How to Succeed at an Assessment Centre

Harry Tolley was Special Professor in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham who works as a researcher, author and freelance consultant. He is co-author of How to Pass Verbal Reasoning Tests, How to Pass Numeracy Tests, How to Succeed at an Assessment Centre and How to Pass the Police Initial Recruitment Test, all published by Kogan Page.

Introduction 1 Assessment centres What exactly is an assessment centre? What to expect at an assessment centre - the programme What to expect at an assessment centre - the assessment activities How will your performance be assessed? Social activities and events Punctuality Dress code How to prepare for an assessment centre 2 How to succeed in group exercises Why are group exercises used in the selection process? What are the assessors looking for? Assigned, non-assigned and assumed roles Tactical considerations The icebreaker Actors or professional role players What preparation can you realistically do for group discussions? What assessors do not want to see 3 How to succeed at making presentations Planning and preparation Structuring your presentation Getting your presentation off to a good start Delivering your presentation What will the assessors be looking for? Summary 4 How to succeed in selection tests What are tests and why do employers use them? Different types of test used at assessment centres Examples from a logical reasoning test Examples from numerical reasoning tests Examples from verbal reasoning tests How important is it to do well on selection tests? Can practice make a difference? How to perform to the best of your ability on tests Tests of personality and personality inventories Taking ability and personality tests online Answers to sample questions 5 How to succeed at panel interviews Why interviews are used so much How panel interviews differ from one-to-one interviews Number of interviewers Note taking Observers Dividing up the labour Rapport Non-verbal signs Before the interview How to 'foul up' at the interview The interview itself Types of questions that interviewers ask Interview checklist - dos and don'ts 6 How to succeed on in-tray, case study and role play exercises In-tray exercises Case study exercises Role plays 7 After an assessment centre: how to achieve future success seeking feedback from others Self-review - evaluating your assessment-centre experience Developing a self-improvement action plan Appendix 1: auditing your skills Further reading