Finessing the Assessment Centre

Highlight reel

• Learn everyone’s name and area of expertise at the beginning so you can prompt them to get involved when their topic comes up

• You’re not competing against each other and could all get offered a job - keep everyone involved and contribute to their ideas

• Put your personality on display, this will grow your confidence and help the recruiter remember who you are

Group Exercise

Recruiters are assessing how well you collaborate with others

1.) Don’t compete - when you first begin the assessment centre try to remember everyone’s name as quickly as possible and build rapport. Often you won’t all be going for the same jobs so if you work well together you can all get hired if you don’t, none of you will.

2.) Learn expertise - At the beginning of the exercise learn what everyone’s expertise is. If an element of the task falls into their category ask them what they think and defer to them. This shows great intuition and a lack of ego.

3.) Spread the wealth - if someone is quiet, ask what they think and bring them in. Don't try to overpower anyone but try not to be shy and give your opinion if you can add value on a topic. Expect there to be one disruptive candidate it's almost like they've been planted to shake things up (maybe I've seen the departed one too many times) don't be phased by this just focus on keeping the group together.

4.) Embody the core values - research the companies core values beforehand and implement these into the exercise. If simplicity is a key value, for example, make the proposition to the customer as simple as possible.

5.) Present on your confident topic - the exercise is very likely to end with you each presenting for a couple of minutes on an area of the task. If you can, try to avoid doing the introduction and focus on an area that you feel confident discussing. Questions will follow, try to answer the questions related to your topic but defer to other team members if it makes sense.

Individual Task

Recruiters are assessing your approach to the task not how smart you are

1.) Manage your time efficiently - split your time appropriately between reading and understanding the task, formulating your position, deciding how you will present and putting pen to paper.

2.) Keep the flip chart short - only include a couple of key points on the flip chart to help you tell the story, in reality, the recruiter will barely have time to digest this information, their sole focus will be on you.

3.) Prioritise the client/core values - the task will likely involve you deciding the allocation of resources from one area to another. There is usually no right or wrong answer but you do need to justify your position confidently. In general, look to align your decision with the client’s needs (rather than internal ones) and factor in the company’s values.

Presentation

Recruiters are assessing your presentation skills and how well you manage the pressure

Pressure makes diamonds, everybody dreads having to stand up to present while being assessed but you’re going to find your groove and enjoy this phase.

1.) Don’t have any physical notes and don’t just read off the slides! Simply reading from your notes or from slides is one of the worst things you could do. Have you ever watched someone do this? If so, you’ll know how boring it is. Pretty sure John Boyega didn’t get his role in Star Wars from just reading off the script. Make a few simple points on the whiteboard and face the audience. If you forget your point, just turn around read your prompt and get back to captivating your audience.

2.) Structure - tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them. Doing this gives your presentation a clear structure making it easier to follow. The recruiters aren’t necessarily geniuses so your presentation needs to be incredibly clear to get your point across

3.) Body language - the best way to make sure your body language is on point is to film yourself presenting at home. If you don’t get given the presentation task before the assessment centre just present on another topic, for example - why you’re right for the job. Check to make sure your body language is positive, stand up nice and straight and aim your voice at the back of the room.

Your hands can also help you out, use them to communicate your point, this makes for a much more engaging presentation to watch. These are all things graduate scheme and work placement candidates don’t do so even a small amount of practice can help you dominate the competition in this round.

4.) Be concise - think about how you’ve been taught to write essays in school or check out our page on writing a killer CV. Make a point in your presentation and back it up with evidence. Your time is often limited to 10 minutes, split it up into sections and back up each point with evidence.