The in-tray exercise is one of several psychometric testing instruments that are used at the assessment center. This exercise will consist of each candidate being given an 'in-tray' filled with various documents and papers, each representing a task or something which requires a response. It will be up to the candidate to decide what must be done with each piece and most likely you will be asked to record your actions on a separate piece of paper, i.e. I will forward this piece of mail to the Sales Department.
During the In-Tray exercise, assessors will be looking for candidates to display a range of knowledge and skills such as, responding in a timely, organised manner. It will also show how well you are able to analyse and evaluate information and then decide how important it is, this in itself will display your knowledge of various departments in the company, where departments are ranked and your written communication. Assessors will be looking for your decision-making ability, your use of initiative, your judgement and your independence. An in-tray exercise is thought to be one of the most valid of all the assessment centre exercises.
This type of exercise is different from the aptitude testcomponent of selection as there is usually some room for interpretation of the items and as long as you can justify your responses. This is very different to verbal reasoningtests for example where there is no room for elucidation.
There will be enough items in an in-tray exercise to cause the candidates to feel pressure on the time they have for their task, and the items will generally consist of some needing immediate attention, some requiring a task to be delegated and some that link together with others. Assessors will not be trying to trick you, this is not the point of the centre, but they will be looking for those few people who can recognise which tasks can be tackled together and which relate to each other, this can save time and correspondence. Generally speaking, the higher the role you are applying for, the longer and more taxing the in-tray exercise. They can start at anything from an hour long and run to as long as three.
The best way to tackle an in-tray exercise is to imagine yourself fully in the role you are performing and that your overlying task is to deal with everything inside the tray effectively and efficiently. It will depend on the amount of time you have and the items in your in-tray but the way you note down your plans can differ. Generally, a bulleted list of all the actions you will take will suffice but if you find there is more time you may be required to draft rough letters or memos for some of your responses. Assessors will be able to see your written communication more clearly and also your ability to write a letter, a skill which can be lacking! There may also be a desk diary available, requiring you to add appointments or cancel meetings as and when they appear in your in-tray. Take care as there is almost always a double-booking to catch you out.
Although writing implements will probably be made available, it is always best to be prepared. Two different coloured pens would be a good idea as you may want to attribute a different colour to a different type of action and also some Post-It notes for jotting down notes. If you are allowed to write on the letters and memos you are sorting through then do it! Circle important sentences, times and dates. If you have to go back to the memo it will make it easier to pick out the important parts in a rush.
It is important to remember that most things you do throughout the day will be discussed later. With the in-tray exercise this could be straight afterwards or in a general discussion at the end of the day. Assessors will ask you:
Why you took a certain approach to the task and to explain your reasons behind it
Why did you prioritise certain documents and not others
Can you make any observations about the company from what you had to deal with in the in-tray task
Can you make any observations about the person who usually takes on the role you performed
These questions will be asked to see how much you understood of the exercise and how far you let yourself get into the role. Due to the way certain items are linked, the in-tray exercise allows you to get quite an in-depth view into some departments of the company and your knowledge on this will be tested. You will most likely be asked how you think you might perform the task differently if you were to do it again. Be careful with your answer as an explanation of a completely different way of completing it can be a negative admission on your part and you will then be asked why you didn't think of completing it in that way to begin with.
When you are given the in-tray exercise, an explanation of who you are taking on the role of will be given to you. With a limited amount of time it can be tempting to discard this information and deal with the in-tray straight away but it is important to read this carefully as it will hold valuable information. It may even contain information about yourself, such as a change of office for a week or a change of number. What might not seems to be important at the time, may be important later when an item in the in-tray relates back to some information in the source material.
There may also be a way to gain some hidden 'points' in an in-tray exercise. There may be some errors throughout the task, such as a missing signature or a wrong date for a meeting (e.g. a date that has already passed). Picking up on these will show your attention to detail and to the task. Trying to think outside the box, whether it is over something that an assessor put there intentionally or not, means that you show awareness of other issues.
