Succeed at

Assessment Centres





















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Contents Page

What is an assessment centre? 3

Group activities 5

Role Play exercises 7

Presentations 9

Case Studies 13

E-tray exercises 14














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What is an assessment centre?

A selection tool which allows the employer to test candidates in a variety of
different situations
Ernst and Young

Assessment centres are an increasingly popular tool in the recruitment process of
graduate employers. They offer recruiters the opportunity to observe the way you
operate and interact with others, and provide more information about your skills and
abilities than an interview alone. They also test specific work-based activities to see
how a candidate handles them. i.e. report writing, group exercises.
Assessment Centres are usually the last stage of a recruitment process. If you have
reached this stage, you have already done extremely well. The employer thinks you
have great potential so you are close to being offered a job.
Assessment centres will generally:
Be held over a longer time than a conventi onal interview - this can be half
a day up to two days, including an overnight stay.
Invol ve various activi ties.
Invol ve multiple assessors - your performance in each activity will be
evaluated by a different assessor.
Have informal elements such as lunch with recent graduates.
Include a number of candidates.

Try to remember that an assessment centre is not a competition between you and
other candidates. Employers are looking to screen candidates into their company
rather than out at this stage in the process. Many employers who use assessment
centres will have multiple jobs on offer and in some cases everyone in attendance
may be offered a position if they demonstrate the required qualities and
competencies.



Preparation is key

Research - read the information from the employer carefully as this will tell you what
to expect at the assessment centre and what competencies the employer will be
looking for. Note the activities involved and whether you have to prepare anything in
advance, such as a presentation. If you are not clear, contact the employer for
clarification.

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Preparation Careers Network offers preparation workshops on the key aspects of
assessment centres. These are good if you have never experienced one before and
want to practice and gain feedback. Mock interviews can also be arranged with us,
as well as practice psychometric tests. You can also watch the AGCAS DVD At the
assessment centre; please ask at reception for further details.

Review - look over your application form, the job details and company information.
Look at the employer's website, news websites and newspapers for current issues
involving the employer and its business sector. This guide will also provide you with
useful hints and tips from students who have previously taken part in assessment
centres. If you had a mock interview prior to the assessment think about the areas
you could have improved on or answered better.

Practical matters - organise your travel and what you are going to wear in good
time to avoid last minute panics. Take directions and contact details with you.

General rules to consider

Be professional - arrive in good time, and inform the employer if you can't avoid
being late. Be polite to everyone you meet. Even the receptionist can be asked to
provide feedback on how you conducted yourself. Stay calm, focused and positive
throughout the assessment centre.

Talk to the other candidates - if you find small talk difficult ask other candidates
about their courses and where they are studying. Remember that you are not
necessarily in competition with the other candidates so treat them as allies rather
than rivals. If you all perform well, you might all be successful.

Take time to think - follow any instructions carefully and ask questions if there is
something you dont understand. Don't be tempted to launch straight in to exercises,
but make sure you understand the facts placed before you and the requirements of
the task.

Don't dwell on perceived failures - you do not have to perform exceptionally in all
activities; concentrate on doing well in the next task. However be aware that for
some recruiters there may be a minimum pass mark for an activity. Some
Assessment Centres such as the Civil Service will get you to reflect on activities in
writing so demonstrate self-awareness and identify what you did well and how you
could improve.

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Group Acti vities

These will involve all or a group of candidates, including you, and will normally be a
discussion with certain defined objectives. You will be observed by the assessors
throughout, so make sure to focus on the activity. The activity may be:

Structured - you will be given a designated role such as IT specialist; you may have
information that nobody else has and vice versa, and may be set personal objectives
that will partly conflict with the rest of the group. Negotiation to produce an
acceptable compromise for everyone will be required.

Unstructured - a discussion topic, related to current affairs or the organisation's
business, will be given to the group.

A physical task - for example you may be asked to build a model out of unusual
materials or move an object in a creative way.

What are the assessors looking for in these activities?

