Assessment centres

You will gain up to date tips for preparing effectively for the tests and exercises typically used in an Assessment Centre.. 1.4 Who are the Assessors A whole range of people might be as

Assessment Centres

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Sally Walker

Assessment Centres

Assessment Centres

1st edition

© 2013 Sally Walker & bookboon.com

ISBN 978-87-403-0523-4

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3 Psychometric Tests 21

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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!

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/

1 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!

1.2 What to expect

Assessment Centres typically involve a number of elements:

• Social/informal events: where you will meet a number of people, including other candidates, the assessors, potentially future peers from the company, the wider staff and management team

• Information sessions: these provide more detail about the organisation and the roles available

• Tests and exercises: designed to reveal your ability and potential See below for a

comprehensive list

An assessment centre is likely to consist of a number of tests and activities that are designed to assess the competency areas that are essential to perform effectively in the job These activities might include some, or all of the following which will be covered in more depth later on in this e-book:

Assessors work as a team and integrate the evidence they observe during the Assessment Centre to arrive

at a decision on the suitability of each candidate Assessment Centres can be anything from half a day to two full days including an overnight stay They will usually consist of between 5–25 candidates who are involved in a variety of exercises and might be applying for a variety of roles Do be aware that you are likely to be surrounded by other people also hoping they will secure the same open job position(s) as you However it is not a competition You will usually be assessed against a specific set of competencies, rather than against the other candidates, so rather than wasting your energy trying to compete against them, make sure you demonstrate the qualities the assessors are looking for

Remember that you are being assessed from the moment you enter the assessment centre building to the point that you leave – even during a lunch gathering or evening drinks event!

1.3 Who uses Assessment Centres

Generally large organisations, in both the public and private sectors use assessment centres Often they will book a venue such as a hotel or training centre for the assessment centre, whereas smaller organisations may just run a day of exercises at their offices According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) assessment centres are most popular with service companies, such as retailers and banks, followed by public sector organisations with the lowest usage being by manufacturing companies The smaller the organisation, the less likely it is to use them as they are very expensive to run However due to the poor accuracy of interviewing as a reliable method of recruitment on its own, even small companies are likely to use an additional element of assessment Very often this will be to ask candidates

to make a presentation as well as attend a structured interview

1.4 Who are the Assessors

A whole range of people might be assessing you depending on the size of the organisation, the seniority of the vacancy, the technical requirements of the role and the tests and exercises included in the assessment centre Recruitment staff are likely to have arranged the structure of the event along with your future line manager, future peers, senior managers and possibly external experts such as psychologists to debrief personality profile tools The role of any assessor is to provide an objective and evidence based evaluation of the candidate’s behaviour A model widely used by assessors is ORCE Read more to find out what assessors are looking for:

• Observe – assessors should watch and listen carefully to candidates

• Record – takes notes to record the behaviours they observe

• Classify – group the observed behaviours against the list of skills and behaviours they are seeking

• Evaluate – look across all of the evidence to arrive at a carefully considered final decision Both verbal and non-verbal behaviour should be recorded

1.5 What is being assessed

The employer will have created a checklist of competencies which are the essential skills and personal attributes required for the job These will naturally vary from role to role but may include:

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One key competency area, such as Leadership, might have a number of subsets as the following example demonstrates

Achieving results through others Provides focus and monitors progress against objectives in order to ensure

deadlines are met Provides guidance and encouragement regarding goals, targets and achievements

Teamworking Encourages team to work together by engendering a sense of collective

responsibility, in order to achieve common goals

Motivating others Generates drive and commitment among others so that objectives are met

Developing Self and others Constantly strives to learn new skills and encourages others to reach their

full potential Uses coaching and mentoring skills

Competency based selection methods are based on the assumption that past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour Each exercise at an assessment centre will aim to draw out evidence from you of one or more of these competencies in order to build up a complete picture of each candidate’s abilities in relation to the job applied for Computerised methods such as psychometric tests are more objective and don’t suffer from assessor bias, but observational data is much more effective for assessing personal attributes The assessor will fill in a grid with a rating scale In the example below 6 is the highest score and 1 is the lowest:

