In each of the exercises, the assessors want to see you exhibit the behaviors that are seen as essential for the job and they will be assessing your behaviors using the following criteria:.
Knowledge — Do you have the knowledge necessary for the role? This will encompass technical, procedural and organizational knowledge as well as knowledge of the market, your competitors, etc. Skill — Can you exhibit the necessary skills at the appropriate level during the assessment day?
Skills include things like written and verbal communication, negotiating ability, analytical ability, judgment, etc. Attitude — Do you show the appropriate attitude to the situation or scenario being played out in the assessment centre exercise. This affects how you interact with others and how you are perceived by them.
Whenever you are considering your approach to a particular exercise, you should think in terms of demonstrating the appropriate KSAs. You cannot predict exactly how much information you will be given in each assessment centre exercise or whether it will be based on a real-life scenario or a fictitious one.
Neither can you be sure that you will always be given sufficient information to be certain of making the correct decision. Many candidates are put off by this unpredictability and perceived lack of realism in the exercises and perform badly as a result. These issues can be dealt with by asking yourself the following questions as you work through each assessment centre exercise.
You must formally demonstrate your KSAs, either by making notes or, in the case of item 3, by what you actually say. This in-tray exercise puts you in the position of a marketing manager for a fictitious company that produces solar panels for domestic hot water and heating systems. You are expected to work through a number of items in your in-tray and deal with them appropriately.
In-tray item The first item is an email from an automotive racing team who are asking if your company would like to explore a sponsorship deal. Knowledge — Does the company already have a sponsorship deal, if so, is it exclusive? If not, would it fit in with other sponsors, the company mission statement and the overall ethos of the company? For example, if the main thrust of the marketing efforts were based on green and environmentally friendly messages then it would not be appropriate.
Attitude — Even if the request for sponsorship was entirely inappropriate and you are under a lot of time pressure in this exercise, your response should still be polite and businesslike. You are the public face of the company. It has an article attached and the journalist is asking if you have any comments before publication. Scanning the article, you can see that it is generally positive about your products, particularly the technical capabilities, but there are some negative comments about the fact that the products are made in Indonesia.
Specifically, the article is critical of the conditions in the factory and the amount of energy consumed in the manufacture and transport of the products. Knowledge — Are the readers of this magazine part of the target market for the products? Is the magazine influential? This will influence how much priority you give this item.
Does the organization have a full-time press officer? Is he or she likely to have a working relationship with the journalist? Has the company had an environmental audit? Skill — You can display judgment by prioritizing this item as well as outlining and ranking the options available to you.
Attitude — Your attitude will be apparent from how you deal with this item. Did you approach it in an analytical way and are your decision options the result of clear thinking? You will also receive a telephone call from an actor who is playing the part of a subordinate. He is at a trade exhibition representing the company.
He is upset and concerned because a member of the public has tripped over on the exhibition stand and broken their wrist. Knowledge — There is not really any opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge with this item. It is exclusively an opportunity to display your skill and attitude. Skill — You can display your communication skills by dealing with your subordinate in such a way as to calm him down and outline an action plan for dealing with the incident.
Attitude — The challenge is to deal sympathetically but efficiently with a subordinate who is obviously upset whilst you yourself are under time pressure.
As you can see, even simple items like these three examples give you ample opportunity to demonstrate your KSAs. An assessor is an individual trained to observe, record, classify and make reliable judgments about the behaviors of those being assessed. These people will have a very clear idea of the qualities they expect to see in an individual performing the new role.
Many agencies have a preferred list of assessors they like to use and the human resources department will have key people they call upon for the assessment centre days. For senior roles, assessors who are external to the organization may be used to bring a broader perspective to the assessment. They will also have a thorough understanding of the requirements of the role and will have studied the job specification.
From this knowledge, a list of key behavioral areas will be drawn up, each having a more detailed description to ensure consistency among the assessors when scoring candidates. Your key objective is to find out what behaviors the assessors see as essential, desirable, adequate and a liability. For many organizations, their human resources department will have drawn up their own specific scoring sheet which they will modify as appropriate for the role in question.
This scoring is usually from 1 to 10; 1 being poor or unsatisfactory and 10 being totally capable and suited to the role. This discussion will give them all an opportunity to say what they observed and how they've marked this behavior and then to gain a consensus from the group to award the candidate a final score for an exercise.
This ensures that each candidate is judged fairly and that the company or organization has a thorough record of how a final decision was made. Many organizations like to include an exercise where they use multiple assessors, usually a minimum of three people, and they will be at least one level above the position you are applying for.
In these exercises, the panel will be made up of diverse individuals, some may be external to the organization or department. So you will need to be mindful of assessors who may have different priorities and adapt your behaviors accordingly.
