The document summarizes an assessment center skills session that covered: 1) The current graduate job market which is very competitive with many graduates and few jobs. 2) The different activities commonly used at assessment centers like interviews, group exercises, presentations, and case studies. Employers use these to evaluate skills, behaviors, and suitability for the role. 3) Strategies for success at assessment centers, focusing on interviews and group tasks. Participants learned how to prepare, practice, and perform well during activities by demonstrating key competencies and working effectively with others.

1. Assessment Centre Skills Session
1st June 2012
Westminster University
Ella Pilc & Sophia Swidzinska

2. Today’s objectives
 To describe the context of the current graduate marketplace
 To explain different tasks and activities that employers use at
Assessment Centres, and know how you can prepare
 To assess and analyse strategies that might ensure your success at
Assessment Centres with a focus on Interviews and Group Tasks

3. The graduate marketplace
STARTER: Look at the statements below and decide whether or
not they are TRUE or FALSE
1. The number of graduates receiving grade A at A-Level and
receiving a 1st or 2.1 is higher than ever before.
2. Competition is fierce – in the current market it is harder to get
the role that you want.
3. The current average starting salary for graduates is £29,000
4. There are an average of 83 graduates chasing every graduate job
5.Graduates from a Humanities background are in particular demand
from employers

4. The graduate job market

5. Why do companies assess people?
Why?
Recruiting and selecting the right people is paramount to the success of
every company.
It allows a company to check a persons skills, attributes, professionalism,
ability to make an impact, commercial awareness, potential and most
importantly SUITABILITY.
the ability to make a
Skills, Knowledge,
A SUITABLE
Candidate = Experience and
qualifications
+ positive contribution to
the values and aims of
the organization.
The ability to demonstrate
all of these are critical to success

6. How do companies assess suitability?
It is widely recognised by many graduate recruiters that “The best
indicator for future behaviour is past behaviour”
Companies need to ensure your knowledge, skills, qualifications and
experiences match the role and the culture of their organisation.
What methods have you come across that employers use to assess
candidates?
Ways to assess
suitability

7. What is an assessment centre?
“assessment of a group of individuals by a team of judges using a
comprehensive and integrated series of techniques”
Prof C. Fletcher 1992
 An opportunity for the employer to see what you can do rather
than to hear what you can do
 Measure skills and behaviours required to be successful
Features of a good assessment centre
 Focuses on doing rather than talking
 Simulates tasks and situations in target jobs
 Ensures multiple opportunities to observe participants
 Ensures multiple assessors to reduce bias
 Provides an opportunity for candidate feedback post assessment
centre
 Provides the candidate with a better insight into the job and
culture of the organisation

8. What activities might be used at assessment
centre?
TASK: You will be split into
groups and given information on
how to be successful in one
activity.
Interviews
As a group you have 8 minutes
to prepare a presentation on
Panel Interviews
Psychometric
Tests
that activity. BE IMAGINATIVE!
Think about these questions.
1. What is it?
Assessment
Centre
2. Who uses it?
Impromptu or
3. What are assessors looking
Social Events prepared
presentations for in this exercise?
4. How can you be successful
in this exercise?
Group Exercises Role Plays

9. How can we be successful in each activity?
Listen to the presentations and make notes of useful tips!
TASK What is it? What are assessors looking for?

10. Which sectors use each technique?

11. How to crack an interview..
Interviews are the single most successful way to asses suitability for a job
PLAN PREPARE
Logistics Research
Answers
PRACTICE POSITIVITY
Mock Visualise the outcome
Recite Belief
Go to all interviews Optimism
DON’T PANIC!
Interviewers want you to perform well
This is your opportunity to talk about nothing but yourself and sell your best bits -
where else can you do that?

12. What is a competency interview?
Competencies are skills and abilities required to perform job tasks competently.
• Most widely used and objective of all interviews – notes will be taken
• Questions are predetermined and based on job analysis – asked in a standardised way
• Can seem impersonal as they remove subjectivity – don’t be intimidated by that
• Test previous behaviours and allocate scores against required competencies
• Look for examples of a specific set of skills
Use examples from:
Academic projects and achievements,
Responsibilities during work experience or voluntary activities,
Involvement in societies
Management of sporting activities.
Responsibilities travelling

13. What competencies may be tested?
Understand all the competencies required…
Times Top 100 Graduate Employers
What do they look for in their assessment process? Skills / Competencies included:
Teamwork Leadership Communication
Commercial Awareness Company Awareness Responsiveness
Initiative Problem Solving Innovation
Critical Thinking Creativity Task Management
Ambition Confidence Adaptability
Personal Effectiveness Influencing Integrity
Thrives on Challenge Technical Ability Entrepreneurial
 Top 5 skills that the Top 100 graduate employers look for?
- Teamwork / Communication / Problem Solving / Confidence / Creativity

