How to Approach an Assessment Centre
Cast aside fevered
imaginings of dystopian sci-fi assessment centres, where the worst candidates get brutally (but creatively) eliminated, Dr Evil style. Assessment centres aren’t as terrifying and clinical as they sound; they usually involve a series of tests, exercises and interviews designed to measure your competency for a job.
Assessment centres are often used by large employers to hire a number of people for a similar job and can take place over one to three days. As assessment centres are so costly, they are typically the final or penultimate stage of a job application, so you shouldn’t fret too much about getting invited to one; it means you’ve already done pretty well!
Yes, they can be nerve-wracking, but assessment centres are universally believed to be the most accurate means of recruiting people. They test your competencies more objectively than a single job interview. They are a chance for you to show, rather than tell, them what you can do. But don’t worry; the beauty of an assessment centre is that if you think you’ve flunked one exercise or interview, you can wow them in the others. So Mr Eminem,
16
you haven’t ‘only got one shot’, but multiple.
How can I prepare for an assessment centre?
The best way to prepare is to thoroughly research the company and also do a mini assessment of your own to work out what your strengths and weaknesses are. The main thing is to keep in mind the selection criteria they specified in the job application. Odds on, every exercise and interview will be geared towards testing you against this. There will probably be a social event incorporated into the day, so prepare a list of questions you want to know about the company to ask the current employees. What kind of exercises will I be required to do?
The exercises you do will reflect the type of work you have applied
assessment centres are universally believed to be the most accurate means of recruiting people
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