What is an Assessment Centre?

By providing a broad, behaviourally based view of a candidate, an Assessment Centre can help to identify a participant’s strengths and development needs, and they are particularly effective in determining an individual’s suitability for a position.

An Assessment Centre comprises of a combination of exercises, tests and business simulations that have been specifically designed to present a detailed and accurate picture of behavioural competence.

Several candidates, normally between four and eight, may be asked to complete any of the following exercises:

• Group discussions
• Presentations
• Ability tests
• In-tray exercises
• Personality questionnaires
• Interviews
• Role plays
• Motivation Questionnaires

Each exercise is designed to measure the candidates’ performance against specified criteria and each competency dimension is measured at least twice. The variety and intensity of activities aims to provide a large amount of evidence on the participant, as well as establishing how they would perform under pressure by simulating the conditions of the workplace.

Whatever the activities used, the emphasis at an Assessment Centre is on your observable behaviour. Assessors will observe and record behavioural evidence and will then classify and evaluate the evidence against the competency dimensions. The assessors collate information from all the exercises to build up a candidate profile that will then be used in the assessment process.

Candidates do not pass or fail: their combined performance demonstrates their relative strengths and suitability for the role.

Group Exercises

The purpose of the group exercise is to observe the behaviour of participants as they interact, often simulating a typical meeting in the workplace. There are two types of group exercise: firstly, where candidates are working on a common problem; secondly, where each participant has a conflicting aim. All candidates will be provided with a brief in the group exercise and will have the opportunity to ask questions. There will be a time allowance for candidates to familiarise themselves with their part and make notes before the discussion begins.

During the discussion, the assessors will make descriptive notes of the candidate’s behaviour, both verbal and non-verbal and observe evidence of the required skills. The assessors will then feedback their observations and reach a consensus on the candidate’s performance.

• Be yourself and relax! Do not try to project a "false" image;
• Don’t try to guess at the attributes that the assessors are looking for. People with different interactive styles can perform equally well in this exercise;
• Although it is important to contribute, do not just talk for the sake of it. It is not a competition to see who can dominate the group. The quality of what you say is more important than the quantity. However, if you say nothing or very little, you are missing the chance to demonstrate your skills;
• Stick to the information that is provided in your brief; try not to make too many assumptions based on prior knowledge;
• Try not to split the group, as this makes it difficult to assess your skills;
• Try to prepare before hand by examining your strengths and weaknesses, particularly in oral communication and your effectiveness when working with others.

Personality Questionnaires

Personality is an important influence on how people behave at work. Our personalities are demonstrated by the way we behave, think and feel in differing situations. It is seen as particularly important in ascertaining how people interact and collaborate with others, namely, all managerial, supervisory, customer orientated, team or group based activities.

There are many forms of personality questionnaires, but they usually take the form of a self-report. The assessment will question how a candidate perceives their own behaviours in normal, day-to-day situations - how they deal with people, their feelings and emotions, preferred team-working styles etc. The questionnaires are administered, scored and interpreted in a standard way. The questionnaires are not timed, but an advisory as to how long it should take is often provided.

Personality Questionnaires are very popular: it has been estimated that over 70% of the Times Top 1000 companies use questionnaires and aptitude tests of one sort or another. They are popular because they can provide a quick, objective and detailed picture of what a person is like. They are widely used for development and training purposes, as they can help to show the sort of environments in which people prefer to work, the way in which they are likely to go about their work and the ideal personalities of any colleagues with whom they would work best.

Useful Tips:

• Try and be as honest as possible, don’t try and guess what the assessors are looking for or give conditioned responses. Faked responses are easy to detect. It is better to be open-minded and truthful in your answers;
• Try to answer fairly quickly and avoid agonising over each response. If you are stuck on a question that you do not feel is relevant, just give your best and most immediate answer. It is likely that your first thoughts will be the most accurate;
• There are no right or wrong answers!
• If you have access to the Internet, you can review a sample of personality questions at shldirect.com, Practice & Feedback icon;
• Alternatively, chapter five in Mark Parkinson’s book How to Master Psychometric Tests (published by Kogan Page) provides a useful introduction.

Ability Tests

An ability test is a standard method of measuring an aspect of mental performance. They do not require specialist knowledge or skills. Ability tests are designed to be objective, standardised, reliable, predictive and unbiased.

Ability tests tend to follow a similar form - up to 60 questions with multiple-choice answers, to be completed within a set time limit. Tests are administered under carefully controlled and timed conditions and precise instructions are followed for marking and interpreting the results. There is no room for subjectivity and everyone is treated in exactly the same way.

The tests aim to assess objectively a number of cognitive abilities, for example, verbal ability (how good you are at understanding the meaning of words or comprehending the information in a written passage), numerical ability (your ability to understand and use numbers) and sometimes abstract reasoning. Cognitive tests can also assess the ability to check information quickly and accurately.

Verbal tests usually present you with a short passage of information followed by a series of statements. The task is to decide if the statement is:

• True - follows logically from the information provided;
• False - does not follow logically or you;
• Cannot Say - without further information.

All of the information required to make the decision is contained in the passage.

Numerical tests present you with a range of numerical information, usually in the form of tables of data, charts or graphs. The task is to understand the meaning of the questions, find and interpret the appropriate data and then perform the necessary calculations. In most cases, the calculations are not difficult and the emphasis is on developing the correct problem-solving strategy.

The candidates will be shown some example questions, after which they will be able to ask questions before starting the test. The administrator will ensure that all the candidates have completed the examples before the test begins. At the end of the test the administrator will collect individuals' tests and mark them. Test results are interpreted by comparing them against a large and comparable group of people who have done the test in the past normative group The results will be available for the assessors to use in the selection process at the end of the day.

