been enhancing the management capacity of professionals and organizations around the world through state-of-the-art management education Our broad range of Open Enrollment Executive Programs offers you a unique interactive, stimulating and multicultural learning experience Be prepared for tomorrow’s management challenges and apply today For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 or via admissions@msm.nl For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 the globally networked management school or via admissions@msm.nl Executive Education-170x115-B2.indd 18-08-11 15:13 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more Assessment Centres Contents 4.5 Presentation Structure 32 4.6 Tips on Using Visual Aids 33 4.7 Body language during presentations 33 Group Exercises 34 5.1 An overview 34 5.2 Top tips for succeeding in Group Exercises 35 Written Exercises 37 6.1 Case Study exercises 38 6.2 Drafting exercises 40 In-tray / e-tray exercises 41 7.1 Paper and pen in-tray exercises 43 7.2 E-tray exercises 44 Role Play exercises 45 Other Exercises 48 GOT-THE-ENERGY-TO-LEAD.COM We believe that energy suppliers should be renewable, too We are therefore looking for enthusiastic new colleagues with plenty of ideas who want to join RWE in changing the world Visit us online to find out what we are offering and how we are working together to ensure the energy of the future Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more Assessment Centres Contents 10 Interviews 49 10.1 Types of interview 50 10.2 How to prepare for competency based interviews 52 10.3 Additional answers to prepare 55 11 On the Assessment Centre Day 58 11.1 What to wear 58 11.2 Body Language 59 11.3 Social Event 60 11.4 Follow up 61 With us you can shape the future Every single day For more information go to: www.eon-career.com Your energy shapes the future Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more Assessment Centres Introduction Introduction Welcome to your e-book about Assessment Centres, or Selection Centres, as they are sometimes called, which are often used by organisations to recruit new employees Research has shown employers that using an interview alone is not the most reliable way to make the best hiring decisions More and more, they are using additional tools such as ability tests and personality profiles, job related exercises with group interaction, presentation-making and so on, to ensure that they have a fully rounded view of a potential new recruit An Assessment Centre might last a couple of hours or stretch to a couple of days If you have not attended one before, you are going to need advice on what to expect and how to be as successful as possible Equally you might be looking to improve on previous Assessment Centre performance or update your knowledge and skills in this area In the pages ahead you will learn what a recruiter is looking for at an Assessment Centre, and what type of skills and competencies they might be assessing you against You will gain up to date tips for preparing effectively for the tests and exercises typically used in an Assessment Centre Interview advice is also included to enable you to successfully anticipate challenging questions, carry out company research and develop your confidence in these situations Finally you will gain information about appropriate body language, what to wear, and how to come across as positively and professionally as possible to a future potential employer The goal of this e-book is to build your confidence and help you to be as successful as possible at Assessment Centres Good luck! Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres About the author About the author Sally Walker is the owner of SW Career Coaching and is a senior associate of two global career management firms She has worked as a Career Coach for over ten years and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development During that time she has prepared significant numbers of clients to successfully attend Assessment Centres who have gone on to secure new employment She provides energetic and motivating advice and support to anyone facing a career challenge from school age upwards Her advice is based on her prior experience at GE where she held senior roles in International Human Resource Management and Organisation and Staffing As such she was involved in designing and running numerous Assessment Centres globally Her Human Resources career after university began with Esso in the UK and in France With thanks to the many clients who have contributed to this e-book by providing information about their own experiences of assessment centres If you would like more information about Sally’s Career Coaching work then take a look at her website, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts and contact her at: sally@swcareercoaching.com www.swcareercoaching.com @sallycareers uk.linkedin.com/in/sallyannwalker/ Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres An Overview An Overview 1.1 Purpose of Assessment Centres Assessment Centres (also known as Selection Centres) are frequently used as part of an employer’s recruitment processes Their objective is to obtain the best possible indication of a candidate’s actual or potential competence to perform in the target job They are a much more reliable way of predicting your potential in a role They give a number of assessors a chance to see you over a longer period of time, and in different situations than is possible with a single interview An assessment centre is more representative of the actual environment in which you may be working and the situations you will encounter They also allow you to demonstrate your strengths in a variety of exercises, which means that if you think you have performed badly in one exercise, you may have the opportunity to compensate later on In addition, Assessment Centres are an excellent opportunity for an employer to showcase their company, recruit