In most cases group activities are used to assess some of the core competencies
that may have been mentioned within the person specification of the job applied for.
These may include but are not restricted to:
Teamwork, Communication, Organisation, Problem Solving, the ability to work
under pressure and Time Management

Contrary to popular belief these kinds of activities are not always assessing
leadership skills. In most group activities there will be only one leader; therefore only
one person can be assessed on this particular quality. However all candidates can
be assessed on the qualities above irrespective of whether they are the leader. If you
are not a confident leader then we recommend that you do not take this role; instead,
identify what is your key strength and utilise this e.g. organisation. It will then be this
skill that you will be assessed on in addition to the others listed above. If no one
assumes the role of leader then consider pushing yourself out of your comfort zone
as the assessors will be looking for candidates who were able to keep the activity on
track.





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Hints and Tips for Group Acti vi ties

Do:

Join in - once you get started any nerves will rapidly disappear. If you remain quiet
and uninvolved during the activity the assessors will not have much to assess you
on. But remember its not the person who talks the most who scores the highest.
Make anything you say have a positive impact on the group and activity. Dont speak
for the sake of speaking.

Contribute - there are no points for having good ideas that you don't communicate.

Demonstrate - listen to others and build upon their ideas or ask appropriate
questions. Summarising what others have said shows you have good listening skills,
but make sure to build on other peoples comments and ideas.

Be supportive and friendly. Encourage quieter group members to participate.
Provide positive feedback to others in the group. If someone has a good idea,
acknowledge that idea.

Challenge others If you disagree with ideas or comments others in the group
have made do not be afraid to challenge. Make sure to challenge positively and
constructively. Identify why you disagree with the idea and offer any alternatives. Be
prepared to be challenged yourself. If you have an idea you are passionate about
champion that idea but be sure to provide good reasons for why the idea should be
taken forward.

Be organised - be aware of the overall progress of the group. Ensure that you get to
the end of the task. If you are asked to present back as a group, DO NOT spend 5
minutes after your allocated time is up deciding who will present what. This should
have been discussed as part of the overall task. Make sure you monitor time; there is
nothing worse than having to ask one of the assessors how much time you have left.
You should be monitoring the time.

Dont:

Dominate - even if you are assigned or elected as the leader, understand that this
role is to get the best from everyone and guide the group to a successful outcome.

Interrupt or talk over others.
Be insensitive or dismissive of the ideas of others.

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Role Play Exercises

Role plays are an increasingly common part of the recruitment process. Whilst face
to face interviews highlight your skills, capabilities and experiences, a role play helps
an interviewer see if you can demonstrate in reality the skills and experiences you
say you have. Unfortunately, for some nerves can hinder their natural ability to
perform in this kind of activity; however, the following tips can help if you are faced
with a role play.

Prepare

This may seem difficult to do as in most cases you will not be told in advance of the
assessment centre what the role play will involve. Most companies will tell you on the
day and give you a specific amount of time to prepare. More often than not you will
be provided with some written information to help with this preparation.

In this part of the recruitment process you are being asked to act out a role. But
dont worry; the interviewer is not expecting you to be the next Anne Hathaway or
Ryan Gosling, they simply want you to be yourself. The scenario you will be given
would typically be the kind you would find yourself in, in the job you are interviewing
for. Therefore prior to the assessment centre read through the job description you
may have been given and think about the type of situation that may come up in that
type of job.

Most likely the role play will put you into a scene where you have to undertake a key
duty and expect you to demonstrate the skills and experiences you would need to
cope with that situation. For example you could have to deal with a difficult customer,
convince a client to buy a product from you or carry out a meeting with an
underperforming staff member. Whatever the situation, keep calm and think what
you would do if this were really happening in the workplace.

Read the brief that you have been given

Make sure to read in detail any supporting information you have been given.
Supporting information is given because it tells you what you need to know, but not
only that; it can also signpost you into the situation that might arise in the role play
itself.



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Imagine it like an IKEA piece of furniture that you have to build yourself. If you
ignore the instructions, generally you will mess it up or it will stay upright for five
minutes before collapsing into a heap. Ignore the instructions for the role play and
the same thing will likely happen.

Additionally if you do not take on board the information and instructions you are
given, what message does that send out to an employer? Not a positive one.

