Undercover at a graduate construction assessment centre

Let’s face it, the thought of sitting interviews, doing group work and undergoing aptitude tests for up to two days is a nerve-wracking one for most graduates. However, instead of being nervous, treat assessment centres as a chance to show off show off your skills in a variety of situations.

Excelling is a lot easier if you know what to expect. When targetjobs.co.uk was invited to attend construction employer WSP’s assessment centre, we jumped at the chance to find out what goes on.

The introductions

The day began with introductions to the assessors – all directors of various parts of the company – and presentations about the business and the variety of roles on offer. This was followed by two graduate employees talking about their jobs, the range of projects they had been involved in and how they had worked their way up. ‘We came in exactly the same way as you. We’ve all sat where you’re sat now, so you will make it through the day,’ they joked. The atmosphere was relaxed and fairly informal and soon enough the candidates were looking much at ease.

One of the clear benefits of assessment centres is that your suitability for a role is measured over a whole day rather than a single interview where it’s harder to be yourself. ‘We look for personality,’ Lisa Tyler, the recruitment manager and facilitator, explains. ‘The day is designed to show the interaction between candidates. We already know their technical skills and their academic qualifications from their CVs so it’s really more about their softer skills.’

The case study

The 15 candidates were divided into small groups and given a project to discuss. The case study assessed the candidates’ soft skills – how well they communicated their ideas, how they interacted with the other members of their team, their listening skills and their ability to summarise the outcome at the end of the time allocated. The candidates who stood out weren’t necessarily the ones who were the most outgoing or the loudest, but those who initiated conversations, raised ideas and listened to others’ suggestions. They were also the ones who pointed out potential problems and brought the information together by summarising what had been said. Volunteering for key tasks such as taking notes was another way of standing out.

The assessors sat unobtrusively at the end of the table. Some assessors even gave candidates advice on how to begin. ‘Think out loud,’ they suggested. ‘There’s no right answer, just discuss things with each other.’

The case study feedback

At the end of the case study the candidates were asked to present their conclusions. They were reassured that the main aim was to look at their communication skills rather than their findings; they weren’t expected to be construction geniuses. The assessors wanted to see if candidates could explain their ideas and feed back their thoughts to other members of a team.

Some groups chose a representative to speak on their behalf while other groups organised the presentation so that they each had something to say. Those who stood out spoke clearly and calmly, with a clear structure to their argument.

The interview

Following an informal lunch at which candidates could network with graduate employees and directors, it was time for the individual interviews. There were two assessors per interview and candidates were interviewed for about 40 minutes. Candidates were asked to:

• describe their work experience
• provide examples of when they had led a team
• say how they managed their time at university
• explain why they wanted to work for WSP
• give an example of a difficult situation that they had overcome
• explain what they enjoyed about their university course
• say what their strong points and weaknesses were.

Candidates were also given the chance to ask questions at the end. The interviewers were relaxed and friendly and tried to prompt people when they got stuck. It was clear that they were trying to get the best out of them.

The finishing touch

Following the interview, candidates completed a brief written exercise – in this case, just one question. They were then given refreshments and the chance to ask recruiters any other questions. The day came to a painless close at 4.30 pm.

Making assessment centres work for you

• Find out as much about the company as you can: an assessment centre is a golden opportunity to find out if it is the type of organisation you want to work for.
• Don’t compete with the other candidates: in the team exercises make sure that you do work as part of a team.
• Be yourself: assessment centres are designed to bring out the various qualities in candidates. If you pretend to be something you’re not, you’ll be caught out.
• Stay calm and focused: interviewers are on your side and just want to find out a bit more about you.