Employers views on assessment centres & skills that graduates lack

I recently attended an event called 'Preparation for Work' organised by the Association of Graduate Recruiters.  Some of the key points that came up that are relevant for students were relating to assessment centres and key employability skills that students lack.

Assessment Centres

 

The main competencies that employers require, according to a recent AGR survey are:

·         Communication

·         Teamwork

·         Drive

 

They introduced an organisation called Talent Q who provide online psychometric assessments.

Mentioned the fact that group exercises may be diminishing and being replaced with role plays.  Also mentioned some sites where students/graduates share experiences of assessment centres including wiki job, student room, jobs & careers.

Advice to students attending assessment centres is practise reading under pressure.  It was also mentioned that many grads who end up working for a graduate recruiter have completed an internship with that organisation.

 

Key employability skills lacking:

 

Written communication – many applications are just copied and pasted, not targeted.  Some don’t even get the name of the organisation right!  Many organisations are receiving around 1,800 applications for around 20 places.

 

Lack of ability to articulate self-awareness, particularly relating to the following:

Why you chose your Uni degree and what you are planning to do

 

Lacking depth of thought – why you chose this company

 

Lack of inquisitiveness in general.  Question that is often asked is ‘What is the main issue going on in the world at the moment’ and many can’t answer it.  Want people that keep up with world affairs

 

Engaging presentation skills.  At interview they want people with engaging presentation skills – demonstrating passion through tone of voice.

 

Realism.  Students/graduates need to be realistic, they are starting their career at the bottom, so need to manage their expectations.

 

Research.  Want to see that the students have actually done some research on the company and haven’t just read the website.  The graduate recruiter wants to be surprised with what the student comes up with.

 

Network Rail said that they take on 110 graduates every year, half are engineers. They allow up to 5 spelling and grammar mistakes per application.

 

All employers said that they like it if students have been involved in societies, work experience.  It’s also good if a student has student membership of a professional body. In terms of attitude, they all said that they want someone who when they walk out of the room they remember them.  Essentially all employers want someone who has a point of view and is willing to express it.