The Alumni Assessment Center is a hurdle in the interview process faced by applicants to many alumni schemes. Balancing the challenges of standing out from the rest of the applicants while demonstrating effective teamwork with other applicants is often daunting for prospective candidates. I have had the opportunity to evaluate many candidates applying for graduate roles at Deloitte, and most have attended graduate programs in software engineering. Through my experience, I have identified several key factors that have contributed to a candidate’s likelihood of success. In this article, I share my personal insights and provide seven tips to help candidates prepare for the Graduate Assessment Center.
Environments and setups: getting the basics right
Deloitte now, but not always, operates an online assessment center. If you were offered an online assessment center, we recommend getting the basics set up right to ensure you perform at your best. Consider trying out a few locations to see where you feel most comfortable before your actual evaluation center.
From an interviewer’s perspective, we want our candidates to reach their full potential. So by making sure you have the basics, you can focus on the task at hand.
Group Exercise: Contributing and Fostering
If you are asked to complete a group exercise, be confident and share your thoughts. When the opportunity arises, you can lead the group towards a solution or answer, building bridges with the input of other candidates to build consensus. If the group is very good from the start, don’t be afraid to lead it. But if another candidate takes the lead, please be respectful and support the group. To do this, you can ask what another candidate thinks if they haven’t had a chance to speak, or you can help them summarize the most relevant points towards the conclusion of the task.
From an interview perspective, it’s noticeable when a candidate offers little to group exercises. It’s also noticeable when a candidate asks for the group’s support in coming up with an answer, which encourages discussion as much as actually providing the answer themselves. A strong candidate may not only offer a good idea, but at some point, he or she may attempt to lead or support the group in completing the task.
Individual Exercise: Thinking Outside the Box
You don’t have to think outside the box, but it’s noticeable when candidates provide unique, value-added answers on individual tasks. Keep in mind that the interviewer may have performed the same tasks as other candidates. Therefore, interviewers are aware of common responses. Imagine providing connections and insights like never before. There are opportunities for candidates to excel in such jobs, but they must be genuine and add value (rather than contrarian to appear unique).
To be clear, it’s not critical to your success, but if you think you have a valuable insight that’s perhaps unique when performing an individual task, please share it.
Evidence-Based Questions: Don’t Force
It’s great to see so many candidates preparing for interviews. But when it comes to evidence-based questions, don’t rely on memorized examples if the question at hand isn’t relevant. It’s obvious to the interviewer that the candidate gave a good, empirical answer, but it doesn’t quite match the question being asked.
Answering a question is more important than getting only half of the memorized answer. Take a few seconds to think about your answer and then successfully answer the question. Be honest, be honest, be prepared, and let us know the structure of a good answer. Your quick thinking and ability to answer questions can be noted.
Many test takers apply pre-prepared, evidence-based responses to questions, but operate at a higher level and apply the evidence-based response structure while recalling their experiences in the moment to ask the questions. can be answered specifically.
Passion Shines
Most candidates memorize a few facts from a company’s website and put together a few thoughts about why they’re excited to join that company. Passion is the amount of time you spend in your area of interest. It’s a course I’ve been on without anyone forcing me to. It’s a competition and an experience with a team that I enjoyed being a part of.
Candidates who can demonstrate that their passion aligns with some of the positions offered stand out. For example, a candidate who voluntarily took her course in software engineering and enjoyed participating in hackathons and building code solutions for her own interests was more likely to move to a more advanced level of coding. You can show your passion. This does not mean that this guarantees success, nor does it mean that all candidates must demonstrate this in order to succeed, but it does help candidates stand out. If you put it in and prepare, it’s an area you’re good at.
Perfect Answer
It’s worth remembering that most exercises, whether group or individual, have no perfect answer. Suggestions may appear. From the interviewer’s perspective, the answer itself is often less important than the process of arriving at the answer.
So instead of over-emphasizing getting the perfect answer, invest more time and thought in creating clear arguments and ideas for your chosen answer. Obviously, this is not always the case. In some cases, there may be a salient correct answer, but in situations where multiple answers may be correct, consider how best to communicate your preferred answer and your choices. made. Communication and insight are key. Choosing the perfect answer from a variety of very similar answers is not important.
At Your Own Pace
Alumni assessment centers are often full-day experiences. I have witnessed a candidate run out of mental energy in the middle of her day, resulting in poor performance. You are unlikely to be hired based on a single task, and your performance across the assessment center will be evaluated. When breaks are offered, take them and think about the foods you need to support and keep you hydrated throughout the day. Please keep trying to do your best. Above all don’t give up. All your experiences at the Graduate Assessment Center will help you prepare for your next interview. After all, doing a good interview is a useful skill in life.
Summary
The above tips will help candidates prepare for graduate assessment centers in any industry or company. These tips are derived from my own experience and do not reflect Deloitte’s hiring policy. While it is clear that nothing guarantees success during the interview process, preparing in the right way can improve your performance level.