It is becoming increasingly common for organisations to use the internet to deliver personality tests and aptitude tests. This approach has distinct advantages over paper-and-pencil tests:
There is no need to print and distribute printed material. This advantage has implications for the convenience of test administration, the security of test materials and for environmental protection.
Because the tests are fully automated, they are more standardized in terms of test instructions and time-keeping.
Scores can be calculated immediately, with human error eliminated and much time saved, especially in complicated-to-score tests and inventories.
Scores may be automatically and easily added to a test’s database to adjust norms. This saves considerable expense in terms of labour costs and adds to the reliability of the employment aptitude test.
Test-takers have the advantage of receiving immediate, objective, expert-based narrative feedback of their test findings. Moreover, if a complicated inventory or test battery is administered, a comprehensive, automated evaluation may be provided instantly, as well.
The disadvantages of online psychometric testing are limited to whether or not it disadvantages the less computer literate and whether there are any security implications. The first of these issues can easily be addresses by appropriate design of the tests and by giving all of the candidates the opportunity to practise before the test. The second issue, which is concerned with whether someone else is taking the test, is a real concern. Usually however, it is only initial screening tests that are done remotely (i.e. the candidate logs into the test system from their own PC) and any testing beyond this screening stage will take place at the organisations offices or at an assessment centre.
There is however one very serious issue with online personality testing. Side by side with the professionally developed tests used by the market leaders in psychometric testing, dozens of quasi-psychological tests have been published on the Internet in different diagnostic areas: intelligence and special aptitudes, personality traits, emotional states, attitudes and attitude sets, interpersonal and social behaviour dispositions, vocational interests and preferences, and more. Internet users can take many of these tests for free and receive immediate feedback.
Unfortunately, it is much easier to produce a slick-looking on-line test than it is to produce one which is valid and reliable.
Validity refers to the ability of a test to predict someone’s performance on something. For example, before actually using a test to predict whether someone will be successful at a particular job, you would first want to determine whether persons already doing well at that job.
Reliability refers to the tests ability to give consistent results. For example, a mathematics test might be very reliable because your ability to do math does not change from one day to the next. But a personality test that asks ambiguous questions which you answer just according to how you feel may say one thing about you today and another thing about you next week.
Many of the personality tests currently on-line, including the most widely used ones, lack any kind of credible psychological foundation or satisfactory psychometric properties. This means that you should be very wary of making career decisions on the basis of any online test, whether free or paid for, unless you are absolutely convinced of its validity and reliability.
The fact-finding exercise, though not a technique used at all assessment centres, is thought to be successful in realising a candidates analytical skills and awareness of different situations. It will be a one-on-one exercise and your partner will most likely be a human resource person, who is well versed in the situation you need information about. It is your job to extract the correct information in the time frame given.
This exercise will require you to think about the knowledge and skills you have in relation to the work you have already done thus far in your life as well as think creatively and work out what the solution might be to this particular exercise. It could involve a scenario in which a client has decided that your firm is the right one for his account but in taking on such a client you must put together a new team of people to work for him, account for money in the budget to prepare for such a scenario and also work out who will replace the people you have chosen for your team at their original roles.
This requires a lot of information to be found out such as who possesses the right knowledge to be on board, who controls the budget of the company and how much is available, etc. You will only have a limited amount of time in which to question the other participant and gain the knowledge needed. You must therefore be efficient in your questioning and try to discover as much information as possible as well as noting down all the important points as you will be asked to present on this.
The assessor will be looking for your efficiency in the way that you question the other participant. You need to be sure not to stray from the topic at hand or ask the same question over and over. They will also be looking to see if you are connecting the information you are finding out together with the scenario and coming up with new questions because of how you have thought about it. Equally they will be looking to see if you are just concerned with the timeframe and budgeting without any thought to the people that will be involved.
