Graduate Prospects - February 20, 2008 - (Page 2)

2 PROSPECTS GRADUATE Issue 61 · 20 February 2008 · Fortnightly www.prospects.ac.uk BLOGGERS AT WORK ‘Worryingly they quickly found someone to fill my boots’ KIRSTIE’S GOODBYE TO THE JOB ‘I’m a social animal, not a job-hunting automaton’ MATT DEALS WITH A SETBACK formed group in an assessment centre is not like a working team. ‘Everyone’s being very nice, not necessarily being true to themselves or their natural style.’ Whether or not you are a natural star in groups, preparation will give you the best chance of success on the day. As assessment centres invariably include an interview, you should look back over your application form beforehand and brush up on what makes the particular company different. It will also help to do your homework on the competencies that the company is looking for and the types of assessments you will face. David Lawton advises: ‘I would always encourage graduates to ask the recruiter for information about the sorts of activities and tasks they are going to get engaged in, to ask for any materials or hints and tips about how they can best prepare themselves. Largely it’s good practice and top-end recruiters really should be offering this without even being prompted.’ THE FUTURE The Civil Service Fast Stream END GAMES All types of job selection can be uncomfortable but there’s nothing like an assessment centre for a testing experience. Candidates are under the unremitting gaze of assessors for up to a day and sometimes longer, gathered together in a conference centre or company office. For those who have not had the privilege, it should be explained that the centres are mostly used during the final stages of selection for graduate schemes, and often happen around now. Assessment centres are hard work for all concerned including those running them. There is a definite plus side for the employers, however. ‘Assessment centres are still and will continue to be the most powerful and effective way of choosing people who have the potential to succeed,’ says David Lawton, UK head of Cubiks which designs selection systems for leading firms. EXERCISE PROGRAMME The centres get the big companies’ vote because they require candidates to perform well across a range of different tasks, and not simply give a good interview. Arguably, this makes the centres fairer, and therefore good for candidates too. ACTIVITIES IN AN ASSESSMENT CENTRE CAN MAKE OR BREAK GRADUATE HOPES. familiar interview. Increasingly, exercises simulate tasks and activities that the successful applicants will carry out in the job. However, candidates are being assessed on core competencies required for success in the job rather than on being good at specific tasks David Lawton says assessment centres aim to provide as complete a view of the individual as possible: ‘Sometimes, a candidate who is particularly good at one exercise will inadvertently sway the judgment of the assessors. However, we try to balance things out - that’s why a good assessment centre will use a range of different exercises, and ensure that different assessors look at candidates over the course of the day.’ The assessors usually score performance in each exercise and then at the end of the day the figures are put in a grid and scrutinised. In most cases, assessors don’t purely rely on the statistics. They will discuss the results, score each of the core competencies and make the overall decision about each candidate’s suitability. GROUP PSYCHOLOGY Occupational psychologists working for consultancies like Cubiks don’t always advocate the inclusion of group exercises but find recruiters are often keen on them because they value team working. David Lawton argues that a newly has a practice example of an email in-tray (or in-box) exercise on its website. If other employers are not yet so helpful it may be because development of graduate selection over the last few years has concentrated on online application systems. But there are some coming trends in assessment centres. Laptops are increasingly supplanting paper in some activities. The advance of technology also now enables companies to run psychometric testing before the assessment centre. This is one major way in which companies can cut the length of assessment centres and therefore their cost. Online testing also helps to minimise the time investment demanded of candidates. Instead of traditional overnight stays, many assessment centres are being squeezed into two thirds of a day or shorter. Most candidates will be grateful for this mercy. Case studies, in-tray exercises, presentations, role plays, psychometric tests and group activities may be included, as well as the INFORMATION AND ADVICE www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pplanner ALL ABOUT APPLICATIONS www.prospects.ac.uk/links/appsinterviews GRADUATE EMPLOYERS www.prospects.ac.uk/links/coprofiles QUESTIONS ANSWERED www.prospects.ac.uk/links/careerfaqs WHAT JOB SUITS YOU PROSPECTS SERVICES • Graduate Forum • Interactive Advice • Careers Chat Live http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Graduate_jobs/p!edcaefX http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Feature_Articles/Feature_articles_2008/Matt_s_job_log__4/p!ejgFpmX http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Feature_Articles/Feature_articles_2008/Kirstie_s_job_log__17/p!efebLap http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Interactive_advice/p!eacXi http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pplanner http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/appsinterviews http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/coprofiles http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/careerfaqs

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Graduate Prospects - February 20, 2008

Editorial - End Games Ofgem Editorial - How to Stand Out Royal Mail Kimberly Clark Makro Target Product Plus International Ltd Enterprise Rent-A-Car Matson Driscoll & Damico UK Accenture Chiltern District Council Fidessa Plc Chemical Industries Association Illingworth Partnership Ltd National Graduate Recruitment Exhibition Propeller Training Apetito Royal Navy Bibby Financial Services Gate Gourmet Heathrow Ltd Editorial - Supporting Acts Bournemouth University Shape Media

Graduate Prospects - February 20, 2008

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