So what types of assessment can you expect from this taxing task? Well, each company has different and sometimes unique assessments but you can certainly start to familiarise yourself with the type of tasks you will face.Practise makes perfect here and the more knowledge and experience you have with the assessments the better you will perform. In the following section I am going to outline the different stages and processes you can expect from the typical graduate recruitment scheme as well as my personal tips on how it's best to prepare:

The application: This is the start of your journey, you’ve read through the job-spec, you’ve already decided that you can’t imagine yourself working anywhere else, this is literally your dream job; you’ve even mentally spent your first few pay-checks...We've all been there, but there is a long way to go I'm afraid. This stage will vary from company to company, it may be a simple case of attaching a copy of your CV however in many cases you will need to fill out an in depth application consisting of many pages, starting with the usual personal info moving onto every single grade you’ve received since the age of about eleven, the extra qualifications you may have, what activities you’ve been involved in etc etc. Following this you may be faced with a section of written competency questions (see the section below to get an idea what will be asked of you here and how best to answer it!). PHEW! Glad that’s over but oh wait – you’ve only scratched the surface, the fun by no means ends here!

Part 2 to follow soon!!