You will also be asked for your rationale in how you made the final decision. This type of psychometric test allows you to display your verbal reasoning skills in a much more realistic way than you can in aptitude tests. Try to support your answer with the information that you are given but make it clear that you have also processed this information to make your own solution.
There will probably be five stages to your fact-finding exercise:
1. First Analysis - For the first portion of the exercise you will, as usual, have a limited amount of time. Read through the scenario you have been given a few times. Each time you read it, the potential problems or areas that need information will become clearer. From the gaps in the scenario you should try and work out what it is that you need to know so that you can formulate your questions. Ensure to leave part of this time to design your questions. Going into the one-on-one part of the exercise will be easier if you know what you want to say.
2. Questions - By writing down some of the key questions you want to ask you will already have a plan formulated but be aware that some of the answers you receive will lead to more questions. Don’t be afraid to stray away from your plan but do ensure that the information you are asking for is always relevant. To help you ascertain the right information, try looking at the scenario from different perspectives. What might your client want to know? Or your manager or staff? They will want to know different points from you certainly, but it may all be useful. You should also consider what the financial, emotional, social and logistical implications might be. This will help you in forming your solution but might also highlight areas that need addressing.
3. Written - Use the time after the one-on-one questioning to process the information you received and jot down a plan for your solution. Do not write in prose, it will take too long and you will get bogged down with minor details. Try to stick to key bullet points or sentences. They will be easier to refer back to if you flustered and a few well-thought out points will jog your memory of the other information you have on offer.
4. Present - This is where you will present your solution to the assessors. You may be given ample supplies with which to create a presentation, or you may just stand up and lead a talk for ten minutes. Either way, try to remember your presentation skills; speak clearly and coherently and do not rush!
5. Discuss - Generally, no matter what the solution you come up with is, the assessors will find fault and problem with it. Do not get disheartened, everybody will receive this treatment and it is simply to see how you will react. Assessment center assessors will be looking for how you are when you argue your point, if you remain calm and rational or become flustered. They want to know if you will stick to your guns and stick up for your own opinion if you believe it to be right. If you are sure that you have come up with the right solution, do not be afraid to argue your point. Remain courteous and consider others opinions, show that you have taken their points on board but try and prove how it is that you came to the decision and show the information that you have as back up.
Role playing will be a prominent feature in an assessment center experience because it allows the assessors the chance to see how you might react in a typical work situation. The candidates will play particular roles, i.e. an irritating client and an HR manager, and then swap over to see how each will deal with the particular situation. The situation will always be awkward, there will be no pressure on a candidate if all they have to do is give an employee a raise! Assessors are looking to see how you cope under the pressure of the assessment center.
Try to read the information you have been given a minimum of three times. The more times you read it, the more you will understand it and remember parts of it which will help you during the role play. If there is preparation time given, use it! Jot down notes or ideas on paper, this will help to clear your head and organise your thoughts. By making sense of what you are thinking you may find that it helps you to further your argument or development of the role.
Try to give yourself an overall aim for the role play. It may be that you are trying to delegate a task to somebody, gain more money for your budget or trying to find out why a person has behaved oddly. If you can write down the outcome you would like it makes it easier to see what you need to do in order to achieve it and you will be able to write a rough plan. During the role play try to refer back to this aim mentally, it will help keep you on track. When reading the given information, ask yourself why it is that you are being asked to perform this particular role. The answers you come up with will help you get into the role of the employee and help you to think of the correct approach.
Think about what the role you are playing is and what tasks that person may have to perform. Who do they answer to in the hierarchy of the company and, in turn, who answers to them? You must also consider your partner for the role-play. Were does he/she come in the hierarchy of the company, above you or below you? This position will affect how you deal with this person and the way that you speak to them.
If the assessment center has a psychometric test component then the scenario you are asked to take part in may involve an area which the assessors have identified as a possible weakness. For example, they may want to see you display assertiveness if the aptitude tests have highlighted this as a potential area of concern.
