We have talked about all things interview-related for the last few decades, but if you are a serious contender for a job - particularly at a major corporation, you will want to start thinking about Assessment Centres.

If you thought the job interview was nerve wracking, you have not even begun to imagine the realities of an Assessment Centre. Don't get me wrong, it is not scary per se...just challenging!

The idea of the Assessment Centre arose because recruiters were finding that the interview process did not really enable them to assess an individual's potential work behaviour. The question-answer method allowed them to scratch the surface, but an interview is something you can prepare for very easily if you know what to say.

Since companies invest substantial amounts of money into the recruitment process, being able to find the right candidate for the right position means hiring the individual with the potential for high performance for the job. The Assessment Centre attempts to do just that.

Typically, the Assessment Centre takes place after the first and/or second interview. It represents the final stage in the selection process and if you reach this stage, you should feel confident that you have done better than 80-90% of the field.

The experience is generally a one- to two-day affair with 6-10 participants for each event. To achieve its objectives, the Assessment Centre is usually broken up into various kinds of exercises that are meant to test different skills, abilities or competencies. For example:

a) Case Study Simulation - You are given a business case and/or set of business-related documents to review in a given timeframe. You are then given a role within the fictional company and asked to resolve the issue addressed in the case study. Despite the clear business focus, anyone from a physicist to a journalist should be able to complete the exercise. It is meant to assess your ability to organise your thoughts, analyse a situation, think innovatively and exhibit rational thinking. The panel you present your case study to might probe you further for the rationale behind your proposal, and it is important to remain calm and keep your focus on how you came up with the solutions. If you feel you cannot move ahead, be honest about it and focus on something else positive in the proposal.

b) Team discussion - A group of candidates will be given a situation to resolve within a timeframe. During this session, the assessors will observe the interaction amongst the candidates to see how they function in a team environment and what their leadership/influencing skills are like. As team events cannot be measured by application forms or interviews, they tend to figure quite strongly in Assessment Centres. The bad news is, it is very difficult to fake being a good team player - if you are an abrasive alpha-type individual, they will pick up on it. Your best bet is to keep the competitive focus outside the team and forget about asserting your opinion on everyone or putting down your fellow team members. The key is to listen to everyone, try to involve the less forthcoming members, make positive contributions, assess the input and recommend a way forward where the team is involved. It is not a one-person show - in reality, unless your team believes in the way forward and trusts you, nothing will get done. This exercise attempts to uncover these traits in individuals.

c) Making a presentation - This is especially important for experienced hires. You might be given a topic to present on. After some preparation time, you will be asked to present your topic and recommendations to a panel of assessors who assess your performance in areas such as communication, technical understanding (of the topic being covered) and confidence.

These are just some of the examples of what an Assessment Centre can be like. There are also less stressful events within the day that you should take advantage of. It's a great way to meet similar people - the other candidates who got invited are probably high-achievers like yourself with interesting backgrounds. The company might also organise dinners or meals with recruiters, new employees and senior management for candidates. This is a great chance for you to ask questions about a career in the company and life within the office, or just to see if you like the kinds of people that you might potentially work with. Remember though, even though the scene is relaxed, you're always on show and you should remember that your behaviour at dinner will also influence their opinion of you.

With that, you'll be a little more prepared as to what goes on at Assessment Centres and why they do it. I would advise you to go to the employer's career website to find out a little more about the process (if possible) and prepare yourself prior to the Assessment Centre. Just remember to carry your documentation, some common sense, your personality, a professional look, a dose of humour and you're ready to go!