Assessment Day

Assessment days (also called assessment centres) allow companies to assess candidates over an extended period of time, whilst offering candidates the chance to find out about an employer in greater detail.

An assessment day also usually provides an opportunity for a candidate to meet with current employees at a firm. Assessment days can be long, time-consuming and highly mentally demanding.

Practice to improve your performance at assessment days – click here to find out more.

What Is an Assessment Day?

An assessment day is an important part of the recruitment process for many graduate employers. As the name suggests, it is a period of extended assessment that usually lasts for the best part of a day, and occasionally, two, or even three days).

Generally speaking, the more prestigious the employer, the longer the assessment day will last for. An assessment day for an investment bank will usually last for two days and include an overnight stay. The assessment day for a retailer such as Aldi will usually last for just one day, or even an afternoon.

A well-structured assessment day is generally considered to be among the fairest and most objective means of selecting employees for jobs, particularly graduate jobs. This is because they give a number of different interviewers a chance to assess candidates over an extended period of time, enabling assessors to see what you can do, rather than what you say you can do, in a wide variety of situations.

Where Do Assessment Days Take Place?

Assessment days usually take place at employer's offices, although some firms use third-party organisations to run their assessment days.

For two and three day assessment days, some employers use hotels to run their assessment activities, hiring function rooms and paying for rooms and meals for candidates.

What Happens at an Assessment Day?

Assessment days require you to participate in a number of individual and group exercises. The exact tasks involved are designed to replicate the demands of the specific job you have applied for.

Assessment days usually comprise a mixture of:

• Interviews (including competency-based interviews and partner interviews)
• Case studies
• Aptitude tests (such as verbal and numerical reasoning)
• Personality tests
• Role plays
• Presentations (both group and individual).

Candidates are also usually given a tour of company offices during an assessment day and several opportunities to meet with and talk to current employees.

How to Behave at an Assessment Day

Candidates should be assertive, enthusiastic and co-operative at an assessment day.

An assessment day is not a competition; teamwork is key if you want to do well. Be friendly, polite and supportive to other candidates.

Assessors are looking for competitive people who can work well with others, not just competitive people.