Preparing for an Assessment Center Interview
Due to the rising popularity of the assessment center interview methodology, the probability that you will have to participate in one during the recruitment process is increasing. If you are facing such an interview, there are some questions that you may ask yourself.
- Why is assessment center interviewing getting popular?
- How does it differ from an ordinary interview?
- How do I prepare for it?
Let’s start from the beginning.
What is an assessment center?
An assessment center consists of a set of tasks and tests that enable standardized evaluation of behavior relevant to the critical competencies in the position sought by the applicants. It can be a part of the recruitment process, but it is also used to determine the strengths and weaknesses of current employees (for example, to identify the training needs or choose a person to be promoted).
Many employers decide to use an assessment center because it is more effective in assessing competencies than the standard interview, which is based mainly on declarations from the candidate. The recruiter has the difficult task of assessing strengths and weaknesses during a conversation. Obviously, every candidate focuses on prepared examples from his/her professional career that demonstrate competencies.
The assessment center in the recruitment process
The most common types of test given by assessment centers are leaderless group discussion on a job-related problem and role playing in a job-related situation. It enables them to assess leadership and communication skills, assess how the person interacts with others, and how he/she reacts to stress. The point of the assessment center is to avoid relying on a candidate’s declarations and to form opinions about the applicant on the basis of observations. The final judgment is based on remarks of several trained observers (at least as many as the number of tasks).
What can I expect?
What distinguishes assessment centers from a standard interview is the fact that you will not be the only participant and each session is prepared for six to eight candidates (not necessarily applying for the same position). You should expect that this meeting will last several hours. The detailed schedule is usually presented on the day of the interview. Apart from group discussions and role playing with other participants, you may also be asked to complete a psychological test and take part in a one-on-one interview.
Let’s prepare
While candidates are informed what the agenda of their interview will look like, they are not told in advance what tasks will be prepared and which skills are to be investigated. This is because recruiters want applicants to behave naturally, without ready scenarios. Nevertheless, you can make some preparations. First of all, learn how to combat stress. To be more confident on the day, make sure you are familiar with the job description and arrive on time. During the task focus on the instructions instead of trying to figure out what skills are being tested at the moment. Finally, because we are generally less afraid of what is familiar to us, try finding some accounts of people that have already participated in an assessment center interview.
For related articles about resume and job search, review these articles:
Make Yourself (and Your Resume) Relevant
Job Specialization – Take a Second Look Before Taking Your First Step in Job Search
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