Job Hunt - how to succeed in assessment centres

How To Get That Job: Career Development Fact Sheet 6
How to Succeed in Assessment Centres

How To Get That Job
Career Development
Fact Sheet 6

How to Succeed in
Assessment Centres

Written by Malcolm Hornby Chartered FCIPD FCMI MIfL career coach and author of How To Get That Job - The complete Guide to Getting Hired
Published by Pearson ISBN-13: 978-0273772125 © Pearson Education © Malcolm Hornby www.hornby.org Page 1


Assessment centres were first pioneered in the UK by the armed forces and are now used by a number of organisations to
select people for jobs. They are very often called ‘development centres’ when used for internal selection purposes, or to
identify fast-trackers and people with potential for promotion. For most candidates it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Depending on the job, procedures can last from half a day to three days or more.

In the early part of my career I (successfully!) attended a couple of assessment centres as a candidate and since my move
into HR management I have run dozens of assessment centres. So I hope the following ‘inside information’ will be useful. See
also the. You’ll also need to read the factsheets on presentation skills and interview skills.

What will happen?

The event will usually be run by a chairperson/facilitator. They will mastermind the whole day and will probably welcome
everyone in a group, and say goodbye at the end. They will also run a series of group exercises and tests. They’ll also be
observing the way everyone works together and be gathering an overview of the ‘group dynamics’.

Then there are the observers. They will have been trained and briefed before the meeting. Each observer will be allocated a
person or people to observe and they will take copious notes and ‘mark’ the performance of the candidates. Halfway through
the day observers may ‘switch candidates’ so that a better-balanced view is obtained.

So how can you outshine the other candidates, and demonstrate that you’re the ‘best match’ for the job?

 Get as much sleep as you can in the days beforehand and try to arrive refreshed. Assessment centres will burn up your
adrenalin reserves . . . and more! It’s highly likely that, just as you’re starting to relax, you’ll be handed a mammoth
task with a tight deadline to see how you respond under pressure.
 Keep your eyes and ears open and observe the performance of the other candidates. You may be asked to rate their
performance. Be prepared to give a factual and analytical summary of their contribution. Don’t be afraid of criticising
other candidates and don’t be afraid of praising them – but make sure it’s based on facts. Sometimes you will be given
a piece of paper at the end and asked to rank all the candidates (including yourself).
 If you’ve been invited to join everyone the night before the assessment centre, don’t be lulled into a false sense of
security by thinking the assessors are off-duty. They will probably be assessing your social competence over dinner, in
the bar, over breakfast . . .



 Even if you haven’t been asked to prepare a presentation, brush up on your skills. There is a good chance that you’ll be
asked to prepare one at short notice. Pre-select two topics – ‘an improvement you’ve made at work’ and an ‘interesting
angle on your hobby’.
 If you’re invited to attend an assessment centre in a hotel, a few casual questions to the manager or receptionist may
give you a good idea of what’s in store. If the assessors have spent the early part of the day setting up a network of
computers in syndicate rooms, then it sounds as if you’re going to be involved in a computer-based business simulation.
Great fun!
 Try to think through the qualities the assessors will be looking for –leadership, interpersonal skills, ability to handle
stress, verbal communication, written communication, flexibility, negotiation skills, problem-solving, business skills,
commercial acumen, decision-taking, initiative and creativity. Clearly the weightings will change depending on the job,
but commercial acumen, interpersonal communication skills and flexibility must be high on everyone’s list.
 Don’t try to suppress other candidates in an attempt to make the assessors notice only you. You will come across as
overbearing and insensitive.

After the assessment centre finishes for you, then the real work of the chairperson and observers begins! The chairperson will
now lead a process to evaluate each against the performance standards that were set beforehand. The objective is to try to
make the selection process as scientific and as objective as possible. I can tell you from personal experience that these
meetings can last a long time, and even into the early hours of the morning!

Assessment centre exercises

Assessment centres are usually designed to include exercises which will measure you against the aspects of the job.

For all of the exercises make sure you understand the chairperson’s instructions or the written brief. If you don’t
understand, ask!

Not listening and not reading instructions thoroughly are the two biggest causes of frustration in candidates. I have been
moaned at, and even shouted at by candidates who had not read instructions properly. Losing your temper and having a go at
the chairperson is a career-limiting step, I can tell you! And it does happen – As chair of an assessment centre, I once sent a
candidate home at lunchtime after she’d lost her temper with me twice! What a waste of an opportunity. Remember, you’re
being tested!

The following are common exercises.



