Job hunting and career development factsheet. One of a series of factsheets and slideshows taken from my book'Get that Job'.

1. Get That Job Career Development Fact Sheet 6
How to succeed at an assessment centre
Get That Job
Career Development
Fact Sheet 6
How to Succeed
at an
Assessment Centre
Written by Malcolm Hornby Chartered FCIPD MCMI career coach and author of Get That Job,
Published Pearson ISBN 0-273-70212-2 © Malcolm Hornby www.hornby.org

2. Get That Job Career Development Fact Sheet 6
How to succeed at an assessment centre
Assessment centres or selection centres are used by a number of organisations to select people for jobs. They are
very often called ‘development centres’ when used internally, to identify people with potential for development or
promotion. Depending on the job, they can last from half a day to three days or more. In the early part of my
career I (successfully!) attended a couple of assessment centres as a candidate. The first time was when I took the
quantum leap from sales representative to marketing associate. Since my move into HR, I have designed and run
dozens of assessment centres and so I hope the following ‘inside information’ will be useful.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
The event will usually be run by a chairperson who will facilitate a series of group exercises and tests and will
manage the timetable. They’ll be observing the way everyone works together, and getting an overview of the
‘group dynamics’. Then there are the observers. They will have been trained and briefed before the meeting and
will have read your CV thoroughly. Each observer will be allocated a person or people to observe, and they will
take copious notes and ‘mark’ the performance of the candidates. Part-way through the assessment observers may
‘switch candidates’ so that a better-balanced view is obtained.
After the assessment centre finishes for you, then the real work of the chairperson and observers begins! The
chairperson then facilitates a process by which each candidate is individually evaluated, against the performance
standards, which were set beforehand. The objective is to try to make the selection process as scientific and
objective as possible. These meetings can last for many hours, and even into the early hours of the morning! Their
decision will be based on what they have learned about you during the assessment centre. So how can you
outshine the other candidates, and demonstrate that you’re the ‘best match’ for the job?
• Get lots of sleep beforehand and try to arrive refreshed. Assessment centres will burn up your adrenaline
reserves… and more! It’s highly likely that, just as you’re starting to relax, you’ll be handed a mammoth task
with a tight deadline to see how you respond under pressure. At the first assessment centre that I attended as a
candidate, we were all given a marketing case history at 10.00pm (straight after dinner) with a deadline for a
report of 8.30am the next day.
• Observe the performance of the other candidates. You may be asked to rate their performance. Be prepared to
give a factual and analytical summary of their contribution. Don’t be afraid of criticising other candidates and
Written by Malcolm Hornby Chartered FCIPD MCMI career coach and author of Get That Job,
Published Pearson ISBN 0-273-70212-2 © Malcolm Hornby www.hornby.org

3. Get That Job Career Development Fact Sheet 6
How to succeed at an assessment centre
don’t be afraid of praising other candidates; but make sure it’s based on facts. You may be asked to rank the
performance of all of the candidates (including yourself).
• If you’ve been invited to join everyone the night before the assessment centre, don’t think the assessors are off-
duty. They will probably be assessing your social competence over dinner, in the bar, over breakfast …
• Think through the qualities the assessors will be looking for and how you can demonstrate them such as:
leadership, interpersonal skills, ability to handle stress, verbal and written communication, flexibility, negotiation
skills, problem-solving, commercial acumen, decision-taking, initiative and creativity.
• Don’t try to suppress other candidates in an attempt to make the assessors notice only you. You will come
across as overbearing and insensitive.
ASSESSMENT CENTRE EXERCISES
Assessment centre exercises measure you against aspects of the job. For all of the exercises make sure you
understand the chairperson’s instructions or the written brief. If you don’t understand, ask! Not listening and not
reading instructions thoroughly are the two biggest mistakes made by candidates. These are common exercises:
Presentation
This is the most common exercise. The assessors will be looking for you to communicate your message effectively,
for you to project yourself confidently and for you to know what you are talking about. They’ll also be trying to
gauge how much work you have put into the exercise and how seriously you took it. Sometimes you will present to
a panel of recruiters alone, but some organisations include other candidates in the audience. If you are asked to sit
in on other peoples’ presentations, try to think of a couple of searching (but not intimidating) questions. Also take
some notes on how you rate the performance of the other candidates. There is a separate factsheet, which tells you
how to put together a presentation.
In-tray / In-box exercises
You are given the ‘in-tray’ or email ‘in-box’ of a senior manager and have one hour to ‘get through it’ – otherwise
you’ll miss your plane! You’ll be asked to write on each item what you would do with it, or write a reply to letters,
phone messages or emails. Don’t take any actions until you have scanned everything – they may have laid traps
and have probably ‘buried’ some important items, like a resignation letter or a product recall near the bottom!
Written by Malcolm Hornby Chartered FCIPD MCMI career coach and author of Get That Job,
Published Pearson ISBN 0-273-70212-2 © Malcolm Hornby www.hornby.org

