How to be yourself (but not too much)
Contrary to popular belief, assessments aren't a cut-throat fight for survival. It may feel like an unnatural situation but assessment centres do offer you the chance to show your true self over the course of the day.
Here are our top tips on how to behave at assessment centres:
1. Get stuck in
You might be asked to do some strange things or to take part in seemingly irrelevant exercises that you wouldn't do even under the influence of several pints. Don't stand back. Don't turn your nose up. Get stuck in. These exercises are designed to see how well you work with others. They are not trying to trick you, it's simply that in the world of work you will have to work with other people; the assessors just want to make sure that you can.
2. Don't lose concentration
It's only natural that, over the course of the day, your concentration will waver. You might, for example, find yourself overdoing the food and the drink at lunch (or sometimes the dreaded 'getting to know you' drinks in the evening) and behaving in a slightly more robust way than you should. Even if they assure you that the informal food and drinks do not play any part in the selection process, it's safe to assume that if you let your hair down too far, then someone will notice. Don't let the nervousness that you will probably feel translate itself into inappropriate behaviour.
3. Don't act a part
It's quite easy, having studied an organisation's selection criteria, to convince yourself that you need to come across, for example, much more assertively than normal. This can lead you to behave unnaturally and, unless you are an actor of sublime talent, your audience, without knowing exactly why, will notice that something is very odd. So don't act a part. Be yourself but be the most positive version of yourself.
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