Rating scale Description

1 Strong limitations across most of the dimensions questioned

2 Strong limitations across some areas and some limitations on all

3 Some marked strengths and limited weaknesses in specific areas

4 Marked strength on some dimensions and acceptable on others

5 Marked strength on most dimensions

6 Significant strength on all dimensions questioned

N No evidence – not questioned

2 Preparation

2.1 Gather all the details

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” – Benjamin Franklin

You have been advised by letter, email or phone call that you are invited to attend a company’s forthcoming assessment centre Great news which means that the hard work you put into developing your CV has paid off! To prepare as fully as possible do not be afraid to ask the organisation for the following information

Use this as a checklist and call the company to gather any missing details:

• Date, start and finish times

• Location, availability of parking

• Detail about which exercises and tests will be included in the assessment centre Ask for names of specific tests that will be used If you are asked to prepare a presentation make sure you know what medium you are expected to use and the available technology

• The nature of the interview – type of questions that will be asked and the format used

• Who will interview you, by name and position

• Competency or skills profile and/or a job description against which you will be measured

• If you will be given a tour of the company

Confirm to the company as a courtesy that you can attend and take the invitation letter with you on the Assessment day in case of any mistake

2.2 Research the company and industry comprehensively

You must demonstrate to the hiring organisation that you have made significant efforts to research the company and industry comprehensively The company running the assessment centre needs to feel that you particularly want to work for them Equally, you need to use your research to help establish whether this is the right organisation for you to join or not You can fill in gaps of information whilst you are attending the assessment centre, by asking appropriate questions

First of all, review the company’s own website but also explore competitor websites Follow the company

on LinkedIn, Twitter and other appropriate social media sites Look at the individual profiles of the people who will be interviewing you so that you can identify useful information such as articles they have written, or particular strategies they have been responsible for Check to see if they have a similar career path to you or if you have business sectors in common Do explore company reports and industry data via dedicated websites, industry bodies and the business pages of newspapers

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Before attending, wherever possible make sure you know about the following areas of research:

• The organisation’s recent history, competitors and market performance

• Their locations and numbers of employees

• Range of products or services

• Markets and market shares in home country and abroad

• Business purpose and aims (mission statement)

• Future strategy

• Any stated or inferred challenges or opportunities that they are facing

• Broader business context – recent changes such as new government regulations

Most importantly try to talk to someone face to face or by phone who currently works for the company This is the most effective method to find out about the culture of an organisation and what it “feels” like

to work there You can use these informal meetings to ask questions about things that are important to you and which you might not want to ask directly at interview or elsewhere in the assessment centre.Questions to ask a networking contact could include the following:

• What do you like/dislike about working for this organisation?

• What is the company culture like? Ask specific questions about values that are important to you For example, does the company support flexible working? What is the decision making process like? You would ask this to gauge the speed of decision making in the organisation and the amount of autonomy you might have

• Describe a typical day

• Where do you see yourself in the next 3 to 5 years?

2.3 Prepare questions you want to ask at the Assessment Centre

Based on your research, prepare questions that you want to ask during the Assessment Centre These may give you an opportunity to demonstrate the amount of research you have carried out, for example

by mentioning a business article you have read about the company and asking about a particular new strategy or development of a product Try to ask open, broad, constructively framed questions which show your interest and enthusiasm for the organisation It is probably best to avoid detailed questions about salary package at this stage or discussion of sensitive issues such as flexible working You will be

in a much stronger negotiating position once the company decides to make you an offer!

2.4 Notify the company of any special needs

If you have a disability, do advise the organisation ahead of the Assessment Centre date so that they can make any necessary reasonable adjustments This might include accommodating a wheelchair for example or if you have dyslexia the timetable may need to be adjusted to give you additional time Let them know if you have particular dietary requirements if a lunch or dinner is included

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2.5 Review why you are a right match for the job and organisation

Having done your comprehensive research now on the company, make sure that you still want this job and that

it will utilise the skills you want to continue to use If you have any particular concerns or gaps in information about a particular issue then prepare to ask appropriate questions during the course of the Assessment centre

If you want this job then you need to differentiate yourself from other applicants by preparing as fully as possible Review your original CV against the competency profile or job description that the company has provided you with

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What qualifications, experience, knowledge, and skills do I possess that match what this company is looking for?

• Which achievements of mine fit with what I know about the position?

