3 Ways to Make Culture and Values part of an Assessment Centre Process
Posted on 25th August 2021 at 13:11
In the current market, Candidates are King. They have the choice of positions and as an employer, you need to woo them. In the past recruitment has been very much a formal structured process, often without character and personality.
60% of UK companies use an assessment centre process as part of their recruitment. It gives you a more objective view of candidates and can include more work-based assessments to give a better indication as to which candidate will be the best for the role. Assessment centres are accepted as being fairer than a standard interview process as more information is collected on each candidate.
If you are using assessment centres, how can you use them to convey your values and the culture of the company to effectively sell your job opportunity over other roles that they may be applying for?
1. First Impressions count
Make sure you are ready when candidates arrive and have a warm welcome waiting for them. Make sure that refreshments are waiting for them, all the staff involved are smiling and welcoming and that the workplace is tidy and shows a great working environment. Make sure that the values that are important to you as an organisation are visible, in actions as well as pictures. Make sure that you talk about their importance during the day.
2. Get your staff involved
Only 54% of employees would recommend their current company as a place to work. Candidates want to understand what it is like to work for you. Can you include a session as part of an assessment centre where potential new employees meet your existing staff? It can be an informal session; I would use the opportunity to brief the staff as to the sort of questions that they are likely to be asked and therefore the sort of answers that they need to be prepared to give. This isn’t a PR exercise. Understand your limitations as a workplace and expect this to come up in the answers, but also use it as an opportunity to show off the parts of working for you of which you are proud. If you aren’t sure what the negatives may be, why not use a staff survey to check on the workforce engagement beforehand?
3. Follow up afterwards
From the candidate’s point of view, after an assessment, they will go through a range of different feelings. These usually include relief that it is over, followed quickly by anxiety as to whether they have been successful or not, and what areas they think that they could have done better. Communicate clearly in terms of how long it will be before you will get back to them with an answer – and prioritise this decision making. The high emotions candidates feel from being offered a job on the way home after an assessment centre shouldn’t be underestimated. If you can’t move that quickly, arrange a call afterwards asking for feedback. Send them something as a thank you for attending – whether it is a card or a small present. If they aren’t getting this from other recruitment processes, then this will make you stand out.
If you want your candidates to choose your position over any others that they may be being interviewed for, be authentic and the best version of yourself for candidates to see. Know your limitations but sell the benefits of working for you. Be different from the others and show your great communication and give them a lasting first impression.
For more information as to how we can help call 0116 2080246 or email us on recruitmentsolutions@emerald-starfish.com
Tagged as: assessment centres, Candidate engagement, culture in recruitment, employer branding, Values
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