Right about now, you may have received a few invitations to an interview or an assessment centre. This was something I had never even heard of before I started searching for placements, and if that’s you too, then you may feel as though you are about to be pushed into the deep end of the application process. The good news though is that you aren’t alone and there is so much advice out there for you to succeed. Here’s some simple tips you can use to ensure you have the best chance possible of receiving the offer you’ve been waiting for.  

But first, it’s good to know what to expect.  A typical assessment centre day could include: 

• Group exercises 

• Case studies/scenarios  

• Presentations  

• Psychometric Tests  

• Role–playing  

• Interviews 

Ensure to look up what each of these involves so that you can be fully prepared.  

Research the company 

What industry are they in? What services or products do they provide? What is their company culture? Look up your prospective team on LinkedIn, how can you personalise your interview questions to ask about THEIR time at the company – show your invested and you care! Connect with them too, leave a lasting impression.  

For this step, you’re first point of call is their website – know this inside and out, then check out their socials to grasp their company culture.  

Preparation material  

Generally, most assessment centres will require you to come prepared with a presentation on a certain topic they would’ve briefed you on a week or two before the day. This is good though! Your presentation is one area of the day that you can really prepare for, so take your time on it.  

Take full advantage, talk to your lecturers, ask advice from previous placement students and pull out all the stops to show why they should hire YOU.  

Know the job description back to front.  

You may or may not know, but the job description is like a blueprint for what the employer is looking for in a candidate – expressing the skillset and roles that you will have to perform. 9 times out of 10 it will give you clues on what you’ll be assessed on inside the interview and during the other activities. For example, if they are looking for someone who needs to have good problem-solving skills, they may ask the question; 

• Tell me about a time where you had to solve a problem and tell me the outcome… 

Make sure you have a bank of personal, academic and professional life experiences in order to demonstrate how and why you have the skills you are saying you have. ALWAYS back up with evidence.  

Go through common interview questions  

Lastly, some assessment centres will have a second interview as a part of their application – to give other employees within the company a chance to meet you. Although you’ve probably already done your prep on this, it’s good to refresh your knowledge on the questions they may ask you, think about how you’d answer them, and use the star method for the best chance of success.  

• S – Situation 

• T – Task  

• A – Action 

• R – Result

If you’ve made it this far in the application process, we want to say congrats! It’s hard and the company clearly likes you in order to give you an invite to their assessment centre. So, prepare, stay calm and be yourself! 

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