How can I prepare for the Assessment Center?
First of all you have to learn more about the different exercises. An Assessment Center may last 1 or 2 days, for very high position even more. Let’s have a look on the different test that are waiting for you.
1. The interview
Every Assessment Center starts with a short interview which may last up to 30 minutes. During that first interview the company wants to get a first idea of you, your skills and behaviour. Most of the questions concern your CV, your education and professional career. It’s important to be honest, open minded and keep on smiling. The first impression you give is very important – so pay attention to your body language.
2. The virtual working place
You are sitting in front of a screen, on your virtual working place and you have several daily task to do, for exemple: planning meetings, receive phone calls, manage the agenda of your boss – sometimes you have to do it under pressure with limited time – they want to know how do you react on stress, pressure and to know if you are planning a head /foresighted.
3. Group discussion
This is a group exercise. Under limited time you have to solve problems and take decisions. They look how you behave in group, do you have a team spirit? Do you discuss solutions with the others ? Do you impose your idea? Can you lead a group? Dont be to willing to compromise and show that you all your thinking and behaving is link to the solution finding process.
4. Role-playing
You may be asked to play the big boss and discuss with “your” employees. This exercise is done to know how you react on critics, how do you critic others. Do you demoralize others or do you encourage them by your comments and the way you talk to them?
5. Presentation
You will get a random topic (f.e.: How does a bicycle work?) and you have 15 minutes time to prepare your presentation. It doesn’t matter if you know exactly how a bicycle works, important is the structure of your presentation, body language and the way you express yourself. Be prepare the stress, disturbing questions and/or comments. Try to keep on smiling, it’s “just” an exercise.
6. Small exercises and the Final Discussion/Interview
Between all the above mentioned assement center tests you have a lot of time, that’s why you will get many small exercises in order to test your general knowledge or, why not, your math skills. At the end of your assessment center you have an final interview – time to get and give a feedback. Be prepared to assess your results and behaviour during the Assessment Center. Be honest, tell them which exercise you did well and which didn’t worked out well.
That has been a short introduction about Assessment Center – your future company will learn something about your skills and much more about your social competences. On Monday we will continue with an Article: Positive and negative strategies for the Assessment Center.