for additional roles and build a strong brand as an employer of choice From your perspective as a candidate, they provide an opportunity to learn more about the company, its culture and the business sector Remember this is a two-way process: you will be checking out the future employer to make sure they offer a match with your values Assessment Centres are also great opportunities for you to network with others and to receive valuable feedback on your performance Assessment Centres are often the final stage in a company’s recruitment process because they can be costly and time consuming to design and resource For this reason companies are not in the habit of inviting candidates to attend if they are not capable of doing the job Someone believes in you if you have been invited to attend, so you must build on that! 10 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres Role Play exercises Role plays might also be used in Assessment Centres for people management roles Here the role player is likely to be pretending to be an employee You will be given time to read through your scenario and consider how you will approach the situation Think about similar work situations you have encountered, what worked and what didn’t Before attending the Assessment Centre talk to other people and ask for their opinions on how a particular situation could be handled For these people management roles, you might be faced with one of the following challenges in a role play: • Employee with recent deterioration in performance • Employee who is unmanageable and doesn’t listen to anything This is a last meeting before start of disciplinary proceedings • Employee who has failed to achieve their targets Use open questions to get the role player talking and use body language and non-verbal communication to emphasise that you are listening You may need to develop a reasonable relationship before the roleplayer will reveal an underlying personal issue that is affecting their work You might then make coaching suggestions and ensure that the employee has shown commitment to taking follow up actions After the role play you might be asked for your perceptions as to how it went Try to be accurate and balanced in your views Finally it is possible that you will have a group role play exercise to establish how you work with other people within an organisation This might build on a previous exercise such as an in-tray exercise The brief will probably be to share information and reach a decision on something Be clear about what the most important parts of your argument are and also where you can be flexible The group role play exercise might be leaderless where the group as a whole will be given a topic to discuss as they wish or each member of the group may be allocated a particular role In the latter case you will receive a briefing about your role You will be expected to present a strong case, listen to what other candidates have to say and carefully negotiate to come to an agreed position Examples of the sort of exercises you might undertake in a group role play are as follows: • Supermarket layout Each member of the group plays a different departmental manager (bakery, fruit and vegetables etc) They will each argue for the best possible location, layout and facilities • Location of a new manufacturing plant The group is given a number of sites to select from As a whole the group must consider the pros and cons of the various options and reach a unanimous decision on which site to approve • Product launch Discuss and reach agreement as a group on the further development of the product 47 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres Other Exercises Other Exercises In the preceding chapters you will have found advice and information regarding the most frequently used exercises in Assessment Centres It is always possible – and you should always be ready for – an organisation asking you to something different Generally recruiters are trying to find ways to mirror the experience of working for them as closely as possible and see how you react to this Always try to be yourself, be adaptable and open to new challenges If you are being recruited for a job with a significant element of research, it is possible that you will be asked to perform some type of research exercise under time constraints Make sure you fully understand the brief and what is expected from you A recent article in People Management describes how the recruitment company Hays identifies the best candidates for roles as recruitment consultants The company has an online test that asks Assessment Centre attendees to pick the best candidates for specific jobs, based on a client brief and short video interviews The aim is to give people an idea of whether they’d be suited to a career in recruitment For roles which require strong IT knowledge or keyboard skills, such as administrative, finance or technical roles, you are likely to be asked to complete a Keyboard Skills test Once again you will have a tight timeframe to work in and might be set the task of compiling a spreadsheet or generating a report, letter or presentation It may be worth investing in updating your skills if you are aware that there are areas where you have gaps or are a bit rusty! 