A Day In The LifE... I felt I had


been thoroughly tested: my reading, writing, public


Angus Wood


King’s College London History graduate and intern at a well-known PR communications agency.


part of my degree and found this quite a straightforward exercise. I would encourage all humanities departments to include a number of assessed presentations as part of the course, as public speaking is a vital skill in all industries.


for a public relations and public affairs consultancy, which took place at the beginning of this year. The day was split into five parts – a group discussion, an individual presentation, an interview, a writing exercise and a psychometric test.


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The group discussion was interesting, mainly focusing on political issues. As the assessment day took place in the run-up to the general election earlier this year, there was a lot to talk about. We were all competing for the same job, so I was concerned that it would turn into the candidates trying to undermine each other to make themselves look better, but this did not happen. Instead, it was cordial and very constructive, which I thought was an indication of the maturity of the candidates. I felt like this was what the company was looking for – someone who could perform well in a team


08 Graduate Recruiter | www.agr.org.uk


y first assessment day was for a graduate scheme,


and work through an idea with them, detailing disagreements in a cordial manner, rather than shutting everyone else down and being the dominant voice in the room.


The discussion was chaired by several of the staff members of the company, who asked us difficult questions and challenged us on what we had said, which at times really stretched our knowledge. I particularly enjoyed this part of the assessment – it reminded me of one of the many seminars I had attended as part of my history degree, and I felt very much on home soil.


After the group discussion was over, we were led one by one into the company’s board room for our presentations. I went first. We had been told in advance that the presentations should last three minutes long and should be about the company and why we wanted to work there. I had experience of public speaking as a compulsory


After my presentation was over, I sat down for a more traditional interview. At the time, I was inexperienced with interviews, and so I did not perform my best. I try to learn something from every interview, and at this one I definitely learnt to ask more questions.


Once this interview was concluded, we began the writing exercise. This was based on the sort of situation that we would have to deal with if we got the job: condensing the key points of a Parliamentary debate into a report for one of the firm’s clients. I liked the realistic nature of the exercise because the idea that it was (hypothetically) going to be sent to a client encouraged me to perform better.


The last thing to complete was the psychometric test. This was by far the least challenging of all the exercises as it involved simply circling words that best described me on a sheet of paper. I do not understand how these tests work, but they seem to be very popular.


At the end of the assessment day, I felt I had been thoroughly tested: my reading, writing, public speaking and teamwork skills had been put through their paces. Unfortunately, I did not hear back from the company, which was disappointing. I would encourage all graduate recruiters to at least send a basic rejection note. I realise that it must be horrible having to write them, but while it is disappointing to receive them, they are always better than not getting anything. This is doubly true when the rejection letter comes with constructive feedback, which I realise is often impossible due to a large number of candidates, but even a rudimentary note brings closure.


I believe that this sort of assessment day is useful for employers because it gives a much more solid picture of a candidate’s personality and their strengths and weaknesses, compared to a simple interview, or even an interview combined with a writing or mathematical exercise. It is also useful for candidates, because it gives a clear idea of what companies are looking for in candidates. Even though I was unsuccessful in my application, I learned a lot at the assessment day, which allowed me to go into subsequent interviews with a greater level of confidence. n


speaking and teamwork skills had been put through their paces. Unfortunately, I did not hear back from the company…


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