Assessors will be looking to see how you make your judgements; of the person you are interacting with, of the situation and of the role play as it progresses. They will also be observing your decisiveness and your ability to stick to what you think is right instead of being easily swayed. They will be looking at your thoughtfulness or perceptiveness towards the person involved as this will be telling of your managerial style.
Seeing as the purpose of the assessment center method is to ascertain a better overall judgement of you and your character, it makes sense that the interview is to be conducted with more than one person. Although a number of interviewers can be daunting, try to remember that this can also be an advantage as the more people there are to pick up on the good points, the better. The company is simply trying to assess your abilities and strengths from other perspectives as well as those that you have shown in the psychometric tests and aptitude tests.
With a number of interviewers, they tend to take on different roles and this will have been discussed beforehand. One may concentrate on areas of your C.V. and the work that you have done up until this point, one may ask about areas in which you feel your skills and competencies lie whilst another may question you about any observations they have made throughout the day.
An attempt to relax you may be made at the start of the interview with a simple question about how your journey was that morning or something picked up from interests listed on your C.V. Take the opportunity to strike up a rapport with your interviewers, but do not go over the top, a plain sentence in explanation will suffice.
As mentioned previously, it is always wise to do some advance preparation and your interview can be the perfect place to show off that prior knowledge. It will also give you the chance to prepare some questions yourself and practice beforehand, constructing some good statements. You can also always think of some typical questions that an interviewer will ask you by glancing at your C.V. and it is always a good plan to have a read of your C.V. before you head into the interview. Some of the questions you can expect are detailed below:
Why have you applied for the particular role?
What is it that interests you about the role and the company in general?
What particular skills do you regard as being the most useful in this role?
Which areas of competence do you think need improving?
What do you class as your weaknesses?
Why did you choose that particular degree to study?
Which aspects of your degree do you think will be most useful in this role?
What have you found most enjoyable or challenging about the tasks today?
What motivates you?
Would you say you are a follower or a leader?
What sort of things put you under pressure? How do you try and cope with it?
The questions are designed to give you the best opportunity to demonstrate your skills and abilities. The will include hypothetical situations where you will be asked what your approach would be in a particular situation. Such a question allows you to talk about your ideas for the role itself but also allow you to talk about your previous job experiences to the best possible advantage such as a similar situation you have dealt with before, how particular training means you are more than capable of handling this situation or how you viewed someone else handling such a situation badly, showing you what not to do.
Questions will also be asked about an experience when youâ026. either worked as part of a team, demonstrated considerable leadership skills or achieved something great. These questions can be thought about beforehand and can be looked at when re-reading your C.V. Making short notes about the times when you accomplished such goals will have them in the forefront of your mind as there will always be a way to talk about your previous experience.
If you have practiced the assessment center exercises including the psychometric assessment components then this may give you some indication of areas where the interviewers may wish to ask some questions. For example if you feel that your verbal reasoningskills are not as strong as they could be, then you may be asked some questions where you can show this competency.
Your research into the company and its background will come in useful in the interview. The questions will give you a chance to show off your knowledge as you can bring in aspects of the company to your answers. Some questions may be company or industry specific and it is worthwhile reading up on the background material as it shows you are interested.
An interview is your chance to shine on your own, away from the other candidates. Any observations an assessor has made should be re-affirmed in the interview and made stronger. Your interview is a chance to show:
Your verbal communication
Thoughtfulness over a response to a question
Your knowledge of the company and the role you wish to take
Why you are the best candidate for the role explained by your previous experience and obvious skills
Your confidence and personality
Listen carefully to the questions asked and take a moment or two to think before you answer. If you’re not completely sure of what the question is asking, ask for clarification. It is better to ask again than to talk for five minutes on a topic that is not quite right. Similarly when you feel you have answered the question well, stop talking. Adding more on to an answer that does not quite fit will take away from the good answer that you began with.
