Westpac student application survival guide: assessment centres

1. What are assessment centres?

Assessment Centres are usually the final stage in an application process and are used to evaluate the performance and suitability of candidates for employment opportunities. At Westpac Group, assessment centres are integral to our recruitment process as they ensure successful candidates align with our service promise, vision and strategic priorities.

2. Why do employers conduct assessment centres?

Assessment Centres are proven to be more accurate than standard recruitment processes as candidates participate in a variety of activities and are evaluated by a number of assessors. They are known to be more effective in recognising predictive job performance and minimising unconscious bias.

3. How are the candidates assessed?

To ensure candidates are assessed fairly, organisations score candidates against a set of pre-identified competencies, known as a Competency Framework. A Competency Framework is a set of skills and/or behaviours that are usually aligned to the organisation’s values, vision and strategy. Each activity in the assessment centre is designed to evaluate candidates against different competencies.

4. Competencies

As mentioned, competencies that candidates are evaluated against are usually aligned to the values and behaviours of an organisation. Here at Westpac Group, we want to ensure that, through our assessment process, candidates are demonstrating behaviours that are in line with our core Values of Integrity, Service, One Team, Courage and Achievement.