EXCELLING AT INTERVIEWS
ACING ASSESSMENT CENTRES Find out why graduate employers design assessment centres, what exercises to expect and how to show you are the right candidate for the job.
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ssessment centres are a common feature of the recruitment process, where employers convene a group of candidates to complete a series of exercises, tests and interviews. These are designed to evaluate a candidate’s suitability for a certain role in the organisation. This format also allows you to showcase a broader range of skills and competencies than if you were just given an interview. For this reason, they are a more holistic and effective way to select candidates than interviews alone.
Typical assessment centre activities Employers design their own assessment centres to test for skills and aptitudes that are required for their own organisations, but they typically contain similar elements and exercises. As such, you can expect a combination of the following: • Information session – You may be given a presentation about the organisation’s business. • Group ice-breaker exercise – This exercise is for you to get to know fellow candidates and also your employers.
• Interviews – You could have one or more of these, and they could be either one-on-one or panel interviews. Your interviewers could be from the HR department or senior employees from the area of the business you are applying to. • Social breaks – Although mealtimes are usually not formally assessed, they are still an opportunity to demonstrate your interpersonal skills and to find out a little more about your prospective colleagues, the business and your fellow candidates in a less formal setting.
• Aptitude and psychometric tests – You may have already taken these tests online, but you may be asked to repeat them to confirm your results. • In-tray or e-tray exercise – This allows employers to evaluate your ability to absorb information, prioritise, make decisions and communicate. • Group exercise – This could be a case study discussion, probably involving an issue or project relevant to the business. Alternatively, it could be a group problemsolving exercise. For example, you might be put into teams and asked to construct something. • Individual or group presentations – Some employers may give you a topic prior to the assessment day so you can prepare in advance, but some may decide to surprise you with an impromptu presentation. For the latter, you would typically be allowed to choose your presentation topic from a list of pre-selected ones.
52 | THE SMU CAREER GUIDE 2021
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