National Graduate Leadership Programme

Digital assessment centre hints and tips

Guidance for candidates

Our assessment centre gives you an insight into the role of a neighbourhood police officer on our National Graduate Leadership Programme. It is also a great opportunity for us to get to know you. Our best advice is to be yourself and enjoy the session.

Due to the circumstances surrounding Covid-19 and current Government and College of Policing guidelines, we are going to be conducting our assessment centres for the National Graduate Leadership Programme digitally. These will be hosted via the online video conferencing software, Zoom. The exercises for the day have been designed to be delivered virtually and you be scored against the same framework and criteria that you would have been at face-to-face assessment centres.

How to prepare

You are encouraged to sign-up to one of our digital assessment centre information sessions via your candidate portal. These sessions are designed to give you more practical information on what to expect and areas to think about ahead of the day. A member of the recruitment team will attempt to contact you ahead of your assessment centre by to check you are all set for the day.

What happens on the day of the digital assessment centre?

We appreciate that for many, the digital assessment centre will be a new experience. We want you to feel comfortable and able to perform your best. Here are a few points to provide you with an overview of how the day will play out.

We will be using the Zoom platform to run our digital assessment centres. Using the link shown in your candidate portal, click through where you will be asked to join your session. We recommend you use the Desktop/App version of Zoom and not browser and this has some more advanced features. Please ensure you have entered the full name you provided on your Police Now application.
When you first arrive in the Zoom meeting, you will enter a ‘waiting room’. A member of the Police Now team will provide access to your session. Remember to enable video on entry by clicking the button on the bottom left of your screen. Please ensure you arrive in the meeting five to ten minutes early to allow yourself time to check your video and sound is working.
You will be met by a member of the Police Now team who will help you get settled into the day smoothly. They will inform you of what you are expected to complete throughout the day and will let you know when you have breaks in between. Remember you could complete your exercises in any order.
Before you begin the assessed parts of the day, you will watch a presentation introducing Police Now and our programmes by a member of the recruitment team.
Remember you will not be competing against other candidates on the day.
Throughout the day if you have any questions at all, you will be able to use Zoom’s chat function where a member from the Police Now team will be available to help answer any questions you may have.

What else you need to know ahead of the day

Access to laptop / computer

During the digital assessment centre, you will take part in a variety of exercises. These exercises require you to access materials that you need to be able to read comfortably and in some cases type responses. Therefore, it is a requirement that all candidates be able to use a laptop or computer in order to complete these exercises as it will not be possible to do so without. Some candidates have joined the assessment centre via their smart phone and had a laptop or computer next to them to use during these exercises, which is acceptable. If you feel you will not have the required equipment, please notify us immediately by emailing [email protected].

Camera and microphone

We require all candidates to have their camera switched on during their assessments. It is important to enable you to connect with your assessor and meet your fellow candidates.
In addition, it is important that you can be heard clearly via your computer microphone. At the start of the day the facilitator will test this to see if we can clearly hear you. If there are any complications regarding clarity, then we may need to reschedule to ensure we can assess your performance fairly.

Internet connection

Make sure you have a strong, stable internet connection via WiFi – if you have a weak connection, or if you are unsure, connect via an Ethernet cable. It’s also advisable that you have installed the latest version of your chosen browser – we advise that you use Google Chrome to access the materials on the day. Moving closer to your wireless router can also improve the quality of your internet connection.

Technical difficulties

If you do encounter any technical difficulties while joining or during the assessment centre, we will have dedicated staff on hand to assist you and you will be provided with their contact information. If this does happen please do not worry, we will assist you in any way we can and, if needed, reschedule your digital assessment centre.

Proof of identity and proof of address

On the day of the digital assessment centre it is essential you bring the following documents with you. This is to enable us to confirm your identity for our records, and if your application is successful, to be able to start pre-employment vetting without delay. Please note the size of the documents you upload cannot be more than 5MB. You can copy and paste a scan or picture of your documents into Microsoft Word and upload. You can upload your documents in your portal under the assessment centre further information section. For the full list of acceptable documents please follow this link. The documents you have must be the documents that you originally uploaded ahead of the assessment centre:

1. Proof of identity
2. Proof of address; and
3. any visa documentation and/or residency card if you are not a UK citizen so you can confirm your indefinite leave to remain and work in the UK.

Your proof of address must match the address on your application form. If the addresses do not match please get in touch with us and we can easily change this for you.

Dress code

There is no expectation for you to dress in formal business attire. We recognise that due to the circumstances surrounding Covid-19 this may not be possible for all. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable to do your best on the day.

Home disturbances

We also recognise that most of you will be joining our digital assessment centre from your home. Therefore, some of you may have young children, housemates or pets that may disturb you or appear behind you on camera. Whilst we recommend that you are in a quiet environment so that you can complete the session with no interruptions or distractions, please be reassured that all our assessors are aware of this challenge you may face, and you will not be penalised if any of these situations occur. Your assessor will be in control of the progression of your assessment and may be able to allocate extra time if a considerable interruption occurs.

Timings of day

The assessment centre can take up to five hours to complete. There will be some natural breaks between exercises to allow you to step away from the screen and we recommend candidates have access to water/refreshments to stay hydrated.

Integrity

You will be provided with all the materials required to complete your assessments on the day. Integrity is an essential part of the role of a neighbourhood police officer and therefore you should not access any other materials or websites other than the ones stipulated by your assessor. You should treat all exercises at the assessment as you would treat any other test or examination. You must not record or share the assessment material in any way and if found to do so this is likely to impact your application to join the programme.

What if I require any reasonable adjustments?

Police Now is dedicated to ensuring all candidates can perform at their best throughout the assessment process. If you think you require any reasonable adjustments in order to complete your digital assessment centre then please email the team on [email protected].

National Graduate Leadership Programme

Digital assessment centre hints and tips