4. Get That Job Career Development Fact Sheet 6
How to succeed at an assessment centre
Familiarise yourself with the organisational structure and the briefing instructions first.
QUICKLY scan and sort everything and prioritise: A (top priority), B and C. Start with the A’s
Resignations and other ‘people’ issues are top priority, A’s.
Wherever you can, make a note that you would make a telephone call, or send an E-mail.
If you do write memos, write key messages.
Sales or negotiation role-play
You are asked to sell a product or negotiate a deal.
Ask ‘probing’ questions: How? Why? When? Where? What? and Which? are best for gathering information.
Listen to the answers and try to match the needs of the customer with what the product does! To give an
example, one of the all-time favourites when recruiting new salespeople is for the interviewer to say, ‘OK sell this
fountain pen to me’. Unenlightened candidates immediately start prattling on about style, design, gold nibs and
good ink flow. The smart ones ask questions like, ‘Do you use a fountain pen?’, ‘What qualities are important to you
when you’re choosing a new pen?’, ‘What would you expect to pay for a fountain pen?’ And then go on to match the
product’s features and benefits to customer needs. People who do badly in these exercises do so because they’re
too busy putting over their own viewpoint, based on assumptions, rather than asking questions to find out what the
‘customer’ wants!
Business simulation
This may be paper-based or computer-based. You are split into small groups and over a series of rounds, compete
with other groups to develop, manufacture, market and distribute products.
Play to win! Think strategically. Aim to establish a long-term viable business with a robust product portfolio.
Invest in research for new products in the early rounds – products don’t last forever.
As you get results back at the end of each round analyse the performance of the competitors – you may be able
to undercut them or market your product to a niche.
(See also the interpersonal skills aspects of the next section.)
Group discussion (interactive skills)
You are given a problem to solve as a group. Common problems are simulations where your group has been
stranded at sea, in the desert or on the moon. Being detected is the first priority, followed by food. Also work out
which items you have, that can be used as signaling devices.
Written by Malcolm Hornby Chartered FCIPD MCMI career coach and author of Get That Job,
Published Pearson ISBN 0-273-70212-2 © Malcolm Hornby www.hornby.org