Create a list of examples of achievements that demonstrate the particular set of skills the company is recruiting for It is important to make these examples as specific as possible so include quantifiable numbers wherever possible to show size and scope During the assessment centre these examples will

be probed in depth so make sure you have a list of detailed, chronologically ordered actions that you took to resolve the problem Reflect on how you would have handled the situation with hindsight, or what the key learnings from this problem have been Recruiters are very keen to see that you have a high degree of self-awareness and self-reflection

Use the CAR tool to help you prepare your answers:

C = Challenge

Take 2 or 3 lines or 10% of your answer to outline the key problem you faced Include numbers for size and scope

For example:

• Needed to introduce a new billing system in three countries within a six month timeframe

at a cost of $4m, using support team of two full time resources

A = Actions

Use 70% of your answer to include no more than five or six of the key actions you personally took to resolve the challenge stated above If you go into too much detail you will forget your points and the recruiter will also become bored In your preparation use bullet points to remind you of key actions.For example:

• Analysed existing system and identified improvements

• Identified suitable supplier and negotiated contract

• Developed and delivered communications plan

• Tested new system

• Revised system and delivered implementation plan

• As a result, saved $300k by successfully negotiating new billing system contract and

achieved rollout after comprehensive testing within tight six month timeframe without any adverse effect to customer feedback

What did I learn? What could I have done differently?

Next ask yourself:

• Do I have any other unique selling points in relation to the role, company and industry?

• Why do I want to work for this company? Why am I interested in this role?

As an outcome of this preparation you should now be able to tell the organisation:

What you can offer to them: your skills, knowledge, experience and qualifications

Why you are motivated to want to work for them Why they offer a cultural fit with your own values

3 Psychometric Tests

3.1 What is a Psychometric test and how does it work?

Psychometric assessments are often used by employers as one of their selection methods They are designed to be an objective way of assessing an applicant There are two main types:

• Ability and aptitude tests – these have right and wrong answers and come with strict time

limits so that you need to work quickly and accurately They are designed so that most people will not complete the test and on average, individuals in the relevant group would get about 50% of the answers right The most typical ability tests used in recruitment, measure numerical and verbal reasoning but you might also face spatial reasoning, diagrammatic or mechanical tests or more specific tests for a particular role in computing Some companies will use ability tests as an initial sift when they have a large number of applicants Only those who achieve a certain level and above will be invited to progress to the next stage which might be an interview

or Assessment Centre Other organisations will use ability tests as part of an Assessment Centre itself

• Personality questionnaires – these are not strictly speaking tests at all as there are no right or

wrong answers They are used to indicate what a person is likely to do, or would prefer to do and also may include assessments of motivation and emotional intelligence

3.2 Are Psychometrics fair?

Research shows that when used appropriately, psychometrics are one of the fairest type of assessment for employment decisions Good tests are carefully developed to remove bias and are far more objective than many of the judgements made by human assessors

3.3 Can I fail?

If the ability tests are being used as a first stage of the selection process then there is likely to be a off point and if your results fall below this you will not go through to the next stage Usually when tests are part of an Assessment Centre then final recruitment decisions will be made on an analysis of all the information gathered about each candidate If you did not score highly in the ability test but you do well

cut-in other exercises then you still stand a chance of becut-ing offered the position

3.4 Online Testing

You might be asked to complete an ability test at home or at a venue for online testing as a precursor to attending an Assessment Centre Do not be tempted to cheat as you might be asked to repeat a similar test as part of a future Assessment Centre Make sure you complete the test in a quiet environment and free from distractions and try not to rush through it late in the evening when you are tired or feeling stressed If you have any concerns about online testing then you should contact the recruiter

3.5 Candidates with disabilities

If you have a disability or feel you might need special arrangements, let the company know as soon

as possible They will normally be expected to do all that is reasonably possible to accommodate your needs For example, for a candidate with dyslexia this might mean that the instructions are read out to you rather than you reading them to yourself

3.6 Invitation to take tests

You will receive a letter or email explaining that you need to take psychometric tests as part of your application for a job Usually this correspondence should advise you which type of tests, verbal, numerical

or other, you are being asked to take, and when and where The invite should include some practice tests If it doesn’t, then ask the company for the name and type of tests you are to take, and search the internet for further details or examples of these tests specifically

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3.8 Top tips on the day for all types of ability test

• Reach the location in plenty of time, feeling as well rested and positive as possible

• Keep calm and do some deep breathing before the test begins

• Listen carefully to instructions and ask questions if anything is unclear

• You will be given a chance to do some example questions at the beginning If you don’t understand anything such as how a sample answer was arrived at, then do ask

• Once you’ve read the test question carefully, if you don’t know an answer you can provide your best choice but don’t guess wildly Sometimes, but not always, you can be penalised for a wrong answer It’s best to ask ahead if this is the case

• Work at a reasonably brisk pace – as the questions are likely to get progressively harder – but don’t panic and go through so quickly that you make avoidable mistakes

• With multiple choice questions, when you don’t know the answer you might find it easier to eliminate some and see what is left

• Don’t be distracted by other candidates seeming to work faster than you, it doesn’t mean they are getting the right answers!

• Keep track of time Put your watch in front of you and note down the start time

• Don’t expect to finish the tests necessarily

• Don’t give up as we’re often not good judges of our own performance

• Do check your answers if you have time

3.9 Verbal Reasoning and Critical-thinking tests

A verbal reasoning or critical thinking test measures how logically someone can understand, evaluate and manipulate information that is presented in written form It’s an essential ability for lots of jobs and

is therefore very popular in recruitment particularly for professional and managerial positions There are many tests of verbal critical reasoning, such as Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, the SHL Verbal Critical Reasoning test, Utopia from Criterion Partnership and many more

With the majority of these tests you are given a paragraph followed by a series of questions, to which you have to choose the right answer It’s important that you base your answer on information drawn from the text and not on any other knowledge you might already possess They are checking your ability

to reason not the extent of your knowledge For certain job roles you might also be asked to complete Verbal or spelling speed tests to check out your use of grammar, spelling and checking In addition to doing further practice papers you could also read a complex article and summarise it using bullet points

3.10 Numerical Tests

Numerical ability tests are designed to focus on your ability to solve problems You are usually given charts, graphs or tables of data to interpret and answer questions on This is an important ability for many job roles from sales to management, where you need to make accurate judgements when you review numerical information Sometimes the test will be focused more on the skill of using numbers than with how well you can reason It is therefore good preparation to do some basic maths without a calculator – adding, subtracting, multiplication, and division Making sure you are comfortable working with ratios and percentages will be particularly important Numerical tests sometimes have mathematical questions related to the role, such as asking a candidate to calculate a 12% pay increase for a Human Resources open position

3.11 Spatial Reasoning Tests

Spatial – or Abstract – Reasoning tests look at your ability to identify relationships between shapes This ability is related to testing out new ideas and solving problems In this type of test you are likely to be given a series of shapes and you will need to identify which figure completes the series Examples of these tests include Raven’s Progressive Matrices and the SHL Inductive Reasoning Test

3.12 Situational Judgement Tests

Situational Judgment Tests or SJTs are a relatively new type of test SJTs typically present you with a short description or scenario containing an issue that needs to be dealt with (the ‘situation’) This is followed by various ways in which you could respond to the situation, and you are asked to indicate which of these are likely to be most effective or how effective you perceive each option to be (the ‘judgement’) These types of test have a high degree of ‘face validity’, that is they present test takers with scenarios they are likely to encounter in the workplace Evidence also shows that SJTs assess abilities that are fairly distinct from those measured by more traditional ability tests

3.13 Personality questionnaires

Personality questionnaires are looking at personality traits, such as being outgoing, patient or reserved and aspects of behaviour With these traits there are no right and wrong answers Companies use these questionnaires to find out more about a candidate’s personality and what makes them tick Some of the most widely used personality questionnaires used in recruitment include 16PF, OPQ, Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) and 15FQ The results of the questionnaire are often used to help structure an interview discussion and identify areas for the recruiter to explore further The personality questionnaire outcomes may be used to support evidence from other Assessment Centre exercises Also, because this is a psychometric test the results can be compared to other people, allowing the recruiter to see if someone

is more or less assertive, for example, than the comparison group

There are no right or wrong answers in a personality questionnaire as there are no good or bad personality profiles just a combination of different strengths and weaknesses The questionnaire is usually untimed and you will be asked to put down your first reaction to the questions, so go with your “natural instinct” and do not reflect for too long It is important to be honest and to be yourself when answering these questionnaires as they are often developed with inbuilt sophisticated indicators that recognise when you are not answering consistently This might suggest to the recruiter that you are trying to present a version of yourself which is not accurate and you will be probed in these areas during a debrief meeting

or selection interview

Bear in mind that companies are interested in your behaviour “at work” rather than “out of work” so

it is important to present a positive “work” version of yourself Sometimes an individual can be highly organised at work, consistently meet deadlines and targets and yet out of work sees themselves as very laid back and keen to avoid making lots of plans The best preparation for these Personality Questionnaires

is to have as high a level of self-awareness and self-knowledge as possible so that you can easily explain yourself in the follow up interview

Ask yourself the following questions and if you don’t have answers, look back at previous work appraisals

if you have had them, or discuss with a former manager:

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Personal Style:

Are you self-reliant or a team-player? Think of examples of when you have done both.

