Ready for Assessment Centers

Aims

Assessment centers (ACs) are increasingly used not only in corporate environments but also for academic leadership positions, postdoc appointments, and interdisciplinary project teams. For highly qualified researchers, the ability to demonstrate both subject expertise and key transferable skills under observation becomes a decisive factor in career progression. This workshop equips participants with:
• a solid understanding of the structure and objectives of different assessment formats
• knowledge of typical exercises and evaluation criteria
• confidence in self-presentation and group interaction
• greater awareness of personal strengths and areas for development

Content

The workshop provides a comprehensive introduction to assessment center design and practice. Participants explore different types of assessments – from traditional formats used in leadership recruitment to development centers aimed at identifying potential – and understand the rationale behind each format. This knowledge helps to demystify assessment procedures and build confidence.
The program includes:
• Overview of assessment types: classic, development, online and hybrid formats
• Common exercises: role plays, case studies, inbox tasks, structured interviews
• Evaluation criteria: subject knowledge, social competence, stress resilience, teamwork
• Self-presentation: elevator pitch and interview simulations with feedback
• Group exercises with peer observation and reflection
• Working under time pressure: prioritizing and structuring tasks in realistic scenarios

Methods

• Interactive input with real-world relevance
• Individual and group exercises, including simulations and role play
• Personalized feedback
• Reflection phases to support transfer into personal practice
• Discussion of case examples drawn from real assessment settings

Target Group

All Doctoral Candidates & postdocs

About the Trainer

Mathias Z. Bühler is the Managing Director of Netzwerk Kadertraining and has been responsible for targeted training programs to prepare professionals and executives for application and selection processes for many years. He leads a team of around 30 specialized experts and holds overall responsibility for the Swissassessment-certified assessment services offered by [www.kadertraining.ch] (www.kadertraining.ch). Together with the GenAI-specialized Team of [ www.strategify.ch] (www.strategify.ch) he develops innovative strategies that empower companies and individuals to successfully leverage the opportunities of digital transformation, especially GenAI.

Workload

Total 8 h (Course attendance)

Feature

Once registration is open, applications will be collected for 24 hours and course places allocated by lot. All registrations received after the initial 24h period will be put on a waiting list and assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Course places/places on the waiting list will be confirmed by e-mail. Course registrations can only be canceled before the registration period ends (send an e-mail to grace@unibas.ch). Full course attendance is mandatory. Participants who fail to attend a course without prior notification or withdraw after the registration deadline are subject to a fee of CHF 30. In addition, participants who cancel their course registration at a later point in time, are absent without an excuse or do not attend the entire course will, for reasons of fairness, not be considered for course registration in the following semester and will be removed from other courses offered in the same semester. Please find the detailed regulations on the Transferable Skills Homepage.