It’s now time to talk about the group exercise that you may be asked to take part in. Group exercises are used by assessors to test how you work as part of a team. You may be given a work-related scenario or a completely fictitious one, and you will be asked to work with your group and make specific decisions based on the given scenario. Needless to say, it’s not your knowledge of the topic that is assessed, but your teamworking, communication and persuasion skills.
A few tips to do well:
1) Keep a balance: What the assessors are looking for in a group exercise may vary according to the position you are being assessed for. If you are applying for a managerial position, for example, it’s much more likely that they’ll be looking for good leadership and persuasion skills. In any case though, don’t overdo it with either dominating the conversation or sitting back and letting others take over, as it’s the balance between the two behaviour types that is usually sought.
2) Contribute to the task: Make sure your contributions are of substance. If you speak just to be heard speaking without saying anything that will help the task go forward, your assessors will quickly pick up on that. And guess what – it will count against you. So make sure you pay attention to the conversation, and that you voice your opinions or critique clearly - ideally, backed up with evidence.
3) Show team spirit: This means, show some basic courtesy – don’t interrupt others when they speak, don’t raise your voice even you disagree with something, don’t over-dominate the discussion, and do bring other members of the group to the conversation. It’s also essential that you listen to what other people have to say and that you show interest.
4) Don’t lose your temper if others do: There is always a possibility that things can go wrong. One of the big challenges of bringing together a group of people who have never met before and who may even be competing for the same position, is that someone becomes impatient, angry or even verbally attacks other members of the group. Don’t fall in this trap as you’ll be automatically eliminated. If the fight doesn’t involve you, don’t take sides, but it may be a good idea to calmly remind to the group that fighting isn’t going to help the task and encourage them to move on. If the attack is against you, things are more complicated. Still, do try to remain calm, don’t argue with the person who’s insulting you and remind them that you’d rather get on with the exercise than fight.
5) Choose an active role: Surveys have shown that people who choose the role of time-keeper or note-keeper in a group exercise, are less likely to be hired because they tend to become over-consumed with the task they’ve given themselves and forget to contribute to the exercise itself. While this is certainly not the case all the time, being active in the group is a tip to keep in mind.