48 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres Interviews 10 Interviews It is possible that you will have some form of interview as part of your Assessment Centre Often – but not always – this will be a second interview after an initial screening interview has taken place Alternatively testing might have taken place prior to the Assessment Centre as a way of screening out candidates and identifying those who match the initial requirements The purpose of interviews in general is to find evidence of the following three areas: • Can the candidate the job? • Do they want to the job? • Will they fit? Finally, with a competitive talent market place the recruiter might additionally ask “Who is the best?” if they have a number of candidates with very similar skills It is the person who can best differentiate themselves from others who will be successful Increase your impact with MSM Executive Education For almost 60 years Maastricht School of Management has been enhancing the management capacity of professionals and organizations around the world through state-of-the-art management education Our broad range of Open Enrollment Executive Programs offers you a unique interactive, stimulating and multicultural learning experience Be prepared for tomorrow’s management challenges and apply today For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 or via admissions@msm.nl For more information, visit www.msm.nl or contact us at +31 43 38 70 808 the globally networked management school or via admissions@msm.nl Executive Education-170x115-B2.indd 18-08-11 15:13 49 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more Assessment Centres 10.1 Interviews Types of interview As part of the whole recruitment process there are numerous different styles of interview that you might experience Use the list below for guidance: Screening: Very often lead by the recruitment agency or a more junior member of Human Resources May be face to face but frequently is carried out via phone or video phone link to save time and money Be cautious of any recruitment consultant who rings and asks you for a quick “chat” This is really an interview and it is best that you prepare accordingly and treat it seriously Dress professionally if you have been asked to drop into the recruitment agency office for an informal conversation Video / Asynchronous: Here a candidate is sent a link inviting them to record a video interview that can be reviewed by hiring managers Candidates can practise, but once the recording starts, it can’t be stopped, thus simulating a real interview situation Formal one-to-one: This may be with the recruitment agency or the employer It could be with the person who is potentially going to be your manager or with a member of Human Resources At an early stage, they are likely to want to walk through your CV and ensure that you can the job with the necessary skills, knowledge, experience, qualifications and personal qualities In addition they may have questions about your motivation to join the organisation and your fit with the culture Informal: According to a recent report by ABC News, up to 80% of people secure a new job via networking More and more often you will be given the name by a network contact of someone working within the organisation you are targeting and you will be invited for an informal meeting or “chat” with them Often it might be out of office hours in a local coffee bar The purpose of this meeting is two way; it is a great opportunity for you to ask questions and find out more about the company you are interested in, what the culture is like, what it values For the network contact you are meeting and have been recommended to, it is their chance to see if you are a potential new recruit for the company They will be making judgements about you Again it is important that you prepare ahead of time for this meeting Prepare five or six questions that you are going to ask to find out more about the person’s experience of working for the company as well as more strategic questions about the business and its future direction The meeting will be excellent preparation for a future Assessment Centre with the company as it will give you insights that will help you to perform well during exercises and future interviews Panel: This could be with two or more interviewers, often up to as many as eight or ten This type of interview is often used when a decision is taken by a large number of people who all want to see you, but they will not all be trained interviewers It reduces the bias which is possible if you are only interviewed by one person from an organisation It’s important that you engage eye contact on a regular basis with each person on the panel 50 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres Interviews Biographical: Here you will be asked detailed questions about your choice points in life, very often starting early on with school days, education, personal life and work It is based on the premise that past behaviour predicts future behaviour To prepare, think through the choices you have made, why you preferred certain school or university subjects, what influenced you to go in this or that direction The interviewer is identifying repeat behaviours positive and negative Situational: You will be asked a series of job-related questions and your answers will be compared with those given by experts in the job Competency-based: This is a structured interview where questions are asked based on job-related competences and is most often used as part of an Assessment Centre You can respond using specific examples from different aspects of your life but focus where you can on work-related situations Case or problem solving: You will be given a topic or problem to debate with your interviewer The assessor wants to see how well you can present your case You may need to ask lots of open, consulting type questions of the assessor to draw out the details of the issue or challenge they are facing Curveball: Questions which seem “left field” or unusual are asked to test reasoning skills in a candidate as well as seeing how well they can deal with the unexpected, under pressure People Management magazine recently quoted examples of candidates being asked to calculate the number of green front doors in the whole of the UK to the bizarre “Would you rather fight a horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?” reportedly asked by a global mining company looking for marketers 51 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres 10.2 Interviews How to prepare for competency based interviews The competency based interview is currently