-       Be confident, expect to do well

-       Dress professionally – clean and neat

-       Take a spare copy of your CV and note paper and pen in case you would like to take notes

-       Listen carefully to the questions asked

-       Maintain eye contact during the conversation

-       If any question is unclear ask for it to be repeated

-       Give specific examples to highlight your experience and achievements

-       Be ready to ask questions

-       Shake hands and thank them for your time

-       Ask about the next step in the process

Prepare, perform and follow up

Prepare

-       Research the company web site and read up as much as you can on the company and the person/people who will be interviewing

-       Review your CV and be ready to answer questions and go into more detail on anything you have included

-       Practice interview questions

-       Drive to the interview location in advance so you know where it is and where you will be able to park

The style and exercises will vary some are quite close to assessment centres with assessed exercises but instead of looking for the best performer out of the candidates and discussing the candidate performance in a “wash up” session the results are shared with the participant so they can learn from the experience and use this to create a personal development plan.  

This assessment centre included two different group exercises with the candidates working in different groups; this is really useful as dynamics can have an impact on how people get on and the way they handle different people.

We also covered presentations, role plays and written work.

There was also an in-depth personality questionnaire the Saville Consulting Wave. This is a great assessment to help to understand a person and you can map the scales against a company’s competences so the person can see how they match up.

When I prepare for a feedback session I read through the results and hypothesise how the session will go. Today I was concerned how a participant would take my feedback. He saw himself as someone who was lacking in rapport and wasn’t interested in developing relationships, being very assertive in style. I needn’t have worried this was exactly how he saw himself. That’s good but it was harder to get him to see how another style might be more appropriate.

Companies will use development centres to look for ways to get the best out of their employees and to help them identify the right career path for them, for some it’s a traditional climb up the ladder but others may seek to take an alternative path and for some their best move may be outside of the company.

There’s plenty more I can write on development centres so you will have to come back for more.

What did you like, what was helpful about our session(s)?

I was going through an assessment centre/panel interview for my promotion to director in a blue chip company and Denise helped me to get through the process successfully. I was impressed by the personal touch, experience, confidence and insightful feedback from Denise - she knows her area.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions on how I could improve my communication or the way I worked with you?

I was lucky that I was able to deal with Denise face to face during her various trips to London.

What has been the key learning point for you?

If you want to succeed in your careers, Denise is there to help you to succeed. It was worth the investment and now I’m enjoying the fruits of the success. During my search on the Internet, Denise was the only one who could provide the personal touch I was looking for.

Would you work with me again? Would you recommend this service to your friends/colleagues? What would you say to them?

I would definitiely work with denise for my next promotion/job interview.

I have no hesitation in recommending denise to anyone going through an assessment centre/ job interview.

Have you any further comments which may be relevant to me?

If you want to win the game you need to know the rules of the game. Denise can definitely provide you with all the insight and the compettive edge for you to succeed. 

Could I use this as a testimonial on my literature?   Yes - D L

Sometimes it seems so much simpler when you are just asked to send a CV for a job.  People do see application forms as a lot of work.

I’d suggest you look at them differently. The company are much clearer on the information they want and you can provide the information in an easy to understand format.

The application form will often ask you to provide examples against competences. You will be shortlisted against the competences so make sure you offer specific examples - you do need the detail.

There will also be a section where you can write "Anything else" or provide a motivational statement. Here is the place to include anything that wasn’t included against the competences, to put a bit more emphasis on the key aspects but also to be specific about why this particular job and why this company,

Too often when I shortlist the additional information aspect could have been sent to one of 1000s of companies, there is nothing specific.

To improve your chance of success you should address these questions: 

Amazing People Feedback Form

What did you like, what was helpful about our session(s)? 

That I had the skills and experience needed to pass assessment centres/interviews but that small changes in emphasis to focus on the competencies being tested in each particular exercise could have a large impact on the overall result.

Would you work with me again? Would you recommend this service to your friends/colleagues? What would you say to them? 

Yes, I would work with you again and would recommend you to friends/family. 

I would tell them how useful I found our session and that while, previously, I had always had doubts/been sceptical of the usefulness of paying someone for career advice and/or assessment centre/interview coaching – that the experience of actually having done so with you has convinced me that it is a good idea.

Have you any further comments which may be relevant to me? 

Thank you so much for all your help. Our session together greatly increased my confidence in attending the assessment centre and (being successful) now means that I finally have a ‘career path’ on a well regarded scheme/employer.

Could I use this as a testimonial on my literature?   Yes From: Sunil, London

The written exercises

This can vary depending on the organisation and job, but can often take the format of an intray exercise or a report writing exercise.

In tray exercise

In this case you will have a number of documents and you need to make a judgement on what to do within the time allowed. The scenario is usually that your boss is unavailable, it’s your first day and you need to go through a series of papers in a limited amount of time before a meeting. There is often a connection between documents so you need to first of all read them through quickly. Some of the tasks could be delegated to other people – in this case do give some instructions. Also it can help to give the personal touch, to say thanks and refer to someone by name.

The written exercise

Some organisations may give you a lot of material and a quite short amount of time to grasp the key points and respond to a task. You need to go through this information and quickly make sense of it, then to produce a report. Like in an exam, it is important to read through the instructions carefully. If you are asked to refer to specific criteria, make sure you do. If it asks for a recommendation, do this and justify your choice. Written skills are likely to be assessed so do take care, particularly over layout. The use of paragraphs, headers and sub headings can aid the reader. Often you will notice numerical data in the material available, do make some reference to this, and doing calculations is likely to impress the assessor.

Presentations

Presentations are used to assess your presentational skills and also to see how well you can respond to questioning. On some assessment centres you may be sent material in advance, and can prepare your presentation beforehand. In this case, a very high standard is expected, you will have had time to prepare visual aids and practice your talk.

On other centres you have a limited amount of time to prepare and so are not expected to be at this standard – however you still need to be a reasonably confident presenter, so you may like to practice in advance. You could give yourself 30 minutes to prepare a talk on any subject.  You can then review how you structured your material, used your time and decide how best to handle the material when you do this at the assessment centre.  

Would highlighting key words stop you from trying to read too closely from your notes?

With a presentation you do need to make eye contact with the assessor(s) and a clear start and ending will provide a positive impression, and also make it clear for the assessors that they can move into the questioning phase. 

After your presentation you will be asked questions, and do expect to be challenged on what you have said. It is hard to do so in the time allowed, but if you can anticipate some questions in advance, and thus be prepared, it will enhance your performance. When you are questioned it is easy to start talking before thinking. It is fine to take a moment or two to think through how best to reply, and a measured response that is focused on the question is more effective than a waffly reply.