In-box / In-tray exercises

This can be paper-based or electronically based. You are given the ‘in-tray’ or ‘in-box’ of a senior manager and have one hour
to ‘get through it’ – otherwise you’ll miss your plane! You’ll be asked to make note of what you will do with each item, or write
a reply to letters, phone messages or e-mails.
 Quickly sort the whole pile first and prioritise every item – A (top priority), B and C. They have probably ‘buried’ some
important items, like a resignation of a member of staff, near the bottom!
 Start with the A’s and work your way through.
 Resignations and other ‘people’ issues are top priority As.
 Wherever you can, make a note that you would make a telephone call, or send an e-mail – the MD of one of my client
companies says that he writes no more than four memos per year.
 If you do write memos, write key messages and let your ‘secretary’ compose the letter.
 Familiarise yourself with the organisational structure and the briefing instructions before you start, so that you know
who’s who.
You can find a free practice in-tray exercise at: http://www.assessmentday.co.uk/in-tray-exercise.htm
You can find a free practice E-tray at the Civil Service Fast Stream selection site: http://faststream.civilservice.gov.uk/How-
do-I-apply/Example-e-Tray-Excercise/

Sales or negotiation role play

You are asked to sell a product or negotiate a deal.
 Ask ‘probing’ questions – how?, why?, when?, where?, what? and which? are best for gathering information.
 Listen to the answers and try to match the needs of the customer with what the product does! To give an example, one
of the all-time favourites when recruiting new salespeople is for the interviewer to say, ‘OK sell this fountain pen to me’.
Unenlightened candidates immediately start prattling on about style, design, gold nibs and good ink flow. The smart
ones ask questions like, ‘Do you use a fountain pen?’, ‘What qualities are important to you when you’re choosing a new
pen?’, ‘What would you expect to pay for a fountain pen?’. They then go on to match the product’s features and benefits
to customer needs.

People who do badly in these exercises do so because they’re too busy putting over their own viewpoint, based on
assumptions, rather than asking questions to find out what the ‘customer’ wants!



Business simulation

 This may be paper-based or computer-based. You are split into small groups and over a series of rounds, compete to
develop, manufacture, market and distribute products. Great fun!
 Play to win!
 Invest in research for new products in the early rounds – products don’t last for ever.
 Analyse the performance of the competitors – you may be able to undercut them or market your product to a niche.

Group discussion (interactive skills)

Common problems are simulations where your group has been stranded at sea, in the desert or on the moon.

 If you’re ‘stranded’ in the desert or on the ocean, being detected is the first priority, followed by food; search parties
look for your last location! Try to work out which items you have that can be used as signalling devices.
 Formulate your own ideas quickly and sell them convincingly to the group.
 Suggest that the group needs a structure and timetable to work to – and propose one.
 Don’t steamroller other people’s ideas, listen attentively.
 If someone isn’t contributing, draw them into the group by asking for their ideas.
 Five minutes before the end suggest that you need to summarise your decision and take control, or suggest that
someone takes control, of whatever needs to be done.

If you’re applying for a commission in the forces or for other leadership roles, you’ll be given a series of ‘command task’
exercises where each person takes a turn at acting as leader. Do some reading on leadership skills in advance. If you’re
applying for a job in marketing you may be asked to write a marketing plan showing how you would launch a new product, or
re-launch a failing product. For a line management job you might be given an overview of the team you’ll be taking over, and
the management issues you’ll be faced with, and asked to give a short presentation on how you would handle them.

Make the most of your opportunity

You’ll find an excellent resource for preparing for assessment centres at the Prospects website. Although primarily intended for
recent graduates the advice is applicable to most candidates: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/interview_tests.htm An
assessment centre is a tremendous opportunity for you to show what you can do. Prepare yourself well and enjoy it. In
summary, be positive, be prepared to play the game and project an image of your real self.


A few words from the author

My Books

 These tips are from my books for career planners and job hunters. I wrote the first book in
1993, since then thousands of people have used the tips to plan their lives and get new jobs
My latest book is: How To Get That Job – The Complete Guide to Getting Hired

Book Description (from Amazon)

Publication Date: 15 Nov 2012 | ISBN-10: 0273772120 | ISBN-13: 978-0273772125 | Edition: 4

The ultimate all-in-one guide to job hunting success.

Getting an edge in the hunt for work is vital and this book offers the edge that millions are missing.
This no-nonsense, highly practical and outcome focussed guide to the whole process of job hunting
takes you right from the planning stages through writing your CV, flying through aptitude tests, being
interviewed on the phone and online, to what to do and say when you finally get the offer you’ve been
hoping for. With essential guidance on maximising modern job-hunting tools such as social media and
networking websites, as well as special help for those who are new to work, the recently redundant,
the long-term unemployed, ex-offenders and graduates, it’s one of the most up to date and all-encompassing job
hunting books on the market today.

 There’s more good advice in my other slideshows and at my website, visit www.hornby.org

Want to use my material?

I’m flattered and am happy for you to use my slides and factsheets at work, at your job club, at school, college or
university or in your job hunt, etc provided it’s ‘not for profit’. If you want to use my material in a commercial
situation please get in touch as I’m happy to write for websites journals, newspapers etc.


Job Hunt - how to succeed in assessment centres

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