Global Management Skills

Seminar 2:

Planning an Assessment centre

Overview of session

•What is an assessment centre?

•Getting into four groups

•Schedule for assessment centres

•Choosing appropriate activities

•Learning about the company:

HSBC

•Q & A’s

Definition

An assessment centre is not a physical place, instead it describes an approach.

An assessment centre consists of a suite of exercises designed to assess a set of personal characteristics... in the target job.

• Is a mini version of what usually happens.

• Intensive activity about 40 minutes max

• Comprises two types of activity

• Designing and running an assessment centre (40% of assessment)

• Acting as a participant in another assessment centre designed and run by separate group.

Your assessment centre

• 3 components

• Overview and icebreaker

we’ll give you the job role to assess the CV against

• Interview – we’ll give you the questions – you need to evaluate (and practice) responses

• Group assessment centre activity – your design, your delivery and therefore your choice!

• Please choose an appropriate activity, please don’t use a survival exercise.

• Think HSBC and focus the activity on what they are looking for.

Your assessment centre

Assessment Centres

Past Present

• Used for selection since WW2 as more reliable than an interview alone

• Past: ‘lego towers’, ‘blood sports debate’ etc

• Feedback not given

Realistic, organisation-based exercises that give an insight into the job!!!!!!!!!!

Feedback now more regularly offered

Common place – even expected in larger companies

Typically 6 – 8 participants, (optimum 1 assessor / 2 participants)

CIPD - 2010

Centre design and scoring Job analysis

Identify the critical competencies for job success

Rank competency levels

Identify ‘real life’ exercises that replicate role elements and offer opportunities to assess competencies in more than one context

Identify behaviours that demonstrate required competencies

NEW! How it will be marked

• You will receive one mark per group. The mark will be derived ONLY from the tutors feedback sheet overleaf

• However, you are STILL required to submit a peer evaluation sheet for each member of your team. This will aid written feedback from the tutor when offering suggestions for improvement.

• PLEASE use the opportunity to reflect on the group task as part of your e-portfolio. This will count as evidence for improving one of the three skills you will identify in seminar 4 and can integrate feedback sheet from tutor if required.

Feedback sheet from tutor

Tutors Feedback Sheet

Comprehensive- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Incomplete

70+ 60+ 50+ 40+ <40

Scheduling

Candidate Management

Documentation for candidates provided

Criteria to judge interview performance

Criteria to judge group task performance

Appropriate group activity tailored to specific graduate entry job:

Graduate Trainee,

HSBC Provision of Constructive feedback to

candidates:

You need to review your own team: each member

Peer Assessment Sheet

Great Good Average Poor Very Poor

Attendance/Participation Regularly present and punctual, participates effectively in discussions and active and attentive.

Dependability and consistency Personally responsible, produces acceptable work to meet deadlines and reliable under pressure.

Volume of work Prepared for meetings, volume of work compared with others in team and provides workable ideas.

Knowledge/skills Seeks new knowledge and responsibilities, shares knowledge with others and displays appropriate skills and knowledge.

Creativity Innovative ideas suggested.

Communication Regularly conveys verbal and/or written information, clearly, accurately and thoroughly and listens to others and values their contribution. Sensitive to use of language with non native English speakers or contributes as a non native English Speaker.

Commitment/Team skills/Team roles Displays appropriate behaviours (listening, encouraging etc); Forms good working relationships (values others’ opinions); Provides constructive and challenging feedback.

(Adapted from ACAS documentation)

Getting into groups

• We need 4 groups

• Make a list of your team with full names, ID numbers and emails then give to tutor before you leave

1. You ALL need to arrive on time. You may not be allowed in if you are late.

2. You must be SMART – ie professionally dressed for a formal interview

3. Assessors:

• Bring your assessment centre paperwork already sorted and printed

• Bring a separate batch of paperwork for me (as the marker)

• Check when you can set up prior to your assessment centre

4. Candidates:

• Practice answers to the interview questions – in advance!

5. If you don’t make it you will need to apply for formal mitigation

6. You need to be there for the entire time and actively participate in both roles (assessor and candidate)

7. There may be a second (independent) marker i.e. the internal moderator – Don’t let it worry you!

Ground rules for assessment centre day

Some assessment centre ideas:

• Career player Assessment centre

• Kent Graduate Programme

• Crazy building task

• Grad Ireland about assessment centres

From the horse mouth

This video will give you

advise from the assessors

point of view

Activity

(manage your candidates throughout the assessment centre)

0 – 5 minutes

Total:

5/45 mins

Criteria? Overview and icebreaker

5 -10

minutes

Total:

15/45 mins

Criteria? Interviewing candidates (2 or 3 tricky questions)

10-15

minutes

Total:

30/45 mins

Criteria? Group activity /activities/challenges Remember the activity must be appropriate for the role

0-5 minutes

Total:

35/45 mins

Criteria? Final Decision on winning candidate What are your candidates doing during this time?

5-10 minutes

Total:

45/45 mins

Format? Full debrief and feedback to individual candidates

Inform candidates of winner and why.

Before you leave: Sign off peer evaluation form for each member of your team.

Sample

structure

Tricky Questions for your interviews

A list of sample competency based questions that you can use when designing your assessment centre

List two or three words which a friend might use to describe you.

Can you give examples of actual situations which would have merited this description?

Give an example of when you developed effective working relationships with people from differing backgrounds or having differing views to accomplish an important result?

What is the most personally rewarding aspect of your course?

Can you give an example of when you have experienced challenges in team work and how you overcame them?

What is your most significant achievement ?

What is the key to this success?

What is the most important decision that you have taken.

How did you go about taking this decision?

Describe an occasion where you have had to make an unpopular decision.

What reaction did you get and what have you learnt from the experience?