Dont go off on a tangent!

Although this is a scene, you are not Meryl Streep and this is not the Iron Lady! You
are not expected to act everyone else out of the room and dont lose yourself in the
moment and go off on a tangent that you can never recover from. Use common
sense and try to avoid fabricating too much information that is not given in the brief.

Act professional

Make sure to act as you would in a real life and professional environment. If you are
faced with a confrontational character, dont be aggressive and confrontational back.
If the scenario has elements of embarrassment to it make sure not to laugh. Show
empathy and a serious approach to the situation. Furthermore always try and build
rapport with the other person. In many role plays candidates fall into the trap of
focusing primarily on the technical details and forget about building a rapport with the
person opposite. Often the role play is designed to assess whether you can keep
your cool. Sometimes it is deliberately designed to appear difficult and unreasonable.
Be persistent yet empathetic and forthcoming.

Reflect

As with the group activity you may be asked during the face to face interview how
you feel you performed during the role play. Ensure that you are honest and
demonstrate your self-awareness. Highlight what you think you did well in but also
your development points. Doing this will score highly with the interviewer.


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Presentations

As part of an assessment centre you may be asked to give a short presentation.
Usually you choose the topic from a list which may include your hobbies, a recent
holiday, a current affairs topic or one of your achievements, or sometimes you may
be asked to make a presentation on a particular topic set by the company. The
purpose is not to test your subject knowledge, but to see how well you can speak in
public. Typically you will be asked to talk for five minutes, and will be given 20 or 30
minutes beforehand to prepare. In some cases you may be given the topic several
days in advance. If this is the case assume that they recruiter will be expecting a
well- structured and thought out presentation. Presentations will most often be
assessed by two or more people.

For some candidates presentations may be a common occurrence as many degree
subjects involve students delivering presentations as part of a module. For others
presentations may be relatively new. Either way there are a number of things that
can help you make the best of this experiences.

The Basics:

Dress smartl y and smile when delivering the presentation. The recruiter will want to
see that you can present yourself in a positive way and smiling will help enhance
your enthusiasm and delivery of the presentation.

Introduce yourself If this is the first time you are meeting the audience greet each
one. If possible shake hands. Dont go straight up to the front of the room without
acknowledging the people in the room. This introduction will instantly allow you to
connect and build rapport with the audience.

Speak clearly and confidently as this will make you sound in control of the
presentation. Try not to speak too quickly as this will lose the audience. They need to
be able to absorb each point that you make. Also be aware of the distance of the
audience from you. If the room is small then try not to talk too loudly and alternatively
if its a large room imagine you are addressing someone at the back of the room. If
you are unsure if you can be heard dont be afraid to ask.

Silence is golden. Use silences during your presentation. Silences can help you
emphasise that an important point is about to be made. They are also the sign of
confidence as nervous presenters will talk constantly with no gaps.


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Time keeping. If you have been given a specific amount of time to deliver your
presentation stick to it. Wear a watch if possible as this will help with your timing.

Some recruiters will cut you off once the time slot given has elapsed. You do not
want to miss an important point because you mistimed your presentation. If you are
given 5 minutes aim to deliver in 4 minutes 30 seconds. This will allow 30 seconds of
flexibility should you become nervous.

Eye contact. This is crucial to holding the attention of the audience. Try to look at
everyone in the audience from time to time. Try not to stare at your notes or your
PowerPoint slides as this will disengage you from the audience. Avoid talking to the
screen as this muffles your voice. If you need a prompt, glance at your slides and
then look back at the audience.

Invol ve your audience. Where possible try and get the audience involved by asking
them a question. This will keep them engaged with the presentation.

Dont read out your talk. There is nothing worse for a recruiter than observing a
presentation where the candidate simply reads their talk from a piece of paper or
cards. By doing so the presentation will sound boring and stilted. It is ok to have
notes but dont have your presentation scripted word for word. Relying too heavily on
notes can also suggest insecurity and prevent you making eye contact with the
audience.