Are you lively and spontaneous or more serious? What are the pros and cons of both?

How confident are you in new situations? Use examples to demonstrate how you handle change.

Thinking Style:

How do you make decisions – on the basis of logical analysis of the facts or based on feelings and values?

Are you a detail or a big-picture thinking person? What are the benefits and downsides of this approach?

To what extent do you like structure in your work?

Emotional Style:

Think about your levels of self-confidence

Consider the setbacks you have experienced and how you have responded Is there anything you could have done differently or have learned from this situation?

Some organisations are keen to use these questionnaires to identify your personal “weaknesses” and you need to be ready to provide examples of how you have effectively handled these issues We will cover this in more detail in the Interview section

Emotional intelligence (EI) assessments are increasingly being used by employers in recruitment There are five defined competencies of EI as follows:

There are EI assessments available on the Internet should you wish to pursue this further

Use the following site for a free personality questionnaire:

www.findingpotential.com

Finally don’t try to second guess what is being looked for in a Personality Questionnaire or make assumptions about how you should respond If you try to guess what the assessors are looking for, you might get it wrong It is best to be yourself and respond honestly Remember that it is not in your best interests to take a job to which you are not best suited

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4 Presentations

4.1 An overview

As part of an Assessment Centre you may be asked to make a presentation The purpose of doing this

is so that the company can see you in action and assess your oral communication skills, persuasiveness and confidence in putting information across The assessors are ultimately more focused on “how” you deliver your presentation rather than your depth of knowledge on a particular subject This contrasts with when you are already working for a company and you are making a presentation, your audience are likely to be giving more attention to “what” you are presenting, the detail of the strategy or related numbers rather than your presentation style Remember this difference and focus at the Assessment Centre on keeping your subject matter relatively simple, with punchy messages so that you don’t get lost in the detail!

The presentation exercise can vary widely between different organisations There are broadly three possibilities you might face:

• Short presentation on your own or as part of a small group given in front of other candidates

• Presentation with only limited preparation time on the day, usually up to 15 minutes duration

• Longer presentation prepared in advance, usually up to 30 minutes duration

Try to find out as much as possible about this exercise prior to attending the Assessment Centre, such as:

• The subject you will be talking on: if you have a free choice, select something you know about and can talk about confidently

• The length of the presentation and whether this includes time for questions

• The facilities and visual aids available: flipchart, presentation software, laptop, internet access

• Who you will be speaking to and their level of knowledge and expertise This will help you pitch your presentation at the right level

4.2 Presentation in front of other candidates

This can feel very intimidating but companies are asking you to do this to check how confident you are, how you think on your feet and tolerate stressful situations This presentation can often be the end result

of a group exercise where you have been set a challenge or case study and then are tasked with presenting the results back to the other teams, with the assessors sitting in the room making notes Alternatively you might be offered a variety of topics and you have to select one, or you might be asked to choose your own subject of interest to talk about and make a short solo five minute presentation in front of other candidates For this latter situation it can often help to have one or two pre-prepared ideas – think about things you are really interested in, such as travel or cinema, or challenges you have overcome such as a particular problem at work or organising a gap year Consider what your most significant achievement has been or think of a situation which highlights some of the characteristics that the organisation is looking for This preparation will help you to feel less nervous on the day but don’t let yourself sound over-rehearsed either!

4.3 Short presentation with limited preparation time on the day

Many companies will ask you to prepare a presentation on the day and each candidate will have the same amount of time to do so Often they will give you up to an hour to prepare a ten to fifteen minute presentation on a business or industry related topic You may be given access to Powerpoint or a flipchart

as aids Typical presentation areas are:

• Describe your First 90 days in this organisation

• Describe a change you have initiated, its impact and the results

• What suggestions do you have to improve this company’s market share?

• Describe a product / service that you are familiar with and are proud of

• Describe a hobby / personal interest

• Why are you the right person to join this company?

• Alternatively you might be asked to present your results following an analysis of a case study

Practise beforehand giving a presentation with a limited preparation time Make sure you follow a simple structure like this:

• Describe what the problem is

• Options available

• What you would do and why

• Conclusions