Assessment centres or assessment days are becoming more common in the world of talent attraction and selection because:

• they give candidates an opportunity to spend more time evaluating the company and the personalities of the Line Managers involved in the assessment
• there is an opportunity for the employer to meet with and assess a higher volume of candidates in a shorter space of time – in short, it’s more efficient.

Given that many organisations are now putting a greater emphasis on hiring soft skills and training hard skills, an assessment day also gives the assessors an opportunity (that you don’t get in a formal 1-2-1 situation) to understand how candidates actually behave under pressure, in a group and how they communicate both verbally and non-verbally. 

An assessment centre typically consists of some (or all) of the following:

• A series of structured, timed, exercises which are designed to simulate the kind of activities you would be doing in the job itself.
• Presentations (Individual or Group).
• Role Plays.
• Group discussions and tasks.
• Written case studies.
• Psychometric tests of aptitude and/or personality.

The aim of the assessment centre is to bring a little more science to the selection process, rather than relying on intuition.  As a result: 

• You will be assessed by a number of different managers during the day in order to reduce any bias.
• The assessors are likely to write down and document everything you say and do to ensure that you are objectively evaluated against a framework of competencies that are required as a minimum to be offered a job.   
• It is common for you to be scored numerically against each of those competencies for each of the tasks or exercises that you have completed, resulting in an aggregate score. Each score then be reviewed by the team of assessors who will then make a decision on your application.

To read our top tips on how to perform at your very best in your centre click on the button below.

Top Tips - how to perform at Assessment Centres