Careers Service 1 How to prepare, top tips and general tactics 20 th November 2008 Caroline Henry QM Careers Service
Careers Service 2 Agenda Accuracy of Selection Methods What are Employers looking for? Typical activities How you can succeed at assessment centres Useful Resources
Careers Service 3 Accuracy of selection methods
Careers Service 4 What are they looking for? Team Work Problem Solving Drive Motivation Client Focus/Commercial Awareness Communication Skills/Impact Time Management
Careers Service 5 Typical activities Interviews Psychometric tests Group exercises Case studies Work sample tests Presentations
Careers Service 6 Interviews More in-depth than first interviews Probe ‘concerns’ from first stage Covering different competencies More senior interviewers May be more ‘technical’ than 1 st round
Careers Service 7 Interviews — Tips Establish rapport, smile and be yourself Prepare different examples as evidence for ability and motivation Reflect on strengths and weaknesses in previous stages
Careers Service 8 Psychometric tests Attainment tests –Measure previously acquired knowledge Aptitude or ability tests –Measure how good you are at certain tasks Personality or temperament inventories –Categorise your working styles Work motivation questionnaires –Assess the strength of your career choice
Careers Service 9 Psychometric tests — Tips Aptitude tests Understand the task before you start Balance speed with accuracy Don’t guess Practice speed reading and basic arithmetic Practice test material available in the Careers Service!
Careers Service 10 Group exercises Discussion groups –Current affairs, business topics Task groups –Achieve a set goal as a group Group case studies –Business scenarios, may involve role play
Careers Service 11 Behaving in groups InitiatingRespondingMaintaining Proposals & suggestions Contributing information Inviting contributions Listening, supporting, disagreeing Asking questions & clarifying Paraphrasing & summarising Getting on with practical tasks Keeping to time Keeping to the subject
Careers Service 12 What are they looking for? Someone who can: make regular contributions express themselves with clarity show original thinking influence the group (without dominating) acknowledge the views of others facilitate the discussion
Careers Service 13 Group exercises — Tips Contribute regularly Join in enthusiastically Propose original ideas Listen to others Support others’ ideas Encourage others Summarise Influence the group Ask questions Clarify ambiguity Keep time Handle disagreement Give information Explain
Careers Service 14 Case studies Based on business scenarios Information to analyse Propose solutions Discuss your reasoning and decisions with an assessor Example Case Studies: McKinsey - _interview.aspx _interview.aspx Bain & Co - preparation/default.asphttp:// preparation/default.asp BCG - Accenture - on_process on_process Consultancy Links (provides links to useful websites and further examples)
Careers Service 15 Case studies — Tips Get an overview Plan your approach Work backwards from the goal State your assumptions Evaluate possible options Explain each decision position, problem, possibilities, proposal, procedure, product
Careers Service 16 Written Exercises Writing and drafting –Letter, memo & report writing –Summarising diverse information –Proof reading In-tray exercise –Documents from a typical working day –Identify issues, decide on action
Careers Service 17 Etray Exercise An E-tray exercise is a computer based simulation of an inbox that lasts for and must be completed within a fixed amount of time. s will arrive into your inbox throughout this exercise and you will be required to: Make basic calculations; Extract information from data provided; Make judgement calls on how to deal with demanding managers/unhappy clients etc. Practice Online PWC - Faststream - Leeds University –
Careers Service 18 Written & E-tray Exercise — Tips Get an overview Prioritise & plan your approach Clearly structure written information Use appropriate style and layout Check spelling and grammar Use tact and commercial awareness Look for internal contradictions
Careers Service 19 Presentations Topic may be allocated or chosen Usually 5–15 minutes Prepared before or on the day May be related to case study May have to answer questions Audience may include other candidates
Careers Service 20 Presentations — Tips Keep it simple Have a clear structure (headings) Outline and summarise Speak clearly Vary tone and speed Look at your audience Keep to time Practice public speaking
Careers Service 21 How you can succeed at assessment centres Read carefully all the literature the employer sends you Revise your employer research from earlier stages of recruitment process Brush up on your interview technique Remember it’s not a competition Speak to the Careers Service Be yourself!
Careers Service 22 Identify what employers are looking for…. Team Work Problem Solving Drive Motivation Client Focus/Commercial Awareness Communication Skills/Impact Time Management
Careers Service 23 Useful Resources QM Careers Service 0centres/index.html Prospects ions__CVs_and_interviews/Tests_and_exercises/Assessment_c entres/p!eeXpllc ions__CVs_and_interviews/Tests_and_exercises/Assessment_c entres/p!eeXpllc Target Jobs: