You’ve progressed to the next stage of your application but you need to attend an assessment centre. If taking part in an assessment centre day is new to you it can feel daunting. You may have heard about the experiences of others and have some concerns. So what is an assessment centre and how do you prepare for success?
What is an assessment centre?
An assessment centre is a place where a recruiter will test your personality and aptitudes for a job role. You should have been given a clear idea of the skills, qualities and aptitudes required for the role and you may well have been provided with more details about what to expect when you were invited to the centre.
Why do recruiters run assessment centres
Interview techniques have evolved over the years. Increasingly employers look for evidence of skills. Competency, strength and behavioural based interview questions might be sufficient for some vacancies but where a more detailed evaluation is sought, an employer may opt to run an assessment centre.
Employers typically might use assessment centres to evaluate team work, communication, conflict management and leadership potential.
How to prepare for assessment day
An assessment day can involve individual work, for instance a psychometric test, or group work such as role play or a group task. The content of your assessment day should have been outlined in your invitation.
If you are asked to complete psychometric tests you can familiarise yourself with the kinds of questions you may be asked to complete by having a go at some practice tests. Psychometric tests may be used to measure numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, problem solving, spatial awareness, or logical thinking, depending on the role for which you are being assessed.
These are timed tests so if you have dyslexia or other conditions that might put you at a disadvantage, it’s important that you let the employer know so they can allow you extra time.
If you are required to complete a personality test try to respond honestly to questions. Don’t try to respond the way you believe the employer would want you to. The tests are designed to assess the same personality trait with many different questions. If you are not genuine you could end up contradicting yourself at some point.
If you haven’t been advised otherwise, dress smartly. Remember this is still part of your interview so dress appropriately.
What’s the worst that can happen?
The absolute worst that can happen is that you do not get the job and you learn nothing from the experience. There is possibly only one vacancy so most people will not get the job. If you are one of the unfortunate ones, it’s important that you take away from the experience what you can.
Research has found the more practiced you are with taking psychometric tests, the better you perform. This may be because people tend to feel less nervous the more familiar they are with the types of questions they will be asked. Or simply that with practice people are more likely to believe in their ability to perform well. If you feel your performance on these tests could be improved, practice, so you can be better prepared next time.
Evaluating your performance in group tasks might help you understand how to improve the next time. Perhaps you were reticent and allowed others to take a lead when you were well equipped to do so. Or you dominated conversation, supressing the opinions of everyone else.
And finally…
Getting invited to an assessment centre is great news. It means you’ve been shortlisted. It means the employer is interested in you and your application to join their company. However, it also means you will be competing for the role with other strong candidates, so if you want to avoid being on the back foot, prepare. Remember the role you are being assessed for. If its management don’t ‘showboat’ during a teamwork assessment or group discussion. A good leader listens. Keep in mind the attributes the assessment will be designed to measure and believe in yourself. You might be pleasantly supprised by how well you do.