An Assessment Centre is both a place and a process that will take you through a series of exercises with other candidates applying for the role(s). 

What makes an Assessment Centre different from standard recruitment processes is that it has the following elements:

1. The are multiple traits and competencies that you will be evaluated on
2. There are multiple exercises included in the assessment centre that are designed to assess the traits and competencies required
3. Multiple candidates are assessed in the assessment centre at the same time
4. Multiple assessors will assess you while you are completing the exercises and compare how you performed against standardised rating guidelines

The Assessment Centre methodology allows you the best opportunity to perform and shine as it is more in-depth than most other recruitment methodologies.

Assessment Centres are designed to assess a variety of skills and attributes that are relevant for the role your are applying for.

Many different methods are utilised to measure the desired behaviours from multiple sources.

Assessments may include:

• Ability Tests -
  
• Personality Questionnaires -
• Interviews - a behavioural interview -
• Simulations (see below)
  
• Situational Judgement Tests - where you are given scenarios and options and you need to make a judgemenal about the appropriate option
  
• Portfolio analysis - presenting a portfolio of your work
  

Simulations

Job related simulations or behavioural exercises are designed so the assessors can see the actual behaviours a participant displays in the assessment centre on an exercise. 

Examples of types of simulations that can be used are:

• Group exercises - you may be asked to work in a group to solve a particular problem
  
• Presentation exercises - you may be asked to prepare and present a topic
  
• Intray or inbox work samples - you may be asked to work through a work sample (e.g. a typcial day's inbox of someone who is actually in the job)
• Role plays - you may be asked to act out a role play where you have a scenario and have to role play how you would handle it.

The best way to do best in an assessment centre is to:

Prepare

• Make sure you have read any materials given to you beforehand.
  
• Just like you would for an interview, study the job advertisement and analyse it. 
• What does the ad tell you about what the employer is looking for in you? 
• What competencies do they mention they want you to possess? 
• What behavioural questions are you therefore going to be asked in the interview? 
• Try to prepare answers for any of these.
  

Be Punctual

• Be on time, if not early – first impressions are important and as such being on time is important. 
• Rushing in 5 minutes late is not going to endear you to the people running the assessment centre.
• Also more importantly in being late you may have either missed important instructions or be agitated which may impact on your ability to perform well.

Be Calm and Well Rested

• Try to be calm, especially if one of the competencies is performing well under pressure.
• Try to be well rested and ready to do your best.
• Get a good nights sleep the night before.
  

Mistakes to avoid

In group exercises, the 2 biggest mistakes people make are either:

1. Being too quiet and saying nothing – this gives the assessors nothing to assess you on and as such may disadvantage you.
2. Being too forceful and talking over others – while it is often good to take on a leadership role in the group, you need to balance this with being inclusive and ensuring everyone gets a say and that you listen.