There are many different ways for an interviewer to shortlist
candidate’s, I have looked at general interviews, telephone
interview, psychometric testing and so on and so forth.
Another area that potential employers use, to assess
potential candidates capabilities, are what’s known as
assessment centres. Again these are not generally used in
isolation they will form part of the whole selection
process. An assessment centre is a place where you will take
a test but it will probably involve some form of practical
work.
Some jobs, by their nature alone, are going to be dependent upon a
fully interactive well oiled team and it may be very, very
important to the employer that the candidate who is offered the
job is able to thoroughly interact with his colleagues to ensure
that each project that is carried out runs smoothly and
efficiently. For example you may be put with a group of other
candidates and given a project to do – it could be something
fairly simple like you are give a model bridge to build and you
have to construct it as a team but there is a deliberate problem
built into the project. What will happen is you will work
together as a team to solve the problem and complete the project
while you are being observed by the assessors or interviewer.
What they will do is make notes about each candidate and the
chances are they will be looking out for certain aspects, such
as who takes the lead of the team (who is the natural born
leader), how well you interact with each other etc, etc.
It is often the case that you will get two or more people with the
same type of leadership skills in one of these projects (hence
possibly causing a clash of personalities) so your assessor will
also be looking at how well you can communicate with the other
people. If you are a true team player or a natural leader then
these type of tests are a real opportunity to show your skills
off and I think are far less imposing than some of the other
tests. If you enjoy being creative and interacting with others
these assessments can be quite enjoyable. Aside from carrying
out little projects you may also have to get involved with group
discussions, tasks where you are given a situation that has to
be resolved and role play amongst many other exercises. Some
tests may involve physical exercises which take you away for a
couple of days and involve getting from one destination to
another via an assault course to evaluate your team and
leadership skills etc, etc.
Remember that you are under scrutiny by your assessors for each and
everything you do whilst you are carrying out your tasks. Don’t
try and pretend you are a different person or something you are
not, these tests can take anything from several hours to several
days to complete and trying to make out that you are a natural
born leader when you are not will show through and your assessor
will spot it a mile off.
Finally one thing I would add is that even if you are not a natural
born leader you must contribute and get involved, if you just
sit there and have no input or say nothing it won’t look good at
all. Remember not to get into arguments with your team mates –
try and discuss any issues calmly – as I have mentioned it’s
always easy to start getting frustrated if you find yourself
clashing with another team member and it is an issue that is
fairly likely to raise its ugly head. If you get involved, stay
cool headed and professionally and try and enjoy the experience
then it is a great way to enhance your interview skills and even
in some cases make new friends!
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