Graduate Toolkit

Assessment centres

Many employers use extended selection exercises as part of their recruitment process. These are often run as an assessment centre or an assessment day.

  • Assessment centres or days have become increasingly common for internships, year in industry and graduate level roles
  • It is a way for an employer to get a group of candidates together to be assessed for its graduate or work experience programmes
  • They usually involve a series of exercises designed to show the selectors whether or not you possess the skills required
  • There will be a range of activities and tasks to assess your capabilities for the role(s).

Assessment centres can take place both in person, usually at the organisation's head office, or virtually on various platforms such as MS Teams, Zoom, Google Hangouts or they might have their own platform.

Virtual assessment centres have become much more common in recruitment for the past couple of years. Virtual assessment centres will differ as generally they are shorter (usually two to three hours) so there may be less activities/tasks and they will have fewer candidates in the sessions.

Assessment day tasks

Read more about assessment centres from Prospects, including tips, assessment and preparation.

Not all assessment centres are the same. It is important to prepare and read through all of the instructions sent by the recruiter prior to the day to make sure you’re prepared.

Activities could include

Information sessions

Information session to give you more commercial awareness and a better understanding of the role. This may be a presentation or video to show behind the scenes of how a specific team or department work and develop products or services.

Questions and answer sessions

You may have a short presentation given by the recruitment team and a chance to ask questions. Prepare some great questions for the employees such as their typical day or working life or specific questions on their chosen career path.

Group exercises

The group exercise is considered the most common activity at an assessment centre and possibly the most important. It not only shows the recruiter how you perform in a team but also how you would perform in the role, giving the recruiter the best possible indication that you are the ideal candidate for the role.

Take a look at some of the possible group exercises on Assessment Day website

Examples of group exercises

  • Group discussion: You will be given a topic cover. It could also include a task related to either the organisation or sector
  • Case study: In this type of exercise, you will be given a set time to work together to respond to a case study brief
  • Leadership task: You might be tasked to chair a meeting or act as leader of your group
  • The ‘build a…’ task: The classic of teambuilding exercises. Your group may have to build a bridge or a tower from straws!

What are employers looking for when assessing you and how can you stand out?

Skills likely to be assessed
  • Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Logical decision making
  • Leadership skills
Group exercise tips
  • Contribute but don’t dominate the conversation, invite others to give their ideas as well
  • Listen to others and build upon their ideas
  • You could try to draw out quieter members and seek their views
  • Keep an eye on the time and help the group stay focused, but don't let this be your only job
  • Demonstrate problem solving skills by tackling tasks in a logical and structured manner
  • Encourage the team to practice if a presentation is part of the exercise

Watch Graduate Firsts' tips on assessment centres

Individual case study exercise

You will usually be given some information about a work-related scenario and invited to examine the evidence before presenting your findings and solutions – either verbally or in written form.

What are employers looking for when assessing you and how can you stand out?

Skills likely to be assessed
  • Communication
  • Problem solving and decision making
  • Adaptability
  • Planning and organising.
Top tips
  • Be prepared, the organisation may send you a brief before the assessment centre
  • Research into the role and the organisation
  • Practice case study exercises. You can practice case study exercises on the Graduates First portal. To get access to Graduates First, log in to your graduate MyCareers account and submit a quick query and we will be in touch
  • Make sure you’re clear on what you’re being asked to do
  • Manage your time; ensure you can complete all the tasks asked of you.

E-tray/In-tray exercises

These involve reading/prioritising emails, identifying actions required and any deadlines, drafting replies, preparing reports and other actions.

What are employers looking for when assessing you and how can you stand out?

  • Be prepared and practice free e-tray and in-tray exercises
  • Pay attention to detail
  • Prioritize the tasks in order of importance: are any of the tasks time sensitive?
  • Don’t over think it
  • Time management
  • Proofread
  • Stay calm

Read the article 'what are in tray exercises?' from TargetJobs

You can practice tray exercises on the Graduates First portal. To get access to Graduates First, log in to your graduate MyCareers account and submit a quick query requesting access. We will be in touch with your access code.

Interview

The interview could take place towards the end of the day. Reflect on why you want to work for that employer in that role. Think of examples of when you have demonstrated the skills and the values the employer seeks.

Skills likely to be assessed

  • Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Leadership and supervising
  • Research and analysing
  • Problem solving and decision making
  • Planning and organising
  • Learning
  • Improving and achieving
  • Resilience
  • Adaptability and drive
  • Enterprising.

Don’t worry, not every single one of these skills will be assessed, it will depend on the opportunity; make sure you keep a copy of the job description!

Browse more advice about interviews and what to expect

Presentation

At an assessment centre, you may need to give one of two types of presentation: An individual presentation that you prepare in advance on a set topic or one of your choice or an individual or group presentation that you’ll be set on the day based on a case study.

What are employers looking for when assessing you and how can you stand out?

Skills likely to be assessed
  • Communication
  • Research
  • Planning and organisation
  • Adaptability
Top tips
  • Choose something you know and understand well
  • Length of presentation is important, try to use all of the allocated time
  • Structure is important – use three key points at the end to summarise
  • Think about using visual aids and making handouts if possible/appropriate
  • Pause for effect and to calm your nerves
  • Try to anticipate questions that you may get asked
  • Practice is essential for an effective presentation

Networking

The day may include a stand-alone networking session or this could take place in an informal chat before or between activities with assessors or other candidates. This could be a great chance to get to know other candidates that you might be put in a group with.

What are employers looking for when assessing you and how can you stand out?

  • Remember names, especially those in your group to create a rapport
  • Keep your online presence up to date – LinkedIn is great way to professionally network

Psychometric/ability tests

You might be required to complete set assessment activities before you attend or during the assessment centre, this could include:

  • Verbal reasoning
  • Numerical reasoning
  • Logical reasoning
  • Situational judgement
  • Personality tests
  • Games based assessment

What are employers looking for when assessing you and how can you stand out?

  • Research the tests you are likely to encounter with a particular organisation.
  • Practice the psychometric tests you're likely to encounter. Graduates First is a free practice site which has plenty of tests to practice with and also gives you information on how to improve based on your performance. To get access to Graduates First, log in to your graduate MyCareers account and submit a quick query requesting access and we will take it from there. On Graduates First, University of Leicester graduates have access to an array of practise tests, including verbal, numerical and logical tests, as well as a Situational Judgement Test (SJT), Personality Questionnaire and the Watson Glaser test.
  • Reflect - after you do any practice tests think about what you found easy, and which tests you found more challenging.
  • Get support from one of our career coaches (by booking a Career Coaching appointment).

Find more advice and guidance on the types of psychometric tests and how to prepare and practice

How to stand out at an assessment centre or assessment day

  • Practice activities, use the Graduates First platform
  • It’s not a competition – peers from assessment could be future colleagues so be mindful of this
  • Understand what skills and attributes are being assessed based on the job requirements
  • Get stuck in and be proactive – assessors can only assess on what they see and hear
  • Research the company and role
  • Be professional at all times – you never know when you’re being assessed!

Further guidance and support

Target jobs resources

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