Assessment centers are modern selection procedures for separating the wheat from the chaff. While filling vacancies is mostly about finding out an applicant's skills and core competencies, leaders demonstrate their leadership qualities during an assessment center. Particular attention is paid to soft skills such as communication skills and social skills.
Once you have made it to the assessment center for managers, it is no longer a question of proving your knowledge. The selection process will determine how suitable you are for a management position. The management and personnel consultants act as observers, watching you and your behavior in critical situations. You can prepare yourself for the following exercises at your next assessment center.
You will almost certainly find yourself in a role exercise. A fictitious employee or colleague will be brash, aggressive or decidedly introverted. Your task is to steer the conversation in a constructive direction, recognize the conflict and find a solution.
Candidates are often required to give a self-presentation at the assessment center. A core competence of every manager is a realistic perception of their own strengths and weaknesses. In this presentation, you have the great opportunity to present your values and show what motivates you for the position you are aiming for.
This exercise was one of the most frequently used exercises for a long time and is still used today in assessment centers for managers. Management wants to see how effectively you can work under stress. You are given a pile of papers, letters and documents that you have to work through under time pressure. The task is often designed in such a way that you don't have a chance to look at everything in detail. Now it's time: Keep your nerve, set priorities and recognize connections. You then present how you would deal with the documents presented, what should be done first and what can perhaps be delegated.
Prospective managers often find it difficult to speak unprepared. However, it is precisely this ability that you have to demonstrate in this exercise when you are asked to speak spontaneously for 5 to 10 minutes on a topical issue. The most important thing here is to be passionate, to engage the audience and to convince them of a cause.
In this exercise, you will be faced with a typical problem that will accompany you in your future working life. For example: A customer wants to lower the price of an offer and threatens to switch to the competition. Now it is up to you to work out the facts, make a decision and justify it.
Familiarize yourself in advance with the typical tasks that you can expect in an assessment center. In particular, you can practise the exercises on self-presentation and free speech on a specific topic. Ask a friend or your partner to spontaneously call out a topic on which you can give a passionate speech. You can prepare yourself well for the self-presentation by reflecting on what makes you special and looking for an answer to the question: Why am I the best candidate for this position?
More tips for assessment centers at a glance:
We are happy to support you in preparing for an important assessment center with individual coaching.