Assessment Center Exercise Descriptions:
1. Briefing Meeting
2. Budget Meeting
3. Coaching Exercise
4. Customer Meeting
5. Fire Simulation
6. Human Resources Business Plan
7. In-Basket
8. Knowledge Basket
9. Negotiation Exercise
10. Presentation
11. Project Team Meeting
12. Strategy Exercise
13. Team Meeting

Assessment Centers

An Assessment Center (AC) is a process of multiple exercises that evaluate an individual’s skills, abilities and personal characteristics in a variety of work-like situations.

We offer a wide range of ACs to cover the selection and assessment needs in your organization. This process can be used to make hiring or promotional decisions as well as identify the development needs for fast-track or succession candidates.

We currently have several centers designed around specific positions. These centers can be readily tailored to fit your specific needs or we can also create new exercises to address specific issues you may have in your organization. You can also use exercises from different centers to fashion your own unique selection process.

We have a variety of simulations and role plays that evaluate critical skills for several different jobs. The table below shows you which exercises are appropriate for which positions.

Click on the exercise name to learn more about the content and what skills and abilities are measured.

Briefing Meeting – The participant meets with a direct report to share some sensitive corporate information as well as preparing a draft of key points for a presentation on the same information. The participant is evaluated on how well s/he handles the meeting and the content of the draft document.

Budget Meeting – The participant is asked to review an existing budget, make recommendations, and present them to his/her manager. S/he is evaluated on his/her ability to deliver an effective presentation and handle objections and challenges from the manager.

Coaching Exercise – The participant has a 30 minute coaching session with one of his/her direct reports. S/he has an opportunity to deal with several different issues (e.g., productivity, leadership, and/or teamwork). In the HR Manager center, the participant coaches a vice-president. Participants are evaluated on their ability to gather information about the direct report and effectively manage his/her performance.

Customer Meeting – Whether in person or over the phone, the participant is asked to deal with a customer and resolve their complaint(s). In the Account Executive center, the participant visits a potential client in order to review a draft proposal. Participants are evaluated on their ability to resolve customer issues and make the customer feel valued.

Fire Simulation – The participant is asked to respond to visual cues from a computerized fire scene in real time. Participants are evaluated on their ability to quickly develop and execute a strategy for fighting the fire.

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Human Resources Business Plan – Participants build on their Strategy Exercise and prepare a more detailed recommendation regarding a number of HR initiatives. They are evaluated on their ability to outline a strategy to support the different business units to meet corporate goals.

In-Basket – The participant has several pieces of correspondence (letters, memos) from managers, customers, peers, and direct reports. Participants choose whether or not to respond to each issue and are evaluated on the quality of their responses and decisions.

Knowledge Test – The participant is tested on a number of multiple-choice technical knowledge items regarding personnel management, procedures, fire-fighting and rescue techniques.

Negotiation Exercise – The participant meets with a peer from another department to discuss resource needs for a corporate-wide project. The participant is evaluated on his/her ability to manage conflict and reach consensus with others.

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Presentation – In the Executive Assessment Center, the participant presents the strategy that s/he has already prepared (pre-work) and responds to questions from his/her manager. S/he is evaluated on his/her ability to deliver an effective presentation and handle objections and challenges from the senior executive

Project Team Meeting – The participant assumes the leadership of an existing project team and is asked to deal with a variety of issues including deadlines and resource allocation. S/he is evaluated on his/her ability to resolve conflicts, achieve objectives, and get team members to participate in the project.

Strategy Exercise – Participants receive background materials on their “new” company and industry. They are then asked to formulate a strategy including a Strengths/Weakness/Opportunities/Threats analysis and action plan for making the company more profitable. Participants are evaluated on their abilities to understand business concepts and translate them into reasonable and actionable plans for the business.

Team Meeting – Each participant receives information on cost saving or revenue enhancing proposals. As a team, participants discuss the ideas and are asked to reach consensus. Each member then sends his/her manager a summary of the meeting and submits a final recommendation. In the Account Executive Center, the meeting is between the participant and a direct report in order to review some proposal materials and make decisions about next steps. Participants are evaluated on their leadership and problem solving skills.

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