Assessment centres and managing your disability by Helen Cooke

By Helen Cooke – MyPlus Students’ Club CEO and Founder.

If you have received an invitation to attend an assessment centre you have already impressed the recruiter with your application. However, it is still a daunting prospect and if you have a disability or long-term health condition this apprehension may be heightened by concerns about how to manage your disability during this stage of the recruitment process.

Assessment centres can vary greatly between organisations – from a series of interviews with various people in the organisation to role-plays and / or group discussions. Your disability or health condition may mean you require some adjustments to be made to these activities to enable you to demonstrate your suitability for the role.

If you do require adjustments to be made, let the recruiters know as soon as possible. If you don’t provide them with sufficient notice you may delay when you can attend the assessment centre.

You may also wish to consider how to manage your disability with the other candidates. If you think it would be beneficial for the other candidates to know, think how you will inform them – whether you inform them yourself or ask the recruiter to do this on your behalf. The more open and honest you have been with the recruiter earlier in the process, the easier you will find it to have these conversations at this stage.

Top Tips

• Find out what the format of the assessment centre is so you can identify what support and / or adjustments you require.
• Provide the organisation with plenty of notice to implement anything you require.
• Concentrate on your own performance, not how you compare to others.