At the end of the interview you may be invited to ask the panel a few questions yourself. It is these few questions which can make a panel remember you above somebody else. Ideas for questions can come from the job description, or even better from some background research into the company.
As an assessment center candidate, you will be required to take part in several activities which should simulate various tasks you will be required to perform as an employee. The assessors will not give direction or pass comment but will instead be making notes on each individual in order to compare with each other at a later stage. Each assessor makes separate notes and will review each candidate. These notes are brought together and analysed by a director before evaluation is passed to each individual.
Your Behaviour - Assessors will be watching everything you do. It is most important to be yourself as there are various non-verbal behaviours that an assessor can pick up on and if these are wildly different from the verbal behaviours that you are portraying they will realise that you are not being completely honest about who you are.
The assessors will not be making a judgement of you, simply noting down some of the things that you say or the movements/actions you take. This is so that they can compare them with others at a later stage and build a better picture of you.
You should find out as soon as possible if the assessment centre you are attending will involve any psychometric tests or aptitude tests. If so then you should download and practice some of the aptitude test examples that you are likely to face, for example mechanical aptitude tests.
Planning/Organizing - You may be an excellent team-leader, have fantastic initiative or be extremely innovative but assessment center assessors need to know that you also possess the basics. Your ability to plan and organise yourself will have an impact upon every working day and will ensure that you give yourself enough time for each project, have enough staff to cover particular tasks, have followed up any inquiries and attend required meetings, etc. This skill is something an assessor will look for all day, e.g. looking to see if you are prompt at the beginning of each session but it can also be looked at in more depth in the In-Tray Exercise (which will be discussed further on) whereby you will be required to make decisions and implement actions regarding particular tasks.
Some of the tasks will require candidates to work in teams and whilst working in a team you must be aware of how you are portraying yourself. It is important to become a part of the team so that you can show how you interact with people but assessors will also be looking to see who takes the lead in tasks, who listens to others opinions and who sits back quietly.
Presentations - It is no secret that few people enjoy putting on a presentation and putting on a presentation for people you are trying to impress and whom you want to give you a job can be even more daunting. It is, however, an excellent way for assessors to see how you cope under pressure. A presentation conducted successfully will be a surefire way of impressing your assessors.
Presentations in an assessment center can take a number of forms. Some companies will give you a topic to research and prepare before the day itself. This will be accompanied with specific instructions as to how long the presentation should be and what it should cover. Other companies will give you information on the day and see what you can come up with in a particular amount of time.
In presentations it is important not to rush! Breathing steadily and talking firmly and slowly will show assessors how well you can communicate and that you are thinking clearly. Whether the topic you are given is of particular interest to you or not, it is important to show enthusiasm.
Role Playing - Role playing will be a prominent feature in an assessment center experience because it allows the assessors the chance to see how you might react in a typical work situation. The candidates will play particular roles, i.e. an irritating client and an HR manager, and then swap over to see how each will deal with the particular situation.
In-Tray Exercise (Also known as an In-Basket Exercise) - This exercise will consist of each candidate being given an â01Cin-trayâ01D filled with various documents and papers, each representing a task or something which requires a response. It will be up to the candidate to decide what must be done with each piece and most likely you will be asked to record your actions on a separate piece of paper, i.e. I will forward this piece of mail to the Sales Department.
During the In-Tray exercise, assessors will be looking for candidates to display a range of knowledge and skills such as, responding in a timely, organised manner. It will also show how well you are able to analyse and evaluate information and then decide how important it is, this in itself will display your knowledge of various departments in the company, where departments are ranked and your written communication.
There will be enough items in an in-tray exercise to cause you to feel pressure on the time you have for the task, and the items will generally consist of some needing immediate attention, some requiring a task to be delegated and some that link together with others.
