Graduate assessment day tips: What you need to know and how to succeed

1. Clean up your digital footprint

Before you even step foot into an assessment centre, make sure your online presence is tidy.

Google yourself and your e-mail address to see what’s out there on the internet for everyone, including your prospective employer, to see.

We’re all allowed personal lives, of course. But it’s good to review your profiles and consider if anything from your online past may reflect badly on you and your professionalism.

So delete anything you wouldn’t want your future boss to see – or change your account privacy settings!

2. Be prepared for anything (you’re always being assessed!)

It’s no secret you’ll be assessed throughout the day on numerous aspects; leadership, decision-making, time management, planning, and much more.

As well as assessing how well you perform in set tasks, assessors will also be attentively looking at how you interact with the other candidates and employees during any social hours, including lunchtime.

You’re being watched all day! So be friendly, confident, and on the ball (don’t let the lunch break catch you out…)

Be aware of how you present yourself – companies not only want to hire the most talented candidates, but also those who are friendly and personable, as it gives them a good indication of what you will be like to work with.

If you’re sitting alone in the corner refusing to talk to anyone, there’s a strong chance this will be flagged for the wrong reasons.

3. Look after yourself – rest and eat well

These days can be long and exhausting. So, it may be our simplest bit of assessment centre advice, but we encourage you to consider your personal health before going in. 

Eat well the night before, get yourself rested in the days leading up to it, and put yourself in a position to feel settled (read further advice on staying relaxed before an interview).

This will also ensure that high energy levels are maintained – you need to prepare both physically and mentally. On the day in question, a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast are a must to keep you fuelled and energised from the get-go.

4. Do your employer research

In a way, it’s best to treat an assessment day like an extended graduate job interview.

Conversation will be the core focus of the day. So, make sure you’re ready to talk about the right things.

Prep yourself with solid and interesting reasons as to why you want to work for the company.

It’ll be even more impressive if you can discuss any recent and big developments within the industry.

Whilst some of the employees you interact with may not be your direct assessors, demonstrating evidence of thorough research is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression.

This goes beyond demonstrating preparation, and suggests you have a genuine interest in the professional space you’re trying to enter.

5. Prepare thoughtful questions

Use this reserach to have a proper think about what you could ask the assessors. This step is really easy to brush over, but it’s super important.

There are lots of template answers you can find on the internet (or with ChatGPT), but try and think outside the box. Refer to your research, and construct a set of questions that will leave an impression.

Have six questions ready: two about the company, two about the interviewer, and two about the role.

This shows you’re genuinely engaged and eager to contribute.

6. Conquer the group exercise

Emotional intelligence is key

Assessment centres usually involve a selection of individual and group tasks.

In group exercises, you will be working with a mixture of personalities, and employers will be closely observing how well you interact in a team.

You may be challenged with louder voices in the group discussion, but don’t be discouraged.

Assessors will be aware of this and reward graduates who can mitigate this dynamic – taking control and steering the discussion to include quieter members of the team will also work in your favour.

Quality over quantity

Talking over other candidates might get you noticed, but not necessarily for the right reason.

Acting natural and relaxed in a group discussion means you can take time to answer carefully.

Reeling off as much information as possible just for the sake of being heard will not show the employer you know more – the quality of your contribution matters so much more than the quantity of responses.

Stand out from the crowd

Finding you’re up against a high calibre of graduates can be intimidating.

Showcase authority from the beginning and try to be the first person to speak – this will enable you to quietly command the discussion, without being overbearing.

If you start by outlining how you and the team should structure the group discussion, you will illustrate your ability to organise a group and deliver the set objectives on time.

7. Stick to deadlines

A very common mistake employers make a note of is when graduates fail to complete a task on time in either group or individual exercises.

Whilst your employers will remind you how much time is remaining, it’s worth bringing along your own watch or timer to keep a close eye on the time yourself.

Not only will this show fantastic organisational skills, but it will also display high proactivity and determination – all sought-after qualities in various graduate job descriptions.

8. Network like a pro

Throughout the day, there will be a lot of networking. You will interact with employers, but largely you will interact with a lot of other graduates. It can be hard to strike the right balance.

As best you can, try and position yourself at the centre of discussions to maximise your visibility and engagement.

But also don’t try and put too much pressure on yourself to be the loudest person in the room. Everyone has a different social approach, and assessors are looking for someone who can really connect with people.

Think about the quality of interactions you have, rather than the quantity. Aim to make at least three meaningful connections during the day. 

Who knows, you might make a friend or two along the way!

9. Be yourself and make the most of the opportunity

There is a lot of assessment centre advice to read through here, but don’t overwhelm yourself.

Ultimately, you’ve been invited to the day for a very good reason: because you’re good enough!

So, prepare well of course, but don’t overthink the day.

Take it as a chance for you to interview the company, too.

An assessment centre is a great opportunity to get a glimpse of the company’s culture and what it would be like to work at the company.

10. Send a follow-up email

Similar to graduate job interviews, sending a quick follow-up email to the employer after your assessment day is polite and smart idea.

Within 24 hours, send a personalised thank you email, and try to mention something specific from the conversation to job their memory and express your enthusiasm for the role.

This little act of kindness can keep you fresh in their minds and show you’re a true professional.

Find the best career advice blogs on our graduate blog – or check out the latest graduate job positions!