ASSESSMENT DAYS. Abul Shama Graduate Recruitment Supervisor

Transcription

1 ASSESSMENT DAYS Abul Shama Graduate Recruitment Supervisor

2 DEFINITION Assessment days are a method used by employers to select candidates by using a variety of interviews, tests, presentations and group exercises.

3 The Golden Rules

4 Do some homework Find out more about the company you are seeing. Log onto their website and prepare some questions to ask about it. Prepare a few sensible questions. Be ready to explain why you could do the job and what personal attributes you have that would be of benefit.

5 Be Punctual Turn up on time! Travel the night before and get a good nights sleep. Visit the office on the day before and map out your route. Judge traffic conditions and allow for extra time leave early!

6 Be Presentable Dress smartly to make a good impression. Shirt and tie, suit jacket, neat hair. Ask the company what their dress code is.

7 Be Prepared Bring a copy of your CV or application form. Any accreditations or certificates. All other requirements i.e. pens, calculators.

8 Be Positive Sound positive and enthusiastic about the role. Be aware of your body language it can have both a positive and negative impact.

9 Don t be Afraid If in doubt ask for points to be clarified. The interview is a two way process. Ask a lot of questions and gain understanding.

10 What can you expect? Role play Group exercise Behavioural event interview Biographical interview Verbal & Numerical Testing Psychometric testing Presentation exercise

11 Role play Scenario related to the role i.e. a fact find and negotiation exercise for sales professionals. Strategy paper 30 minutes prior to exercise assessing ability to prioritise and manage time. Role play is often two candidates to each assessor. May take the form of two meetings -30 minutes between role plays to interpret and apply information from the first meeting. This exercise tests a candidate's ability to perform in the role for which they have applied.

12 You are a Branch Manager with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. One of your employees rented a Vauxhall Omega to me for two days. I had to get to Scotland to secure a very important business deal. Unfortunately it has been ruined because of your company. Whilst on the motorway I got a flat tyre. Of course I went to get the spare from the boot, and found it had a slow puncture! Now as you can imagine I am really annoyed. I have had expenses to sort, I missed my appointment and I have now just lost a deal worth 10,000!! What are you going to do?

13 Group exercise Candidates work together towards a stated end goal as the assessors watch and listen. Each individual may be given a different objective or piece of information to ensure that the exercise does not become too collegiate. Assessors look for candidates to take control of the situation, draw opinions from the other delegates, keep the group to time, stand their ground (without becoming argumentative) and successfully take the group to its stated goal.

14 Behavioural event interview Candidates discuss 2-3 specific events in their career to date i.e. either key successes or events that didn't have the desired outcome. Probe questions around these events evaluating planning, risk analysis, decision making, developing solutions, seeking information, developing others, customer focus, building relationships etc. Individuals are typically assessed against a list of pre-agreed competencies.

15 Biographical interview Candidates are interviewed against their curriculum vitae. Targeted around understanding their experience/ responsibilities to date, motivations, why they have made certain moves during their career, what they are looking for from their next role, key successes, qualifications, personal circumstances, current salary and expectations etc. This is a more 'typical' interview that most candidates will have experienced at some point in their career to date.

16 Verbal & Numerical Testing Ability to process both verbal and numerical information whilst working to a time limit. Conducted either prior to or on the assessment day and are conducted either on or off-line. Mark as a percentile rather than a percentage. A percentile allows your result to be compared against an appropriate control group where 1 is the lowest and 99 is the highest.

17 If oranges cost 5 for 75p how many can you buy for 2.70? (Assuming they can be bought singly) A shed has a side wall of the dimensions shown. Calculate the area of the wall in square feet. A car left Canterbury at 7.12 am and arrived in Birmingham, 180 miles distant at am. What was its average speed in miles per hour?

18 Psychometric testing These are used to help assess a candidate's culture fit and psychological make-up. There are no right and wrong answers on these tests. You should answer questions honestly as opposed to trying to second guess what the client wants to hear.

19 I enjoy reading books of fiction. I am more conservative than risk taking. Sometimes I get very nervous. I more often introduce myself to strangers than strangers introduce themselves to me. I consider myself more of a doer than a thinker. I like to set goals before beginning a project. I like to follow schedules. I think it is OK to bend the rules to complete a task on time. I enjoy long weekends.

20 Presentation exercise Pre-prepare a presentation often based around a proposed business plan The delivery of the presentation and a candidate's ability to think on their feet when fielding questions. Candidates should run through their presentation as many times as possible.

21 Tips Use all coffee and lunch breaks to speak to assessors and create an impact. Ask intelligent questions and show interest in them and their business. Speak to other candidates too and network share their experiences of previous assessments.

22 Thank You What questions do you have?