Useful Tips:

• This is an individual exercise, but several candidates may take the test at the same time;
• It is helpful although not essential to try to do some practice exercises before attending the assessment centre, especially if you are not familiar with the format of ability tests. These can be obtained at the web site shldirect.com, Practice & Feedback. Alternatively, Mark Parkinson’s book is helpful (see notes under Personality Questionnaires);
• Use all the time provided. If you have spare time, try to check your answers;
• Don’t agonise over a question that you cannot do, but move on to the next one. If you cannot work out an answer, make an informed guess;
• Try to relax! Don’t be perturbed by the presence of the administrator and stopwatch! Concentrate your mind on the test itself and nothing else.

Interview

Interviews will often take the form of a competency-based set of questions, structured to recognise how participants’ past work situations were dealt with. Each question will aim to discover if the interviewee has the personal attributes or skills that have been identified as being vital to the role.

During the interview, the assessor will take notes on the responses provided. Once the interview finishes, the assessor’s notes will be used to examine the candidate’s suitability for the role, in conjunction with all the other test results.

Useful Tips:

• Be well prepared with examples of your previous achievements in both work-related and other environments;
• Consider your strengths before hand and find ways of presenting these. Try to avoid sounding arrogant!
• Practice your interview techniques before hand;
• Do some preliminary research on both the role and the employer and be prepared with some questions to ask;
• Listen carefully to the questions and answer them as honestly as possible;
• Make good eye contact with your interviewers;
• Be confident and alert.

Presentations

Presentations at Assessment Centres may be either group or individual exercises. Often, but not always, candidates will be provided with the topic prior to the assessment centre to allow for preparation. OHPs or flipcharts may be available for use. It is usual for assessors to listen to presentations without interruption and ask questions at the end. Presentations are typically timed.

The assessor will make notes during the presentation, so that they will then be able to ask follow-up questions.

Useful Tips:

• If you receive the topic beforehand, ensure that it has been practised and is well prepared. Thorough preparation is essential.
• If you receive the brief on the day, make certain that you pay particular attention to the aspects of time, subject matter and whether you are expected to invite or answer questions.
• Think logically in order to structure the content of the presentation and use information to make a case or advance an argument. Focus on important rather than unimportant information.
• Visual aids are helpful to your audience. They should be clear and concise.
• Speak clearly, audibly and distinctly to the audience, using language (such as technical jargon or terminology) appropriately and varying the tone of your voice.
• Establish eye contact while you are talking. Don’t fidget, fold your arms, pace around too much. Appear self confident, however stressed or under pressure you feel.
• Make sure that you are happy with any equipment before commencing your presentation.

In-tray Exercises

The in-tray exercise is a situational task, which aims to simulate the administrative aspects of a role. The participants are provided with an "in-tray" of paperwork, including e-mails, telephone messages, letters, memos, forms, etc. The exercise is timed and aims to look at skills such as prioritising, action planning, decision-making and communication. Sometimes, the in-tray may be linked to other activities at the assessment day such as the role play and group discussion. Each decision the candidate makes should be recorded in writing, which the assessor will then mark.

Useful Tips:

• Read carefully the questions and information with which you are provided and answer clearly.
• Be prepared for a lot of paper - responses will be handwritten.
• Remember to make your writing as legible as possible.

Role Plays

These are one-to-one exercises where the candidate conducts an interview or meeting with a role player who has been given a thorough briefing. The role-play is observed by an assessor or assessors (or it could be video taped.) The assessor may question the candidate afterwards to find out more about the strategy, direction and outcome of the interview or meeting.

Role play exercises of this kind have several advantages when it comes to personnel selection, in particular they:

• Allow observation of real people skills;
• Are realistic, especially for managerial tasks;
• Can be tailored to suit a range of tasks and situations.

An interesting development is the use of professional role players, usually actors, to play opposite the candidate. The actor will be closely briefed as to how to respond to the candidate. The role player is there to enable the candidate to demonstrate his/her strengths in face-to-face situations.

Useful Tips:

• Get in role, don’t be half in and half out;
• Take the other role player seriously;
• Be civil, not angry from the outset;
• Have a plan and stick to it (more or less);
• Plan to compromise and extract some agreement from the other person;
• Work out how you are going to close the meeting;
• Have a clear idea of the next steps and write them down;
• Be firm, never petulant.

Motivation Questionnaires

Motivation is as vital to an organisational success as any skill or personal attribute. By understanding what motivates their staff, managers can unlock each individual’s full potential and direct their energies more constructively.

The SHL Motivation Questionnaire measures 18 dimensions of your motivation, and provides a comprehensive understanding of those situations, which increase and reduce your motivation. It also helps to determine how long and under what circumstances your effort will be maintained.

The 18 dimensions measured are divided into four broad areas. First and foremost is Energy and Dynamism, which looks at the vigour and drive a person is likely to bring to a task. The Synergy scales help assess how well an individual is liable to fit in with the prevailing company culture, while the Intrinsic scales look at what type of task will motivate an individual. Lastly, the Extrinsic scales measure what effect external motivators, such as financial reward, are likely to have on an individual.

Useful Tips:

• The questionnaire is used to provide objective information on motivation, which is relevant in a work setting.
• Respondents will be asked to rate how a condition or situation would affect their motivation at work.
• People who try to guess what they think is wanted are often incorrect, so responses should be as accurate and honest as possible.
• This is a questionnaire, not a test; consequently there are no right or wrong answers. It is concerned with what motivates and demotivates people at work, not their ability.
• There will be an opportunity to receive feedback on the results of the questionnaire.
• There is no time limit, but respondents should work quickly, rather than ponder at length over any one question.

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