Posted by HR consultants emphasize that Assessment Centre participants usually have to compete among themselves for a single vacancy. On the one hand, this generates motivation to perform to the best of their ability, while on the other hand it can have a stressful effect on those who are less active and open-minded. There is also time pressure during the session, as all the goals set for the participants must be achieved as quickly as possible. Participants’ form can also be impaired by the need to adapt quickly to new conditions and situations, as well as the awareness of being observed and evaluated by experts. It’s a kind of Big Brother for candidates, at first the participants try to appear as good as possible in front of the evaluators, but it’s easy for an experienced observer to recognize the candidate’s game. After a few hours, all the participants are so tired that everyone starts to behave naturally, just like after a few hours at work.
During a typical Assessment Centre, participants may encounter several tasks that are part of a comprehensive assessment of their competencies. Typically, these include:
- a biographical interview, similar to a regular job interview,
- behavioral interview, which includes a series of questions about behavior in specific situations encountered on the job, such as “What would you do if…”
- simulated interview, during which the participant is expected to solve a difficult problem, such as resolving a conflict in the team he or she leads, negotiating the best terms of a contract, or restoring the company’s good name in the eyes of a disgruntled customer,
- a basket of tasks to test your time management, prioritization and delegation skills, such as: “After returning from vacation, you found a lot of unresolved issues. Which tasks will you take up first?…”,
- group task to identify a group leader and determine what roles in the team will be played by the various participants in the session,
- presentation, i.e. a suggestive presentation of a difficult to accept idea or solution to a problem; often the task of the other participants is to create conflicts and stressful situations at the same time.
Assessment Centre gives benefits not only to the employer, but also to the candidate allows him to learn about his competencies against the competition, learn more about the company and learn specific skills, such as teamwork. He can use them in his professional work or…. during the next Assessment Centre.