Group Discussion/Teamwork - Some of the tasks will require you to work in teams with other candidates as this can be an excellent way to display certain skills. Assessors will be looking to see if you have impact on others and are someone that they will listen to as well as being able to persuade people towards your point of view. However, other group members must not be ignored and is important that you are seen to collaborate with them and to recognise their viewpoints.
Whilst arguing a position or point that is irrelevant is not advisable it is important that you are seen to know when your ideas are worth sticking up for and that you have the confidence to stick to your position as this shows resilience. The way you communicate with others will also be studied closely, it is important that you are able to communicate well and deal with all types of people. You should also be aware that certain actions, such as attempting to bring quieter participants into the group will not go unnoticed and will display good managerial skills.
Lunch/Dinner/Social Aspects - Although this is not a required â01Ctaskâ01D you will be assessed at every stage of the assessment center. Many candidates forget during social times that they are being watched and this is often where behaviour can let a candidate down. It is important to join in and socialise but you should be aware of how much alcohol you are drinking, if any, and not to be too familiar with assessors. Interaction with fellow candidates can also be an indication of how you might behave in social settings with clients and once again it is important for your behaviour to be consistent.
An invitation to attend an assessment center should be seen as a positive achievement; it means that your application has made an impression upon your possible employers and that they wish to see more of you. Assessment centerscan be a good way to interview a large amount of people. For the candidates themselves, there may be less nerves involved than at a one-on-one interview which can provide them with the opportunity to show off their skills and knowledge at their best level.
The assessors will also have a chance to see how the candidates stand up against one another in person, not just as a list of credentials on paper. They may also feel that this is a chance to see the candidates personalities and characteristics at their most true in order to make a properly informed decision. Due to the encompassing nature of an assessment center they are said to be good for determining candidates competencies and assessors have means of determining which competencies and skills, e.g. team-player, the candidate possesses.
Assessment centers may last for anything from one day up to a few days in order to fully cover the typical tasks that would be expected of the candidates in the workplace. Assessment centers are largely used by companies looking to recruit senior staff and management. A manager will assume responsibility over a group of people as well as having to deal with fellow management so it is important that recruiters can see candidates interacting as part of a team at the assessment days.
It is a good idea to know the background of the company before you attend an interview or an AssessmentCenter. If you can be seen to know about who the company are, what they do, their culture and their competition then assessors will understand that you are passionate about going to work for them. Questions about the company may be asked throughout the day and if they cannot be answered then the assessors may think that you do not truly wish to work for the company. Finding out useful information is easy.
Most companies have a website where you can obtain information on the products or services they provide, their mission statement and aims and even information about their staff. Likewise, searching for the company name on a search engine will bring up a host of useful information and you should be able to find out about the companys recent successes. A search for the company name at newspaper archives will also bring up any related newspaper articles which may prove useful. Contacting the company itself is also a great way to find information and you can request an information pack from the PR department.
You should find out as soon as possible if the assessment centre you are attending will involve any psychometric testsor aptitude tests. If so then you should download and practice some of the question types that you are likely to face, for example verbal reasoning.
When preparing for an interview, one often runs through typical questions that they expect to be asked. The same can be done with an assessment center, not just with questions, but thinking of ways to display your own particular skills. You may want to think about the times where you have displayed leadership, or good time management or teamwork to be sure that if this question is asked, you have an in-depth answer. Playing out particular scenarios can also be useful, such as how to discipline an underperforming team member, how to delegate tasks to others and how to deal with a hostile work environment. Although it is unlikely that the exact role plays you have thought of will crop up, it is possible that you will be able to draw your pre-prepared answers into anything if they are broad enough.
Although it is not always possible, if you can make the journey to where your assessment centre is being held prior to the actual date, it will ease some of the stress on the first day. It is important to travel there by the same means that you will use on the actual day, and at roughly the same time else the traffic and congestion will be completely different. Having visited the location prior to your assessment centre can set your mind at rest as you will know where you are going with reference to actually getting there and the process will seem less daunting if you can visualise yourself in the place.