If you are a graduate, your most influential factor to success will be your preparation for the assessment centre and how you ensure that your behavior and language matches that of the organization.
As your career develops you will acquire competencies that you did not possess as a graduate so you will be able to differentiate yourself from the other candidates because of these experiences.
As part of your preparation, you will be able to bring out how these additional competencies increase your compatibility with those of the role and organization. Here are our top tips for success in an assessment centre :. Always remember that the assessment centre exercises are designed to judge how well you exhibit the required behaviors of the job you are applying for.
Make sure you have good background knowledge of the sector, the organization and its products and services. If you are being selected for a management or graduate level position then it is a good idea to brush up on your knowledge of current affairs and global news.
You should also read the most recent copies of any relevant industry-specific magazine or newspaper. This will enable you to discuss any topical issues that crop up in the panel interview or over lunch or coffee.
When working in a group, remember that the observers are usually looking for candidates who show evidence of being team players and fully commit to the tasks they are set. Be adaptable in your thinking and recognize other candidates' good ideas but remember that talking people round to your point of view will demonstrate good communication skills provided that it is done in a positive and inclusive way. You can't afford to appear too introverted but you must avoid interrupting others or taking over the discussion.
Don't try to outmaneuver other candidates or dismiss opposing points of view in a negative or aggressive way. Try to express your views clearly and concisely and make an effort to encourage participation from quieter candidates where applicable. An assessment centre is an important and often nerve-wracking part of the recruitment process. It is important that you feel fully prepared so that you can perform your best on the day.
We recommend using JobTestPrep 's practice packages to help you pass. Don't lose out on that job. Practice aptitude tests today. Prepare for an Assessment Centre Practice Now. Practice Now. What Is the Origin of the Assessment Centre? How to Prepare for an Assessment Centre Summary. What Is an Assessment Centre? The officers were rated on how well they performed and were chosen for promotion accordingly. The successful officer needed to show the following qualities: Leadership Adaptability to different situations Ability to find a solution to a problem Ability to work as a team member The virtues of this assessment system were recognized by the British Government and a Selection Assessment Board was created using its own testing methods.
Completing a 'dry run' if possible also combats nerves. For free practice tests see psychometric tests , or get advice on preparing for and answering some of the most common interview questions. Jobs and work experience Search graduate jobs Job profiles Work experience and internships Employer profiles What job would suit me? Job sectors Apprenticeships Working abroad Gap year Self-employment. Search postgraduate courses Funding postgraduate study Universities and departments Study abroad Conversion courses Law qualifications.
What can I do with my degree? Getting a job CVs and cover letters. Applying for jobs Interview tips Open days and events. Choosing a course Getting into university Student loans and finance.
University life Changing or leaving your course Alternatives to university. Log in Register. Getting a job CVs and cover letters Applying for jobs Interview tips Open days and events Applying for university Choosing a course Getting into university Student loans and finance University life Changing or leaving your course Alternatives to university Post a job.
Interview tips. On this page What is an assessment centre? What happens at an assessment centre? The assessors are usually a mix of line mangers and HR consultants, and will discuss all aspects of your performance at the assessment centre. Some of the things that the assessors are looking for could be;. As with all aspects of the recruitment process, from writing your application to your final interview, preparation is key when it comes to an assessment centre.
Before you attend your assessment centre, consider doing some, or all, of the following;. The Assessment Day has finally arrived, you are prepared and focused and ready to impress the recruiters. Now what? We share some tips on how to keep your cool and impress recruiters;.
Hopefully you have a better idea of what an assessment centre is, what sort of thing is involved and how best to prepare for them. They need to be professionally run by qualified individuals, preferably psychologists or at least professional recruiters who can demonstrate a track record in the area.
The format was originally designed to recruit defence personnel as it enabled mass assessment in a real life pressure situation. Eventually the corporate world picked up the method and it became popular for many large companies throughout the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Still in use today in some of those pioneering companies, the methodology has changed along the way and is now used on a much broader scale by many types of organisations.
Assessment Centres operate on the principle of a "cross reference" system - there are multiple assessors, evaluating against multiple competencies in multiple exercises. The key is defining the right competencies and behaviours beforehand so that the exercises will facilitate the relevant behaviour. Benchmarking existing employees who are regarded as above average performers is one way of doing this, but for a start up operation it is a bit more difficult and requires more research and planning to identify the right skills.
Once you know the behaviours that you are looking for it becomes a matter of designing the exercises to easily identify them and candidates are each measured objectively against the same criteria. Some regular behaviours sought would include teamwork, customer focus, influencing, communication skills and leadership. Generally Assessment Centres are a half-day affair but it depends on the structure and exercises.
0コメント