Assessment Centre Success

Your Ultimate Resource of Practice Exercises and Sample Questions to Help you Ace the Activities, Beat the Competition and Impress Employers

Tony Weightman

• Publisher: Kogan Page
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9780749483142
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

Assessment Centre Success is your road map to mastering the skills, exercises and challenges that you'll be faced with when trying to secure that prized job offer. An Assessment Centre can be daunting: you are likely to face a full day of challenging exercises, tests and skilled competitors. However, with the right level of practice and preparation, you will be able to confidently tackle whatever employers may throw at you.Written by experienced Assessment Centre planner, Tony Weightman, Assessment Centre Success contains a bank of practice exercises and insider tips to help you succeed. Individual exercises are covered, including how to deliver good presentations, reports, interviews and analysis under pressure as well as group exercises such as problem solving and team presentations. Expert guidance on how to demonstrate the key skills employers are looking for helps you understand how to show yourself in the best possible light under challenging circumstances: including leadership, team work, industry knowledge, keeping calm under pressure, decision making, analytical skills, confidence and communication skills.

APPENDIX 1

Model answer for identifying skills from a job description

You need to spend some time looking at the skills required to successfully complete the requirements of the role, as this will help you identify any skills you need to develop, and assist you in preparing for the assessment event by completing some of the exercises in the book.

In this model answer to the exercise on page 15, you can clearly see that various tasks are completed successfully by using different skills (see Table App 1.1). Where you see these tasks in the job description, you need to consider what skills you have that will help you achieve these tasks. This will show you the skills that will be measured during the assessment. You will now be able to practise these skills prior to the event.

Table App 1.1    Skills identification

Tasks	Skills
Achieve results Ability to work with others Pass on information Decisive action Disciplined approach to work Initiative Take responsibility for work area and team	Tenacity and planning Interpersonal skills Verbal and written skills Problem solving and decision making Plan and organize Problem solving and creativity Leadership and teamwork

APPENDIX 2

Model answer for written report 1

Here is a model-type answer to the report exercise in Chapter 5 using the Introduction, Main Points and Summary model. This is for a made-up Operations Manager job but will demonstrate how the model operates and what should be included at each stage. It also demonstrates the indenting process for each section in order to create a more readable report.

Induction programme for A. Candidate, 3 May 20xx

1.0 Introduction

This report is required to outline a practical induction programme for myself as a potential new employee (Operations Manager) in the organization. I have recently attended an assessment event which lasted two days.

The assessment event was structured to address the key skills and competencies required to deliver the role of operations manager within the organization. A series of relevant exercises were used which included reports, presentations and prioritization exercises.

The results of these exercises have been used to devise an induction programme that will enable me as the successful candidate to settle into the new role both quickly and effectively and will enable me to deliver effective results within the new role.

2.0 Induction content (main body)

This report will outline the required output of the induction programme for the new employee. It will take account of their current skill level and identified development needs.

2.1 Company history

I had completed a good deal of research about the company which was demonstrated by the relevant content of my reports and presentations. I feel I will need a more specific input from the organization about the history that is relevant to the operations function. This will include why the organization uses the systems that are employed and any future plans for the further development of the operation. Time should also be spent discussing the various key accounts and customers as well as their specific requirements of the operations function.

This content should be delivered by the Operations Director, who will be able to give a good explanation of the company history and where the operations function fits with the corporate objectives. The output from this session will enable me as a new recruit to be able to identify why we take certain actions as well as establish which customers make the greatest impact on the corporate objectives.

2.2 Department structure

I will also need to become familiar with the current structure of the department and any planned future changes. This will enable me to more rapidly absorb how the department operates and the amount of manpower that is available. Time will need to be spent looking at each section and what they are expected to achieve.

The individuals who hold each role should be discussed to ensure there is a clear understanding of what each person contributes to the overall goals. Time should be spent explaining the reasons for each role and how they have developed over the last few years. This will help when I am introduced to the new team as I will be familiar with the names as well as what each person’s role is in the organization. I would propose that I am given a guided tour of the department where I can see the layout as well as meet the key players in the department.

At a later date I can be introduced to all of the team both as a total team and then individually. This section of the induction can be delivered by either the Operations Director or the previous job holder.

2.3 Department focus

When settling into any new role, it is essential that any new employee is made familiar with not only the corporate objectives but also the department objectives. This will enable me to identify where the department can support the organization’s goals. I will need to be shown how the department focus was developed as well as their role in the delivery of the focus so that I can see where current priorities have developed.

Time should be spent discussing how the main focus will be delivered and how each person in the department can impact that focus. By the end of this session I will be able to identify a number of key activities that will enable me to contribute more effectively to the future of the organization. This session is best delivered by the Operations Director...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• About the Author
• Acknowledgement
• Introduction
• 01 What is an assessment centre?
• 02 What employers are looking for
• 03 How will it work?
• 04 How to prepare for an assessment centre
• 05 How to prepare for an assessment centre
• 06 I ndividual exercises: analysis
• 07 Group exercises
• 08 Psychometric tests
• 09 The interview
• 10 Dealing with difficulties and how to perform on the day
• 11 Gaining feedback after the event
• Conclusion
• Appendix 1: Model answer for identifying skills from a job description
• Appendix 2: Model answer for written report 1
• Appendix 3: Model answer for written report 2
• Appendix 4: Presentation planning template
• Appendix 5: Example of presentation feedback using POOSA
• Appendix 6: Model answer for in-tray prioritization exercise
• Index
• Backcover