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DSTL assessment center

Hey Everyone

I was looking for threads on the assessment center stage of the DSTL graduate recruitment and all I could find were outdated posts or posts relating to the early stages of applying. I've been using the jobcrowd but again these posts are from several years ago.This is my first assessment center so I'm a little nervous!

Has anyone else progressed through to this stage or have any experience from last years recruitment?

I'm looking for information on the written analytical exercise.

Cheers!

:biggrin:

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

C.Tong

Hiya,

I'm due to attend the assessment centre on Friday! Mines for the Graduate Scientist role in Microbiology. What about you?

Reply 2

TSR.Cov

Hi,

I am at the assessment centre on the 8th of Feb for the Graduate Engineer role.

I would be very grateful if you provide some feed back.

Good look to you!

Reply 3

Rocky13

Hi Guys,

I have a telephone interview on friday for the Dstl Graduate Scientist position.

Can anybody give me an idea of the kind of questions they may ask?

Cheers

Reply 4

coley90

Hi,

I got an email to say I have a telephone interview as well but I emailed them with my availability over two weeks ago and haven't heard anything. Just wondering how long it took them to get back to you with a time and date?

thanks

Reply 5

jlib92

Hi, I also had an email saying that I had a phone interview but then have had no contact from them since i gave them my availability. Do they email you before they ring you? I had a missed call off a private number this morning but couldn't ring it back. So I'm just a bit worried it was them

Thanks

Reply 6

helixanus

Hi Guys

Sorry about the late reply, I didn't receive any notification for your responses in my email. Silly thing.

With regards to phone interviews, I received an email 3 days before my interview stating that it was to be held on the Thursday of that week. I had to confirm I was available. If you have sent notification of your availability and have not received an email back perhaps you should phone them?

I've contacted the switchboard and they can generally help out:
+44(0)1980 613000

The telephone interview itself is a competency one. It will be questions based on your experiences. They can be as simple as what do you like to do in your spare time, to Describe a time when you have had to make a controversial decision and what was the result?

Reply 7

helixanus

I am going for the graduate scientist role and I am currently in my final year studying an Mchem with a year abroad. I'm assuming that it will be for a graduate chemist role.

The three parts are:

Competency interview (I'm assuming it's the same as the telephone interview with different questions and is a test to see how you react face to face).

Written Assessment: I have no idea what this is and this is probably the most ambiguous part.

Group Work: I assume this will be a task designated to the whole group whereby we work together to try and solve it. This will most likely be testing your discussion skills, your ability to influence a group by putting valid opinions forward and all the other team skills.

I'll post some feedback here on Thursday/Friday night and let you know what's up. Good luck to you guys too.

Reply 8

helixanus

Hey guys

The assessment centre was really fun. We started out with a presentation and introduced ourselves to the group. I was in a group of 6.

The first session was a group discussion. Make sure you read the brief and know what are facts and assumptions. I won't bother with what our topic was as they will most likely change it.

The written assessment was performed on a laptop and we had 45 minutes to write up. We were given several documents with information and a brief. Ensure that you read the information and discern what is important to get across to the audience. Some of the information will be less useful and you only have an A4 page to get across what you want. The objective is left quite open and you have to decide for yourself what you believe is most important.

The competency interview was the same as the telephone interview with different questions. I guess they want to assess how you are in person, where you would like to work and how your experiences in life have influenced your decisions.

Good luck guys! I just got notified that I am through to the technical interview.

Reply 9

LMayAtem

Hi,

I had my assessment centre on Tuesday 7th Feb. Was a really nice group of people and I actually enjoyed myself which is not something I ever thought I'd say of an assessment centre. I've been told I find out about technical interviews next week so fingers crossed.
Helixanus, do you know when your technical interview will be? Have they told you anything about the format yet?

If anyone has any questions on the process thus far, I'll do my best to answer them!

Good luck all!

Original post by helixanus

Reply 10

sunshine8912

Hello! For those of you who have got through the assessment centre, have you heard anything about the details regarding the technical interview? I found out I was through to the technical interview on the 16th of January and replied with my availability straight away. However I have yet to hear anything! I emailed them again last week but still nothing... :frown:

I assume it is because they are still busy with the remaining assessment centres but I am getting a bit stressed now! So I am just wondering if you have received any details about when we should hear or have a date confirmed? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

And to the people that are going, honestly I actually enjoyed the day! So do not worry!

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 11

C.Tong

Original post by sunshine8912

Hey, I was emailed on the 4th of February saying I was through to the technical interviews as well. Assessment centres were right up to today, so I'm guessing they'll get back to us in the next month or so. I wouldn't worry though!

Carmen

Reply 12

sunshine8912

Original post by C.Tong

Thank you sooo much! I am have been panicking about my email not being received or something.... It was not clear in the email when we should expect to hear as it said they were organizing them in the next few months but they would get back to us ASAP..... So was just a little unsettled as they have got back to me in 24 hours in the past! But thanks again and congratulations!

Reply 13

C.Tong

Original post by sunshine8912

Thats no problem, I didn't send them back an email haha as I didn't really have any dates I couldn't attend. But I was thinking... They took just over a week to get back to me after the assessment center day, so those who've had the assessment centers today, or in the coming few days (as they had to cancel some of the days because of weather) will be contacted by the end of next week maybe, meaning they'll be sorting out technical interviews after that. So yeah i'd say we'd hear back in the next month with arrangements.

And Congratulations to you too!

Reply 14

coley90

Hey guys!

Just heard i'm through to the assessment centre and I'm just wondering what you wore? Is it very formal?

Thanks

Vicki

Reply 15

sunshine8912

Original post by coley90

Hey guys!

Just heard i'm through to the assessment centre and I'm just wondering what you wore? Is it very formal?

Thanks

Vicki

It is relatively formal.... Girls in mine either wore a smart dress, trouser suit or skirt suit. But it did vary in extent of how formal it was. I wore a black skirt, shirt and black blazer and felt comfortable! I didn't wear heels but some of the others did! Hope that helps!

Reply 16

coley90

Thats a great help thanks very much sunshine!
I'm so nervous. Do you they pay for travelling expenses? I'm coming down all the way from Glasgow

Reply 17

C.Tong

Original post by coley90

Thats a great help thanks very much sunshine!
I'm so nervous. Do you they pay for travelling expenses? I'm coming down all the way from Glasgow

Hey, yeah they do. I got reimbursed for travelling from Nottingham with a hotel night stay as well. There should be a travel expenses form with the email confirming your assessment centre date and where to go on the day?

Reply 18

coley90

Original post by C.Tong

Well the assessment centre was full so they are going to email me when spaces become available! How did you prepare? Any tips?

Vicki

Reply 19

C.Tong

Original post by coley90

Well the assessment centre was full so they are going to email me when spaces become available! How did you prepare? Any tips?

Vicki

Ermm tips, well there isn't really much to know about dstl, and they tell you everything about the grad programme when you get there. For the assessment centre and the competency interview I would recommend being yourself.

I'm generally quite chatty and friendly which I felt really helped. They asked quite generic questions in the competency interview like challenges in life, interests etc. so I'd always recommend just be honest regardless :smile: