Preparing for your assessment

If you are successful at the application stage you will be invited to the next stage of the assessment process.  Depending on the role you are applying you may experience one or several of these assessments that British Airways typically use.  This may be done on one day or over a couple of visits to us.  We will always let you know which assessments you will be expected to do before the day.

British Airways uses 3 types of psychometric tools – situational judgement tests, ability tests and personality questionnaires.

If asked to complete these you will be sent further details explaining what tools exactly we will be asking you to do and giving you practice information so that you can fully prepare yourself

• If the assessment is online, take it somewhere where you won’t be disturbed and can fully concentrate. Remember to turn your phone off and try not to take the assessment when you are tired. Make a note of the date that it must be completed by and don’t leave it until the last minute.
• You may be asked to retake any online tests you have taken on the assessment day as part of our verification process
• Read the practice information and instructions thoroughly
• Work quickly but accurately and do not spend too much time thinking about one answer – if you get stuck, mark you best guess and move on

Situational Judgement Tests look at a candidate’s ability to identify the correct course of action.   Please answer the questions truthfully and do not spend too long thinking about your answers – trust your instincts.  Typically we use these in customer facing roles and usually form part of the application process.  You will be given instructions and told if there is a time limit.

Ability Tests are carefully selected based on the abilities and level required for the role.

• They are usually multiple-choice questions, which look at a candidate’s ability in areas such as numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning or logical reasoning.  You will be sent specific information and practice questions for any tests we are asking you to complete. 
• If you are asked to complete a numerical reasoning test, please read the instructions carefully which will explain whether you can use a calculator or not.
• For further practice the website www.shldirect.com gives additional examples of practice questionnaires, which may be similar to the test you are sitting.
• They are timed so you will need to work quickly. 

Personality Questionnaires look at a candidate’s behavioural preference.  If you are asked to complete a personality profile, we will usually ask you to do this online and prior to you attending a face-to-face assessment.  When answering the questions try to think about how you behave at work.  Do not try to guess what we are looking for – just answer the questions honestly, we are interested in the real you.  There are no right or wrong answers in personality questionnaires.  British Airways does not use personality questionnaires to sift people out of the process but we do use them to help inform of your overall suitability for the role.  Areas from the personality profile may be explored in the face-to-face stage.  If asked to complete one you will be given full details of what to do.  These questionnaires are not timed but again don’t spend too long thinking about your response.  Please make sure you complete the questionnaire by the deadline we give you.

British Airways uses 3 types of interview: face-to-face, telephone and video interviews. Typically, interviews at British Airways are competency-based i.e. we will be asking you for examples of when you demonstrated a particular skill or quality.  Prepare yourself by having examples of when you have demonstrated key competencies required for the job (look at the job description for guidance). Some of your best examples may be where things went wrong – don’t be frightened to use them, tell us what you learnt.  In addition to the competencies, we’re likely to ask about your motivation for the role and establish your fit with the company and team you’d be working in.

 You may wish to consider using the STAR approach to help you structure your answers: 

SITUATION or TASK

• Describe the situation or task
• Be specific about the example – what and who was involved, don’t generalise – give real-life examples

ACTION

• Describe the action you took – we want to know what you did
• Describe what you did, not what you might or should have done

RESULT

• Describe the outcome e.g. what happened? What was the consequence? What was the reaction? What did you learn?

Telephone Interview

• Prepare for the interview as you would a face-to-face interview
• Answer honestly and concisely
• Remember that we can’t see you so speed, tone and clarity of voice are even more important that usual
• They typically last about 30 minutes and are designed for us to find out more about you and your suitability for the role but also for you to ask questions

Video Interview

• You will be sent details of how to log on and your user details
• Complete the interview in a time and place where you won’t be disturbed
• Questions will be presented on screen and you will have a certain time to answer each question
• Treat the video interview as you would a face-to-face interview.
• You should allow about 30 minutes to complete a video interview

Face-to-Face Interview

• Most recruitment campaigns at British Airways will involve at least one face-to-face interview.
• Typically they are conducted by 2 trained interviewers and last about an hour
• You will also have the opportunity to ask questions about the role or company

A group exercise typically looks at your interpersonal, teamwork and problem solving ability.  If asked to do a group exercise, you will be in a small group with other candidates. Remember to join in – it is very hard to determine if you are the best person for the role if you don’t contribute anything.

This is an exercise that is designed to assess your abilities specifically in relation to the role you have applied.  Typically, you are given some information and a specific time to prepare your presentation.  You should use the information given to you to help draw your conclusions and present the information back in the requested form. Sometimes you are given your presentation topic in advance of your assessment day and asked to present it on the day, other times all the information you require will be given to you on the day.

This normally involves you analysing some information or data and presenting it back either in written or verbal format.  All the information you need will be given to you on your assessment day.

You are asked to play a part (generally the role you have applied for) and work through a real-time scenario with an assessor who will be playing a particular character.  This type of exercise is designed to elicit how you would actually behave in a given situation.  Full instructions of what you will be expected to do will be give to you on the day.

• Check your emails regularly – this is how we will usually contact you
• Be prepared – read your emails carefully to make sure you understand what you will be doing and where to go – make sure you make a note of our contact details just in case you need to get in touch with us urgently
• Book an assessment time that is convenient for you. For maximum choice, please book your assessment as soon as possible – the most popular times go quickly
• Relax – we want to see you do well and will do everything we can to help
• If attending a face-to-face assessment wear smart business attire. This is especially important for uniformed positions
• Be punctual – research your route before you arrive
• Think about examples of the key competencies and come prepared with them
• Research the role and British Airways
• Think about any questions you might want to ask us – this is your opportunity to see if this really is the job for you too
• On the day, don’t worry about what any other candidates are doing – just do your best
• We will often ask you to complete more than one activity when you attend so don’t worry if one activity hasn’t gone as well as you would like. Pick yourself up and carry on. Doing more than one activity means that we gather a wide range of evidence of the same competency so one mistake doesn’t affect the overall outcome
• Remember to demonstrate your personality
• There are no trick questions or activities - full instructions are always given for any activities you are asked to undertake but if you have any questions or don’t understand either before the day or on the day please ask. You can even ask the interviewer to repeat or rephrase the question
• Listen to any instructions you are given carefully
• Take your time to consider your answers to the questions
• Let us know in advance, where possible, if you need any assistance or adjustments

• http://www.shldirect.com
• http://www.psychtesting.org.uk/the-ptc/guidelinesandinformation.cfm
• http://www.cipd.co.uk
• http://www.bps.org.uk/jobs/job-seeking-tips/job-seeking-tips