5 Common First-Stage Job Assessments: What to Expect and How to Succeed
Obtaining work experience during university is a goal on every university student’s bucket list. However, attempts to gain such experience reveals an extremely competitive environment with hundreds of students applying for just a few positions. With this in mind, this blog aims to demystify the first stage of the application process in order to provide some guidance on what to expect when you are applying for work experience.
Different employers feature different assessment types aimed at discovering the key skills you would be expected to have within that industry. For example, law firms typically use assessment types designed to identify your critical analysis and argument deduction skills and the NHS may rely on a CV detailing your education and credentials for their first stage. Although we hope this blog will help you, it is impossible to discuss all assessment types, however, we will discuss the most prevalent.
1. Situational Judgement Tests (SJT)
A situational judgement test features a variety of scenarios to determine how you will act when confronted with a specific situation. These questions are designed to identify whether you are likely to show the typical skills the employer is looking for, so it is important to answer honestly whilst bearing in mind what the employer may want. You may also face questions asking you about your strengths and weaknesses so make sure you know yourself well.
Key tips for the SJT:
Research the workplace and its ethos. This is important in identifying the types of skills they will keep an eye out for within the SJT. But above all, answer as honestly as possible. It is better to be yourself and face rejection than to pretend to be someone you are not and work in an environment that keeps you in that box. Doing well on work experience may lead to graduate work opportunities. Although we understand faking it till you make it can work, don’t do so to an unsustainable degree. Align yourself with opportunities that fit your personality and work approach best instead. It is also better to gain work experience with an employer who appreciates you for who you are than the alternative.
2. Pymetrics
Pymetrics, or platforms like Artic Shores, are defined as soft skills tests. It often features games-based assessments which may include activities such as blowing up balloons for money (whilst running the risk of them popping) and facial recognition tests. The activities really do have a game-like feel and so tend to be a less stressful form of first-stage assessment.
Key tips for pymetrics (or similar platforms):
Don’t try to prepare. This may sound odd, but it is practically impossible to prepare for a games-based assessment. Trying to prepare may lead to unnecessary stress and therefore it is easier to spend that time instead with self-care and ensuring that you are in the best mental space to sit for the assessment.
Perform the test when you are feeling awake and revitalised. Due to some extreme time constraints in the assessment, it is best to ensure you have had a good amount of sleep and feel energised, as otherwise, you may accidentally perform slower. Mindset and wellness are everything when it comes to assessments such as this!
3. Watson Glaser (WG)
The Watson Glaser is extremely notorious within the legal industry but is also used in other industries where problem-solving forms a key and important skill. The Watson Glaser is desired to identify the extent of your ability in presenting points of view in a clear, well-structured, well-reasoned, and persuasive way to convince others of your argument. It does this by testing multiple different skills:
- Thinking critically
- Your ability to come to conclusions
- Being able to identify and analyse strong and weak arguments
- Whether or not you can recognise assumptions
- Evaluating arguments
You typically answer 40 questions in a short amount of time.
Key tips for WG:
For this type of assessment, we do recommend you practice. There are five different skills they test and there is a likelihood that one of those areas may be trickier for you than the others. Practising will help you identify this area and, as a result, will help you adapt your timekeeping to ensure that you are able to give enough time to answer all the questions as best as you can. You should be able to find free online resources and YouTube videos to help!
Familiarise yourself with complex texts such as the Financial Times. The type of texts you will be required to view in the Watson Glaser may consist of both extremely complicated formal abstracts as well as simple statements. Familiarising yourself with the former through reading the Financial Times or other broadsheet papers will help you with building the key skills the Watson Glaser attempts to identify. Practising with the Financial Times by asking yourself what the writer is trying to convey and whether their argument is strong will help you build your own analytical skills and therefore boost your ability to understand the texts provided in the Watson Glaser; this will also have the useful side effect of building your commercial awareness.
4. Interview
Although not the most common first-stage assessment, an interview may be the first assessment type you are requested to attend as part of the application process. The types of questions you are asked as part of an interview are heavily contingent on the employer, but they typically involve scenario-based and competency-based questions. This, for example, looks like ‘tell me about a time…’ questions as well as questions designed to identify how much you know about the employer and their work.
Key tips for an interview:
Research, research, research! Most interviews will feature questions that aim to identify your motivations for pursuing that specific employer. Being able to vocalise your interests in the employer and their work through evidence and facts enhances you as a candidate by showing your keenness to pursue work experience with them. Also, research helps to cement your interest in the employer and whether or not they are the right fit for you.
Prepare questions to ask. This may be simple but preparing questions to ask the employer truly shows that you have done your research and that you are actually interested in the business. It is not only the employer that should be deciding if you are the right fit, but you should also be deciding if they are fit for you too. An interview is a great opportunity to do.
5. Cover letter
Sometimes, an employer may request a cover letter. These should be constructed to answer the following:
- Why are you interested in the employer?
- Why are you the best candidate for the role?
- What skills do you have for the role?
- What experience do you have?
Usually, they are one to two pages long and make sure to check any specific guidelines the employer may provide for this task on content and word count.
Key tips for a cover letter:
Yet again, research is key in standing out as one of the many candidates applying. Research helps to show your interest in the employer who is keen on finding someone clearly passionate about the role and the business.
Include experience that is relevant to and highlights the key skills they’re looking for, but it doesn’t need to be related to the industry. Even if you do not have any experience in the industry you are applying to, you are very likely to have many transferable skills from other roles that illustrate you to be a great person for the role. Worked as a waitress during your studies? You’ll likely have developed the sort of communication skills needed to be a lawyer! Know the role specification like the back of your hand and use this to your advantage.
Good Luck Trailblazers!
Overall, these are the typical first-stage assessment types. Although it doesn’t cover everything, the tips are highly transferable for other similar assessment types. Remember to be confident in your experiences as a first-generation trailblazer and good luck!