Remember: • Is it right for the job you are

interviewing for?

• Is the question easy to understand?

• Does the candidate have to give an lengthy answer? Is that appropriate?

• Can it be answered within the timeframe?

Click on 007

What does this job require? Consider the competencies…

Imagine this was a

group exercise in an

assessment centre…

You will be asked

questions after…..

What did you capture?

• Self defence

• Weaponry

• Marksmanship

• Driving

• Swimming

• Physically fit (running)

• Flying

• Technology

• Linguist

Practical People

• Cross-cultural awareness

• Discretion

• Managing people

• Resilient

• Risk management

• Relationship management

• Negotiation

What did you capture?

• Logical thinking

• Creative thinking

• Problem solving

• Mental agility

• Innovative

• Working alone/ unsupervised

• Good memory

• Ability to acquire new practical skills

• Head for heights

Others

Feedback: honesty please!

Group 1:

Did everyone participate in the discussion?

Did anyone invite others to participate?

Group 2:

How can different group activities show different competencies?

Group 3:

What skills did your group demonstrate in doing this?

Did everyone demonstrate skills?

Group 4:

How could you adapt an activity like this for your own assessment centre?

Your turn: Icebreakers

You are going to be allocated one icebreaker per team, you will be given no more than 5 minutes to prepare. You will be asked to run the icebreaker and this can last no more than 5 minutes. You will have no more than 5 minutes to review before you feedback how well you team thought it went…

REMEMBER: In your assessment centre an ice breaker needs a criteria and be appropriate

Icebreakers Group 1: Divide your seminar group into

pairs. Ask them to take three minutes to interview each other.

Each interviewer has to find 3 interesting

facts about their partner. Bring everyone back to together and ask everyone to present the 3 facts about their partner to

the rest of the group.

Group 2: You begin by saying the name of any country, city, river, ocean or mountain that can be found in an atlas. Go around the room, everyone must then say another name that begins with the last letter of the word just given. Each person has a

definite time limit and no names can be repeated.

Group 3: The aim of the game is to talk for one minute on a given subject. You announce the topic and a member of the group is randomly selected to speak for one minute. Choose subjects to stimulate the imagination and which maybe amusing. Put a stopwatch on each person to see how long they last before drying up!

Group 4: Design your own!!!

Reflect

Group 1: Group 2:

Group 3:

Group 4:

Reflect

Group 1: Group 2:

Group 3:

Group 4:

Learning about HSBC

• This is one of the most important parts of the group assessment.

• How ‘appropriate’ activities or questions are, the criteria that you use to judge performance etc. all should stem from the company.

Values:

“Describing the enduring nature of how we do business, our values ensure that we work to be:

• Dependable and do the right thing

• Open to different ideas and cultures

• Connected to customers, communities, regulators and each other”

Responsible business

Sustainable success

Types of roles

What skills are needed?

Who are they looking for?

How can these skills be assessed?

• Commercial Management

• Executive Management

• Operational Leadership

• Retail Management

The recruitment process Step One: Apply online by uploading your personal information and CV. This will give us important background information about you, your studies, and any work

experience you have. You'll also need to complete a short series of questions to make sure you're eligible for one of our programmes and internships.

Step Two: Online questionnaire and numerical reasoning tests. We ask you a series of questions, so we can best match your knowledge, skills and interests

to the abilities we're looking for. The standard numeracy test gives you the chance to show us your capacity for working with figures.

Step Three: Telephone interview. We'll call you at a date and time of your choice. The questions we ask will give you the

opportunity to tell us about specific occasions when you've handled a variety of difficult or challenging situations. Read our guide to the telephone interview for more information.

Step Four: Assessment centre. This consists of a series of exercises designed to discover how you work with others and

resolve problems. You'll also meet HSBC graduates and managers. If you've been to one of our Discovery Days, you'll have already had the opportunity to participate in skills sessions and business games. This is your chance to put what you discovered into practice.

NHS

Our values represented by the core principles of care are: • The NHS will provide a universal and comprehensive service with equal access for all; free at

the point of use, based on clinical need, not ability to pay. • We will help keep people healthy and work to reduce health inequalities. • We will work continuously to improve quality and safety. • We will strive for the most effective and sustainable use of resources. • We will treat every patient with dignity and respect. • We will shape our services around the needs and preferences of individual patients, their

families and their carers. • We are committed to equality and non-discrimination. • We will support and value our staff. • We will work in partnership with others to ensure a seamless service for patients. • We will respect the confidentiality of individual patients and provide open access to

information about services, treatment and performance.

Types of roles

What skills are needed?

Who are they looking for?

How can these skills be assessed?

• Finance Management

• Health Informatics Management

• Human Resources Management

• General Management

The recruitment process

Stage One: Application and online testing The tests that you complete provide us with accurate and valid data to help us make a decision

whilst at the same time ensuring fairness. The tests will also give you some insight into what working life on the scheme can be like, enabling you to make an informed decision as to whether we are right for you. Once you have submitted your online application you will be invited to complete the following online testing tools:

• Verbal reasoning • Numerical reasoning • Personality questionnaire • Situational judgement test Stage Two: Interview Successful candidates from Stage One will be invited to attend a structured competency-based

interview conducted by senior NHS managers. Stage Three: The Leadership Challenge Assessment Centre Successful candidates from stage two will be invited to attend the Leadership Challenge

Assessment Centre which will be based on the life of an NHS manager and provides you with an extremely realistic insight into life on the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme.

Review of HSBC information

• What else would be useful to know about the company?

• How can you show knowledge of your company in the design and implementation of your assessment centre?

• Do they offer you any support as to how to criteria they use to judge?

Q & A session

Take this time to ask you tutor any questions relating to this element of the assessment.

Thank you!

That’s the end of today's Tutorial