the most widely used style of interview in Assessment Centres The questions are based around the competencies or skills that the company has identified as being critical for a particular role The assessors are looking for you to offer evidence of these competencies from your working or wider life The key to success in this type of interview is to first of all identify what competencies the organisation is looking for either by requesting a competency profile or job description or re-reading the advert for the role carefully Next you need to create a bank of examples to demonstrate situations where you have used these competencies effectively You should this using the Challenge, Action, Results (CAR) format described in Chapter 2.5 Briefly, to recap, make written notes on the following: Challenge: describe the situation or task that you were faced with Why was it a challenge? Did you have a shorter than usual timeframe to complete a project in? No additional resources to tap into? Ask yourself why was it a problem? When did it need to be resolved by? You need to be able to explain the challenge to your assessor in no more than two or three sentences Keep it punchy and avoid going into a lot of unnecessary detail at this stage GOT-THE-ENERGY-TO-LEAD.COM We believe that energy suppliers should be renewable, too We are therefore looking for enthusiastic new colleagues with plenty of ideas who want to join RWE in changing the world Visit us online to find out what we are offering and how we are working together to ensure the energy of the future 52 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more Assessment Centres Interviews Actions: identify the four or five key actions you took in chronological order to resolve this challenge Review your list and check whether you could make the language more powerful to focus on the particular skills you were using Could you use the following words? • Communicated with, liaised or collaborated with – rather than “talked to another person” • Developed, designed, or created – rather than “put together a new process” • Lead, initiated, facilitated, or instigated – rather than “was involved in a team” • Negotiated, influenced or persuaded – rather than “agreed with a supplier” Results: quantify the benefits of your actions wherever possible in numbers Could you include the following metrics? • Saved money or time • Increased profits or revenue • Identified new business with a potential worth of x • Increased customer or employee satisfaction from x to y% You could demonstrate successful leadership or managerial competencies by using the following metrics: • Improved performance banding from x to y level • Minimal team turnover • Number of promotions or development opportunities gained by members of the team Consider also what you learned from this example and whether you would anything differently with hindsight? Assessors are keen to see evidence of your depth of self-knowledge and will expect you to have completed some kind of review process and identified improvements for the future Very often assessors will be looking for some or all of the following competencies Be aware that they may phrase their question negatively or focus on the difficult or complex aspects of a competency This again provides evidence of whether you have a reasonable level of self-awareness and can handle all types of difficult situation An example interview question is included for each competency: Working with others Tell me about a time when you have worked with people very different to you 53 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres Interviews Communicating Describe a time when you have had a difficult piece of news or information to communicate Leading and managing Give an example of when you have had a difficult person to manage and describe how you did so Analysing and problem solving Provide an example of when you have had to resolve a complex piece of work Persuading and influencing Tell me about a time when you have faced resistance and how did you successfully overcome it Planning and organising Give an example of when you have missed a deadline What did you learn? Strategic thinking Describe a situation where you have been required to create a vision Change Management Give an example of the most significant change you have faced and how you addressed it Coping with pressure Provide an example of when you have had to cope with competing demands Using your initiative Give an example of when you took personal responsibility for an initiative or project You can draw your examples from any area of your life although the assessor is likely to be most interested in situations that are nearest to the work role they are potentially recruiting you for If you have had a voluntary role recently where you have demonstrated these competencies then draw from this If you haven’t been employed for a period of time, have been on a Career Break or Gap Year recently, consider examples of where you have used these competencies in a non-work situation 54 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres Interviews Take the example of a Gap Year which requires planning and organising skills initially to identify how best to use the period of time Then persuading and influencing skills come into play to convince a sponsor to invest in your plan If you are travelling to new places you will be interacting with lots of new people, building relationships, and solving problems under pressure such as flight delays or stolen passport as well as using your initiative to find an innovative solution In addition to thoroughly preparing at least two examples of each competency in depth using the CAR model, don’t forget to consider the non-competency questions included in the next section 10.3, which might also be included in a Competency based interview 10.3 Additional answers to prepare There are certain questions that frequently are asked in all styles of