Sova speak to students at Royal Masonic School for Girls about how organisations recruit talent

As part of National Apprenticeship week, Sova were kindly invited by The Royal Masonic School for Girls to talk to their sixth form about how organisations recruit talent. To give them a taste for the online assessment process, students were given access to our online assessment process to have a go.

Here, Charlotte Goodman, Senior Client Partner at Sova, shares her reflections on the session.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to facilitate a careers session for sixth formers at the Royal Masonic School for Girls, to help them learn more about the use of talent assessmens in recruitment. Having a daughter of similar age, I really value the importance of helping school leavers to navigate their way into the world of work.

With the session being voluntary, I was really encouraged by the good attendance, although slightly unnerved by the ‘wall of silence’ that young people of this age exude!

During the session I talked the students through why companies use assessment and the typical recruitment process used for early talent schemes, which helped them make sense of the different stages of the process and how to prepare. This was very timely for one student who is currently going through assessments for one of the consulting firms!

The students were then able to spend time working through a series of demonstration assessments as well as have a go at completing cognitive ability tests, gaining first-hand experience of the types of assessment they might be asked to do.

Working in pairs to calculate the correct answers for numerical, logical or verbal reasoning, certainly got the competitive juices flowing! For some of the students who were initially quite nervous, it was great to explain some of the hints and tips to perform at their best; reading instructions thoroughly, taking time to complete the assessment when no time limit is in place and ensuring they will not be disturbed during the process.

I hope the students left the session certainly less intimidated by the prospect of completing an assessment in the future, whether for early talent roles or even a more casual part-time job.

If you’re a candidate and want to find out more about why companies use assessment and to have a go at completing some sample questions, then why not visit our Candidate Preparation Hub.