Dont hide behind a PC. If using PowerPoint you may be tempted to stay in close
proximity to the computer. Where possible move away from the computer to show
you are confident in your talk and dont need to hide. Keep your body language
positive (No folded arms) and make sure not to walk in front of the projector screen
and block your presentation from view.

Practice makes perfect. Practice your presentation in front of a mirror at home or
for friends. You may also wish to record your presentation and play it back to
yourself but try and focus on both the good and bad points. But dont over rehearse
as it wont give you the flexibility to answer questions when prompted.

Structuring your presentation:
When structuring your presentation for an assessment centre there are a number of
things for you to consider:


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Who is your audience? What points do I want to get across? How much time do I
have? What visual aids are available?

Your presentation should then ideally be split into three sections: the introduction,
your key points and finally the conclusion.

The introduction

Be sure to welcome the audience. Yes, you may have greeted them on entering the
room, but it is also good to welcome them at the beginning of the presentation.

Say what your presentation is about. Provide the audience with your aims and
objectives. Remember if you only have 5 minutes then be sure to limit the number of
aims and objectives you have. Dont try and cram too many objectives into a short
time frame as you will not be able to do them justice.

Try to catch the audiences attention with your introduction. Consider including a
provocative statement or a quote from a third party, or even a humorous anecdote.

Your key points (The core part of your presentation)

Remember less is more. If the presentation is 5 minutes long two or three main
points will be enough. Therefore consider what are the most important points you
wish to make and use these.

Dont try to pack too much content into your presentation or you run the risk of
talking nonstop trying to include all of your content and as a result the audience may
switch off or only be able to absorb small amounts of information and miss the most
important parts.

Try not to overload your PowerPoint with text. The focus should be on you. You do
not want your audience to spend more time reading the screen behind you than they
do listening to you. Use PowerPoint minimally for key words, images or information
which you can then talk around.

Never lose sight of the presentation topic. Ensure that your presentation addresses
the topic or question you have been asked.



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Conclusion

Make sure to summarise your main points and end positively. It is also suggested
that you thank the audience for listening and open the floor to questions.

Using visual aids for your presentation.

Whether you are using Prezi, PowerPoint, an overhead projector or a flipchart as
part of your presentation there are a few things you may wish to consider.

If using Prezi (www.prezi.com) you will need to make sure the recruiter has internet
access. Prezi is cloud based software and can only be accessed via an internet
connection. You dont want to spend hours creating a Prezi presentation only to find
it will be inaccessible on the day.

Ensure that you stand to the side of the screen or flipchart so that it is visible to your
audience.

Keep the number of slides to a minimum. For a five minute presentation we would
recommend 3 or 4 slides maximum.

Dont try to be fancy. Keep the font style simple and easy to read. Size 24 font is
ideal and try not to have words all in uppercase. Avoid bright colours. Some of the
best slides contain just one or two words.

Pictures, tables, graphs or diagrams can be very beneficial in presentations as they
come as a refreshing break from text. If using pictures make sure they are of a high
quality, and that graphs and diagrams are not overly complex.

Dont get carried away with flashy transitions, especially if using Prezi software as
this can make your audience feel dizzy if used frequently.

Less is more

Anticipate technical glitches. Sometimes things do go wrong and equipment will fail.
Having minimal information on slides will stop you becoming reliant on them and
allow you to cope more effectively should you not be able to use your slides. Also
practice your presentation for others so you become confident with it and if technical
failure occurs you are able to present to an audience without the need for any visual
aids.


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It is also useful to take copies of your slides with you and provide these as a handout
to your audience. The assessors are more likely to remember you if they have a
copy of your slides.


Case Studies

Case studies and case interviews are common selection tools for roles within
management consulting, investment banking and technical roles.

Case studies will assess how you cope with situations that may have relevance to
the role or allow you to demonstrate competencies that the company requires. For
example problem solving, organisation, written communication, logical and critical
thinking and working under pressure. For a case study you may be provided with a
selection of material such as reports, accounts and graphs, and then be given a set
period of time to read through all of the information before presenting your ideas to
the recruiter in a face to face meeting.