interview which you should thoroughly prepare beforehand Always try to tailor your answers to the particular organisation you are being interviewed by Think about why you are being asked a particular question Do you need to convince the assessor that you can the role, or that you want to the role or that you will fit in the organisation? Do try to a practice interview and at the very least rehearse your answers out loud, and time yourself: each answer should be no more than two minutes in length or else you will have lost the attention of the assessor He or she might go on to ask you further probing questions about the same topic With us you can shape the future Every single day For more information go to: www.eon-career.com Your energy shapes the future 55 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more Assessment Centres Interviews Here are some of the key questions and suggestions for you to consider in developing your own answer: Tell me about yourself Here the assessor is looking for you to present an overall picture of yourself, a bit like a “verbal photograph” I suggest that wherever possible candidates concentrate on business related information rather than including details of their personal situation Tell the recruiter who you are, what company you have worked for most recently and in what role You could include a line to describe your career background You might have had “extensive experience” in one particular industry or “diverse experience” across a number of different business sectors, and could mention two or three as examples Then include a high level description of your key responsibilities in your most recent role If you have had a team working for you include details of its size or if you have held budget or profit and loss responsibility, mention the approximate amount Tell the assessor what you believe are your two or three key skills and give them an example of a brief key achievement to demonstrate one or all of these, focusing on the successful results you have gained This concludes your answer on a strong and positive note and provides the recruiter with an example to probe with further questions What are your weaknesses? In my view an assessor will be asking you this question for two reasons First, to see if you mention a weakness, or development area, which is actually something that is central to the role you are being recruited for Secondly, your answer will demonstrate to a recruiter whether you will fit or not in the organisation I believe it is best not to say you don’t have any weaknesses! We all have areas we need to develop Instead focus on an area which is not central to the role – if it were, then I would be concerned that you were not right for the job in the first place – and provide an example of a situation where you have had some problems with this skill or competency, received feedback and then use a later example to briefly show how you have improved and continue to learn in this area Personally I mention my delegation skills Look back at former appraisals for insights into your development needs or ask a former manager for advice 56 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres Interviews What you know about this organisation? Use the research tips included in Chapter 2.2 to prepare for this question and enable you to have a strong understanding of the key issues affecting this organisation, its business sector and its competitors Where you see yourself in three years time? This is often a tricky question to answer as you may not be sure if the assessor is looking for someone to move quickly through the ranks of the organisation as a talent pipeline, or on the other hand to provide steady, longer term support in the same role I recommend that rather than naming a particular role that you want to have in the future, that you focus on clarifying for the recruiter what motivates you in any job This might be to with the amount of challenge there is in a role, or the opportunity to work as part of a team or to use particular skills You could say that in three years time you would want to be in a role that continues to offer you the opportunity to fulfil these three criteria and thus be satisfied and motivated What are your salary expectations? Try to avoid talking about salary and package if at all possible whilst still at interview stage You will have much greater negotiating power once a recruiter has decided that they want to make you an offer If pushed to comment however, then you could mention a salary range rather than talking about a specific figure or alternatively you could talk about your expectations being in line with the particular business sector marketplace What questions you have for us? Refer to the information in Chapter 2.3 to prepare a set of strong questions that you would be interested in having answers to You could create questions which relate to the company or business sector, to the actual job and ones that imagine you in the role and questions that emphasise your strengths and enthusiasm In this latter section you might ask how best you could prepare for the role, or what induction takes place initially Finally, you can always ask about the next steps in the recruitment process You can type up your questions to keep in your briefcase to demonstrate that you have prepared beforehand for the interview 57 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres On the Assessment Centre Day 11 On the Assessment Centre Day 11.1 What to wear Whatever the role you are applying for, you want the assessors to remember you for your performance and fit with the job, rather than for what you were wearing at the Assessment Centre My advice therefore about what to wear would be to keep it relatively simple and conventional! Traditional, formal interview clothes are most likely to impress the recruiter as they look smart and they demonstrate that you have made an effort to prepare for day Generally