14. Interview Practice
Don’t forget you can draw on
You are going to have a go giving a examples from:
competency question answer to your ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
partner!
WORK EXPERIENCE
1. Choose the competency from the Top 5 ACTIVITES AND INTERESTS
2. (see bottom of powerpoint)
3. Prepare your example
 RECENT (the last 2-3 years)
 Choose unique key events
 Use the STAR approach
 Extract the skills acquired and
S ituation
lessons learnt Task
3. Deliver your example to your parntner
Actions
4. Get feedback – what went well/ even
better if R esults
Teamwork / Communication / Problem Solving / Confidence / Creativity

15. Case studies come in different flavours
Brainteaser •
?
How many piano tuners are there
in Birmingham?
Market share • How many potential applicants are
there for Teach First?
Profitability • How could Teach First reduce its
overall cost per participant?
Strategy/
• Should Dinheiro Bank donate
Creative thinking £50,000 to Teach First?

16. Over to you…
So, how many piano tuners are there
in Birmingham?
Population of Birmingham = 1,000,000

17. One way…
Population of Birmingham = 1,000,000
1,000,000/ on average 4 people per household= 250,000 homes
Roughly 1 in 10 homes have piano so 250,000/10 = 25,000 pianos
25,000 pianos need roughly 4 tunings a day = 6250 days of work available
But you know that…52 weeks a yr/6 weeks’ holiday = 46 weeks = 230 days
6250/230 days’ work = 27.2 (or 28!)

18. What really matters?
Process The right answer!

19. How to come across well
 Pay careful attention to instructions
 Read written material thoroughly – don’t rush
 Take part with whole-hearted commitment
 Get involved – don’t work mainly on your own
 Help others, be supportive, use others’ strengths
 Be assertive, diplomatic, inclusive
 Keep calm and use your sense of humour

20. Anatomy of a good case study
Beginning Middle End
• Understand the • Explain assumptions • Make argument
Defining problem • Pursue each argument logical
• Check it makes sense
• Explore limitations
• Paraphrase the •Tell, tell and tell again • Summarise process
Questioning interviewer • Explain limitations of
• Question unknowns answer
• Suggest
improvements
• Look engaged • Check understanding • Involve external
Demonstrating • Notice hints • Look for help reference points

21. Case Study: Bunker Exercise
Read the packs you have been given – 2 mins
Discussion: 20 mins
Please write the team’s answers on an A4
sheet and hand them in. All team members
must sign the bottom to show that they agree
with the final answer.

22. Case Study: Bunker Exercise
Process The right answer!

23. Common errors
Do’s Don’ts
Listen to initial instruction Misunderstand or answer the wrong
question
 Make sure the question is fully
understood Proceed in a haphazard fashion
Begin by setting a structure Asking a barrage of questions
Communicate your train of Fail to synthesize a point of view
thought clearly
Not asking for help
Step back periodically & reflect
Leave the quieter members out
Be comfortable with numbers
Don’t fixate on “cracking the case”
Relax and enjoy the process.

24. Some people may feel…
 Nervous
 Anxious
 Inferior
 Deflated
 Tongue-tied
 Talkative
 Stumped
 Panicky
 Overly analytical
 Overwhelmed
 Overly concerned about displaying certain behaviours
and come across as too dominant/too passive
 ITS ABOUT BALANCE!

25. Key points to remember
Be yourself
 Positive
 Interesting/Interested
 Enthusiastic
 Truthful
Participate and don’t forget to listen
Remember it is not so much about the answer - show
your skills!
Prepare well and don’t panic!
Enjoy!

26. Top 5 tips from a Recruiters’ perspective
1.Be prepared!
2.Have a clear understanding of why you want to work
for the company and also why you’ve chosen this
organisation over the competitors.
3.Remember you are being assessed all day. Don’t let
your guard down at lunch time or on breaks.
4.Ask insightful questions in your interview (how much
will I get paid? / How much holiday allowance? do
not count!)
5.Remember the basics - don’t be late and wear
appropriate dress

27. What have you learned?
…it’s as long as a piece of string…
Those people that have been given lengths of string have to talk about the following as they
wrap the string around their finger…
1) What you have learned in this Skills Session
2) An area that you need to work on

28. Let’s review the objectives
 To describe the context of the current graduate marketplace
 To explain different tasks and activities that employers use at
Assessment Centres, and know how you can prepare
 To assess and analyse strategies that might ensure your success at
Assessment Centres with a focus on Interviews and Group Tasks

29. Questions?