Retail students shine in mock assessment centre challenge

The level five students were asked to complete a number of tasks before and during the day. In preparation, they were asked to take part in a telephone interview, record and up-load an introductory video of themselves and complete a CV and covering letter for a Graduate Trainee role with a retail company.

On the day, the students were tasked with completing psychometric tests, taking part in a group exercise and giving an interview which included an individual ten-minute presentation.

The mock assessment day was run by our University’s Careers team, led by Careers Consultant, Robin Woollam, and assisted by the module teaching team.

Zachari Ghaffar-Adams, one of the students taking part in the day, said: “The mock assessment centre greatly increased my confidence for when I next apply for a job and it wasn’t as daunting as I thought it would be. It allowed me to take my feedback on-board and learn from my experience to become a much more employable graduate when I leave the university process.”

Student Lucie Brown added: “It was a really enjoyable and useful experience as I have never been to an assessment centre before so it gave me an insight of what it would be like in reality. I found the group task the most useful exercise because it was probably the most pressurising - we were surrounded by a group of people assessing us so hopefully this prepared us all for how it can feel in a real life situation! I'm hoping to do a placement year and I know a lot of companies use assessment centres so hopefully I will have the upper hand on someone who has never experienced one. All in all it was a really useful day and I would definitely recommend this experience to other students.”

Robin Woollam commented: “Assessment centres play a key part in the recruitment processes for a wide range of graduate roles and placement opportunities; so it’s valuable for the students to have the chance to participate in a practice event such as this. The students approached the day as if it were a real recruitment exercise – there were definitely a few nerves on show! So it was great experience for them. It was a good example of close collaborative working between the course staff and the Careers team, ensuring the day achieved academic assignment-related objectives as well as an employability-related goal.”

Module Leader and Senior Lecturer in Retail, Chris Morley, said: “It was a very intensive yet hugely enjoyable day for all concerned. Student feedback has been excellent and their final piece of assessed work will be enhanced by their experiences.”

When asked if Zachari would recommend the assessment day to future students, he added: “I would absolutely recommend the day to any student who feels like they need to build on their employment skills, and want a head start in the world of work.  The more you put into the day the more you get out of it.  It is actually loads of fun and the tasks are really enjoyable, innovative and interesting. It matures you as a person, and helps you carry yourself much more professionally in the future.”