Due to the intense interaction with the applicants, you can get a much more detailed idea of each individual. A letter of motivation, CV, and job interview give a good first impression and convey the technical skills. But to actually get to know the applicant, it is best to see them in person. This can only happen during work-like activities. The assessment center tries to minimize uncertainty by dealing with the candidate in detail, and under special conditions.
Whether a person is stress-resistant, team-oriented, and solution-oriented can only be found out in a less intensive application process. Entrepreneurs and HR must rely on the statements of the applicant. The assessment center is usually carried out by experts. The assessments therefore take place on the basis of specialist knowledge, in contrast to the job interview, where you may have to resort to gut feeling. A thorough examination of the applicants ensures greater satisfaction on both sides, because the future employee fits in better with the company, meets the requirements, and will ultimately feel better. Fluctuations are reduced.
However, the assessment center does not just bring benefits. Most obvious drawbacks are the costs involved. Since a company will in most cases opt for an external company to carry out the AC tasks, it can be expected that the AC is cost heavy. In addition, there may be additional rent for premises and the cost of boarding and accommodating applicants. The assessment center is also very complicated for them: they invest time and travel, and in the end there may not be a new job.
However, the assessment center is only an effective selection procedure if no methodological errors creep in. Assessors must pay particular attention to three pitfalls: manipulation, conflicts of interest, and sympathy decisions. The tests themselves are also dangerous. Defectively provided, standardized tests can let you recognize which answer is favored by the assessors and potential employers. In this way, applicants in the assessment center can easily manipulate their own presentation.
It is also important not to forget, especially with external assessors, that they are only human beings and are susceptible to subjective decisions. Companies that offer assessment centers must generate sales and justify their results. This pressure can lead to falsification of the results. In addition, even auditors in an AC are not free of sympathies: Extraverted persons are usually judged better than reserved applicants – even if this characteristic does not necessarily say anything about their qualifications.