Face-to-Face Interview and Assessment Centre Tips
During my time in Recruitment, I've conducted lots interviews and assessment centres so I get to see what candidates do well and where people can fall down.
Hope you find my top tips useful!
Lynda
Face to Face Interviews
Face to Face interviews can be very daunting - especially if you have not had another interview before.
Prepare. Think about the questions that the interviewer might ask (hint: the questions will be looking at your experiences to date so refer back to your application form). Organisations often list the competencies that they are looking for on their website so have a look through and then think of a couple of examples of when you have demonstrated these skills.
Arrive on time. Make sure that you leave plenty of time for getting to your interview. If you are going to be late, let the interviewer know as soon as possible rather than leaving it to the last minute.
Body Language. Use body language to further emphasise the points that you are making and to show interest in what the interviewer is saying.
Take time to think of an answer. If you need a couple of seconds to think of an answer to a question, just let your interviewer know. It will show that your response is well thought through and will be more impressive than rushing in with a weak answer immediately.
Have you got any questions for me? Be prepared to ask the interviewer questions - be it about the role, the organisation or about their career in the company. Write the questions down if you think that you are likely to forget them and refer back to them at the end of the interview.
Remember, that the interview is not designed to trick you, it is designed to find out further information about you and for you to find out about us.
Assessment Centres
Assessment Centres are an objective process designed to give you a range of opportunities to demonstrate your skills and abilities. We are not trying to catch you out so the best approach is to be yourself and sell yourself. You are not in competition with other candidates but against a general standard. We aim to consider making offers of employment to all that reach that standard.
Our assessment centres can consist of panel interviews, an in-tray exercise and business game.
Panel Interview
This will last approximately 45 minutes and will be with two interviewers. The purpose of this interview is for us to further consider your career direction and ambitions, your intellectual strengths and your other personal qualities. To do this we will discuss both your achievements to date as well as some general topics. It will be fairly similar in style to your first round interview.
In-Tray Exercise
This is a two part exercise: One hour’s preparation, followed by an interview. During the preparation, you will read through a number of memos that reflect the issues which you could face on a daily basis. You are asked to prioritise the memos and consider how you would respond to the given issues. The follow-up interview will be with one interviewer who will discuss your general approach to the tasks as well as some of the specific issues posed. One of the memos will require a written response, on a subject relevant to the department to which you have applied. This written test is not discussed but is assessed separately. This exercise is designed to test your organisational abilities and written/ verbal communication skills. You will be required to assimilate information quickly and to think on your feet.
Business Simulation Exercise
This is a group exercise which involves working with three to four others to complete a task under pressure of time and culminates in a group presentation where each individual makes a contribution. This exercise tests your business acumen, team skills and intellectual abilities.
During your time with us, you will have opportunities to meet and chat with recent UK graduates and other staff. These informal activities are not assessed in any way and we recommend that you use the opportunity to ask any questions that you have about what it really is like to work for us. One of these opportunities involves having dinner with managers and with recent graduates. We aim to provide you with sufficient information for you to make an informed decision on ExxonMobil as a company.
At the end of the day, our assessment process is a two way street. We want to find the highest quality graduates and you want to assess whether ExxonMobil is the right Organisation for you (and it's important to us that you will be happy working with us).
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