An example of a case study question could be as follows:

A medium sized family-run business with 30 shops which had profit problems.
How would I turn it around? What services could Accenture sell to the
business? Could the business be saved?

In addition to this you may be provided with details of the services Accenture offer,
details of the family businesses accounts and other important facts. All of this
information is there to help you make your recommendations. Sometimes there is no
right or wrong answer to the case study. The recruiter is instead looking at how you
came to your decision and whether you can justify your actions.

Be prepared to answer difficult questions from the employer as they test how you
handle pressure and your ability to communicate information. For example you may
be asked if you think that the idea you have given or solution you came to is the
correct one. This question does not mean that you have given the incorrect solution.
The employer is instead testing to see if you are easily influenced by others or do
you stick to your guns and argue your case constructively. If you believe that your
decision is correct then stick by it. But be prepared to back up your decision with
facts drawn from the material you were given. More often than not there is no right or
wrong answer, the employer simply wants you to justify confidently what you are
saying.

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In-Tray and E-Tray exercises

In-tray and E-tray exercises are business simulation exercises where you play a
member of staff who has to deal with the tasks of a busy day. Some employers say
that E-Tray exercises tend to be the deal breaker between a candidate getting the
job or not. You may be given a selection of letters, emails and reports. These could
be in paper or electronic format. They would be the kind of items someone doing the
role you have applied for could expect to find in their in-tray or email inbox.

Similar to other assessment centre activities you will be given a specific timeframe in
which to read through all of the items and then decide on the action that needs to be
taken and the priority that should be allocated for each task. For some items you
may be required to draft an email response or summarise key points from a report.

Employers use this kind of exercise to assess how well suited you are to a particular
role and see how you cope in a pressurised environment.

Some common factors that you may find in this kind of exercise are:
It will probably start by describing the background scenario. Subject
matter is usually related to the job you are applying for.
There is a lot of work to get through caused by your return from holiday or
having to cover the work of an absent colleague.
Typically you will be given one to two hours to complete the tasks which will
consist of a large number of items (perhaps 20 or more) to see how well you
can handle several complex tasks in a short period.
Some tasks may just require a yes or no answer. Other items may need a
longer response, such as drafting a reply to a customer complaint, writing a
report, delegating tasks to colleagues or recommending action to superiors.
You may need to analyse information for some items (calculating budgets or
sales figures, using information provided). New items may be added while
the exercise is in progress.
As part of the exercise it's possible you might be asked to make a phone call
to a " customer" , role played by one of the assessors.
At the end you may be debriefed by a selector and asked to discuss the
decisions you made and the reasons for these or you might be asked to
prepare a memo outlining your priorities for action, or make a short
presentation.


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Top tips for success
Read all the information you have been given carefully. It is important to do
this first rather than launching into questions as this way you will know where
to find the information for all the questions.
Follow any written instructions carefully as these will tell you what you are
required to do.
You may find it beneficial to make a rough plan of what you will do.
Prioritise the tasks in terms of importance and urgency depending on how
many tasks are available, as sometimes they come in just as quick as you
respond.
Identify key issues and what action needs to be taken. Be careful as some
tasks may be linked and your decision for one may impact on another.
Stay calm; you need to show you can cope with the pressure of this activity.
Sometimes there isnt a right or wrong answer but be prepared to justify your
decisions.
If you are not given complete information you may have to make assumptions.
If this is the case make the assumptions realistic.
Make sure you monitor the time throughout.
Check dates on each item as this may assist in helping you prioritise.
Do items have deadlines? If needed can you negotiate extra time with items.
How important is the item. For example a request to go for drinks on Friday
night can be put to the bottom of the pile but a health and safety issue will
need more urgent attention.
Can the task or item be delegated to another person in the organisation?
Do other tasks have to be done first before other activities can be completed?
Can some tasks be done simultaneously and/or by the same person?
Are there conflicts between tasks?
To practice an E-Tray or In-tray exercise you can go to the following websites

http://mycareer.deloitte.com/uk/en/university/apply-now/selection-process/etray-
exercise-and-examples

http://www.assessmentday.co.uk/in-tray-exercise.htm




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