5 tips for surviving an assessment centre

Be yourself on the day and in your application

It’s important that you are yourself and what you have to offer is on display on the day of the assessment. The people assessing you aren’t looking for perfection there looking for humans who can bring their own experiences and knowledge to the role. Your own perspective is what is on display and that’s what they want you to exercise for them. Of course, it’s good to show what you have and allow for them to see you working, you will find that the process will be made more human by having everyday factors added such as sports you do and activities to take part in. showing off what you have to offer is really key here allowing the assessors to see you for you really allows them to uncover what you are about and whether deep down you are the right person to fill the role that they have up for grabs.

Do your research before the day

Before you travel to your assessment centre its crucial that you do your research, its so important that you know your stuff before you enter the assessment centre, and this comes in 2 forms. The First form is being able to understand and express a knowledge of the firm that you are applying for. When your being assessed the assessors want you to know about there company and the main factors that have driven to want to work there too, they want to feel like they are hiring somebody that will ultimately become part of there team, there friends and almost family. This means a key understanding of what they want to do and achieve is paramount. The second front of your research is on the law in general. It’s very difficult to turn up to an assessment centre and do well if you’re not up to date with recent goings on in the law. Law firms are looking for workers who are fast and, on the ball, and who knows what is going on around them and how to adapt to recent changes. There are many ways to keep up to date but looking through newspapers and law blogs is a good way to start.

Practice, Practice, practice

As the old saying goes “Practice makes perfect” and this is no different for approaching assessment centres. Assessment centres can be stressful tough and sometimes overwhelming. However, this doesn’t have to be the case, if you practice interviews and article reading before you go to your assessment centre you will be more able to understand and answer questions. People who tend to do the best in assessments are those who have practised and are comfortable with the conditions they will be under when they enter the centre. You can practice these skills in many different ways, most universities will have mock assessment centres that run throughout the year to help you get to grips with the skills required and how to maximise your time at the assessment centres. You can also look online with many blogs and articles giving tips and questions you may be asked when actually being assessed as well as what the process of the day may actually look like.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

When your being assessed it’s ok to ask questions about certain things and in most cases, it’s encouraged. Not only is it you being assessed but also there is a role reversal, you are also looking into the firm and whether it is right for you so questioning the firm and what they are all about can look good in your application and this shows you have a genuine interest in the firm and actually want to work there. However,your questions should be concise and be questions that aren’t common sense you have a small amount of time in these centres in the grand scale and you want to impress these firms with what you know and the skills you have, not just asking questions about the firm. you may find and the end of each part of the assessment there is time for questions and then you can take the time to question things and show your alertness on the day.

Confidence 

Being confident in these situations can be tough but if you can master this skill then the assessment centre will go much smoother, for starters believing in your own talent and understanding of the law is key, you are a smart individual who has made it to this point where thousands haven’t its important to let that be shown. Being able to be confident in these situations set you up nicely for the job and career you will eventually step into. Working as a solicitor or any other job within the law you will be dealing with these sorts of experiences on an almost daily basis and so will have to get used to very quickly.

We hope that this blog can help you with your assessment centres and we wish you the best of look in whatever you choose to do and if you have any tips or helpful points, we would love to hear them here. Here at the Almost Lawyers,we want to thank you for reading our blog.