5. Get That Job Career Development Fact Sheet 6
How to succeed at an assessment centre
Formulate your own ideas quickly and sell them convincingly to the group.
Suggest that the group needs a structure and timetable to work to; and propose one.
Don’t steamroller other people’s ideas, listen attentively.
If someone isn’t contributing, draw them into the group by asking for their ideas.
Five minutes before the end suggest that you need to summarise your decision and take control, or suggest that
someone takes control, of whatever needs to be done.
Recruitment tests and evaluations
Some organisations use tests and evaluations in their selection process. Before inviting people to interview, the
recruiter identifies personality traits, skills and knowledge, which would be held by the ideal candidate. During the
selection process candidates are asked to complete ‘tests’ to evaluate whether they possess these qualities.
The extent of the testing can vary from a short five-minute form-filling exercise through to a whole day, involving a
battery of tests and evaluations and an interview with a psychologist. I cannot stress too strongly that there is no
need to get anxious about the tests! Take them in your stride, do your best and be honest.
Personality questionnaires: As their name implies the questionnaires aim to gain an insight into your
personality. Usually there is no time limit for a personality questionnaire, but you are advised not to over-analyse
your reply and to move quickly from question to question. Don’t answer questions as you think you should. Be
honest to yourself, otherwise you’re defeating the object. Also, some personality questionnaires have an ‘in-built’
evaluation which checks to see how (honest) consistent your answers have been.
The most commonly used personality questionnaires are the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) that claims to be
the most widely used one in the world; the SHL Occupational Personality Quotient (SHL OPQ); the Sixteen
Personality Factors (16PF); and one by Thomas International. There are many others.
Skills and aptitude tests: Unlike personality questionnaires, skill and aptitude tests are designed to test you
against standards. The most common ones are numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning tests.
Numerical – Identifies the ability to pick out and manipulate key information from tables, graphs and semi-
technical reports.
Verbal – Identifies the ability to pick out information from reports and then make objective decisions based on
the information in the text.
Written by Malcolm Hornby Chartered FCIPD MCMI career coach and author of Get That Job,
Published Pearson ISBN 0-273-70212-2 © Malcolm Hornby www.hornby.org

6. Get That Job Career Development Fact Sheet 6
How to succeed at an assessment centre
Abstract – Tests the ability to think flexibly. The test measures the ability to recognise order in the midst of
apparent chaos, to focus on certain aspects of a task and to ignore irrelevant detail.
Your score in the tests will be compared against ‘norm’ tables to see how you have performed, compared with
previous groups of people who have taken the test.
Assessment centres usually incorporate at least one interview, and sometimes you will be interviewed by a number
of different people. If you’re applying for a line management job you might be given an overview (hypothetical or
real) of the team you’ll be taking over, and some of the management issues you’ll be faced with, and asked to give
a short presentation on how you would handle them. Think and read about strategies for handling poor performers,
do some reading on leadership skills in advance. For a strategic marketing job you may be asked to carry-out a
market analysis and write a marketing plan showing how you would launch a new, or re-launch a failing product.
Brush up on some of your analytical tools like SWOT, PEST and Force-field analysis (Google these expressions if
they don’t mean anything to you) . An assessment centre is a tremendous opportunity for you to show what you
can do. Be positive, be prepared to play the game and use every opportunity to show that you have the qualities
needed for the job.
Please see below for information about my books and other factsheets.
Good luck
Malcolm Hornby
Written by Malcolm Hornby Chartered FCIPD MCMI career coach and author of Get That Job,
Published Pearson ISBN 0-273-70212-2 © Malcolm Hornby www.hornby.org

7. Get That Job Career Development Fact Sheet 6
How to succeed at an assessment centre
A few words from the author
My Books
These tips are from my books for career planners and job hunters. I wrote the first book in ’93, since then
thousands of people have used the tips to plan their lives and get new jobs
There’s more good advice in my other slideshows and at my website, visit
www.hornby.org
A couple of words about copyright
If I have used your material
Much of the material that I use in my writing and my presentations is obtained from my research, surfing the Web.
It is not my intention to rip anyone off and so if I have used your material without your permission, please let me
know and I’ll sort it.
Want to use my material?
I’m flattered and am happy for you to use my slides and factsheets at work, at college or in your job hunt, etc
provided it’s ‘not for profit’.
If you want to use my material in a commercial situation please get in touch as I’m happy to write for websites
journals, newspapers etc or to licence my material.
Written by Malcolm Hornby Chartered FCIPD MCMI career coach and author of Get That Job,
Published Pearson ISBN 0-273-70212-2 © Malcolm Hornby www.hornby.org