for men and women I suggest you stick to safe corporate colours of navy, grey or black and wear a suit or dress and jacket Make sure your shoes are polished beforehand Do not wear strong perfume or aftershave and make sure your nails are trimmed and clean For ladies, keep heels to a low, safe height; patent leather can often be a smart choice Keep makeup light, not wear obtrusive jewellery or show a lot of cleavage Do wear tights and make sure that your skirt length is reasonable to avoid showing too much leg Overall both men and women are aiming to look well groomed, and professional As a result you will feel more confident Remember that first impressions count 58 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres 11.2 On the Assessment Centre Day Body Language Body language is very important and can help to strengthen the assessors’ impression of you on the Assessment Day The key areas to consider are as follows: Eye contact Make sure that you are engaging eye contact with people that you meet at the Assessment Centre and particularly during any group exercises It helps to build relationships but avoid staring for too long at someone as this can make them feel uncomfortable Smile Act naturally, relax and try to enjoy the Assessment Centre as much as this is possible Smile when you introduce yourself to someone as this demonstrates warmth Avoid cracking jokes and playing the fool however! Hand gestures These can reinforce a point you are making during a presentation, interview or exercise and can therefore indicate energy Do avoid nervous gestures, fidgeting, tapping with a pen or playing with your hair or coins in your pocket as these can be distracting to a recruiter Voice tone Try to avoid speaking in a monotone and add inflection and variety of speed in to the way you sound without it seeming artificial Remember you can slow down when you want to emphasise certain points and speed up a little to add energy and vibrancy to something you are saying Make sure that others can hear you and that you are projecting your voice, particularly during the group exercises and presentation Ideally you want to come across as enthusiastic and professional Posture Try to demonstrate professionalism and confidence when you walk into a room by keeping your shoulders back, and giving a reasonably firm – rather than limp – handshake When sitting down, sit right back in the chair rather than teetering on the edge and not slouch Sit upright with both feet on the floor and avoid folding your arms in a defensive position Leaning slightly forward can show interest in what another person is saying 59 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres 11.3 On the Assessment Centre Day Social Event It is important to remember that from the moment you arrive at the Assessment Centre, judgements will start to be made about you by the recruiters They will constantly be seeking out evidence, even during the informal, social times of the day, to demonstrate whether you are a strong fit or not with their organisation It is therefore really important to think as positively as possible from the moment you enter the building and come across enthusiastically and with self-assurance Don’t let nerves make you appear over confident however Be ready to introduce yourself to others that you meet with, giving your name, where you are from – your university or most recent employer – what you are currently doing and something that you are interested in Use questions to draw out similar information from other candidates and help them to feel at ease During breaks between exercises try to talk with assessors or recent recruits to the organisation and ask positive questions about their experiences and career development Try to avoid standing on your own too often Use the time constructively During the Assessment Centre there might be a social event which could be a lunch, dinner or drinks gathering Avoid getting drunk at all cost and not ask overly familiar questions of the assessors Always remain professional! www.job.oticon.dk 60 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more Assessment Centres 11.4 On the Assessment Centre Day Follow up It is possible that part way through the Assessment Centre some of the candidates might be asked to leave and a smaller group will continue for final interviews or further exercises If you are part of the group remaining then this is a positive sign Often the assessors will want to make hiring decisions on the day Make sure that at the end of the event you leave a positive impression with the recruiters Shake hands and thank them for their time and if appropriate, express enthusiasm for the company and role Afterwards carry out a review of the day and identify where you could improve for the future Do consider sending a thank you email to the recruiters Only a small proportion of candidates use this technique so it can therefore be very powerful if done effectively In your email thank the assessors for their time and mention something that you learned about the organisation and found interesting Then highlight where you believe you have a strong match with the requirements of the role and close by indicating where you can be contacted should the company need further information Wishing you every success at your Assessment Centre! 61 Download free eBooks at bookboon.com ... Download free eBooks at bookboon.com Assessment Centres An Overview An Overview 1.1 Purpose of Assessment Centres Assessment Centres (also known as Selection Centres) are frequently used as part... bookboon.com Assessment Centres Contents Contents Introduction About the author An Overview 10 1.1 Purpose of Assessment Centres 10 1.2 What to expect 11 1.3 Who uses Assessment Centres 12 1.4 Who... bookboon.com Click on the ad to read more Assessment Centres Introduction Introduction Welcome to your e-book about Assessment Centres, or Selection Centres, as they are sometimes called, which