Best practices for designing assessment centres

Most assessment centres measure what is convenient – and not necessarily relevant.

Structured thinking, technical know-how, confident presentation – all of these can be assessed in traditional selection processes. What is rarely tested, however, is the ability to reflect on oneself, manage conflict or cope with stress in a project. Yet it is precisely these skills that determine success or failure in teamwork.

The imbalance is particularly striking in technical roles. Companies use complex coding tests to check keyboard skills – but hardly anyone has to demonstrate how they communicate under pressure, deal with criticism or argue constructively with colleagues. Soft skills are observed, but rarely measured.

The result? Bad hires that cost money, cause frustration and destabilise teams.

Assessment centres (ACs) could be the ideal tool to prevent this from happening. The emphasis is on could – because they often stick to outdated standards.

Anyone who wants to design modern ACs needs more than methodological knowledge. It takes the courage to sharpen your focus on human qualities that cannot be hidden in PowerPoint pitches and Excel cases.

What counts today is a holistic skill set. Not only: Can this person perform [hard skill]?
But also: Can they take responsibility in a team – especially when things get tough?

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Between job requirements and reality: making soft skills visible

Many assessment centres start with a job profile. But this often remains vague when it comes to soft skills. Terms such as ‘strong communication skills’ or ‘team player’ are ubiquitous in job advertisements – but rarely operationalised.

It's a flaw in the system: Soft skills are considered difficult to measure and are therefore often ignored. Yet they are precisely what determines success in complex roles – especially in the tech environment. Anyone who wants to thrive in a team today must be able to listen, negotiate and reflect. That is a basic requirement.

And practice also shows that soft skills can be validly assessed – if the requirements are precisely formulated and reflected in the exercises multiple times. Good ACs use the principle of multiple measurement: a skill such as conflict management is tested in several formats – for example, in role-playing, in a group discussion and through a self-reflection task (Haufe 2022).

What often happens instead is that intuition replaces structure. Observers rely on sympathy, charisma or presence. This puts introverted, reflective talents at a disadvantage and favours candidates who are good at selling themselves but don't fit in well. We now need to change this across the board.

Stifterverband and McKinsey's ‘Future Skills’ report identifies teamwork, critical thinking and digital independence as key skills for tomorrow's world of work (Stifterverband/McKinsey 2023).Assessment centres that take this seriously work with structured observation sheets, realistic conflict scenarios and repeated behavioural tests. This not only improves the fit and cultural fit, but also reduces employee turnover.

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Digital processes: greater efficiency, less distortion

Many companies plan digitally but recruit analogously. Assessment centres take place in hotels, with flipcharts, name tags and catering. In times of hybrid teams, this seems rather outdated. That's why we say:

Digital ACs are not a compromise. They are the logical next step.

Digital comes with its own set of advantages: such ACs are more efficient, scalable and accessible. They can be set up modularly, are location-independent and significantly reduce the workload of HR departments. At the same time, they enable standardisation of assessment – which reduces bias and increases comparability (Bitkom 2023; Haufe 2022).

What modern methods offer:

Role-playing via video call with clear assessment grids (assessment centres simulate situations relevant to success that are characteristic of current or future work tasks)
Team tasks in virtual boards (e.g. Miro, Mural)
Self-reflection via asynchronous video statements (a method in which candidates answer questions about their own working methods in advance, thereby demonstrating their reflection and communication skills in a structured manner)
Game-based assessments or simulation-based tasks (by definition, assessment centres are based on simulation-based tasks in which they simulate situations relevant to success)

Tools such as AI-based language analysis or adaptive test environments can also be integrated. The important thing to remember is that it is not the technology that makes the difference – it is the quality of the diagnostics. Therefore, if you want to test soft skills effectively, you do not need physical rooms. Instead, you need well-designed tasks, structured observation and trained decision-makers.

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Between technology and teamwork: what really matter today

Technical roles are considered rational – but they are highly social. Developers, project managers and DevOps specialists work in complex, often stressful constellations. Specialist knowledge is not enough.

And yet, in many ACs, the assessment of hard skills dominates. Tasks, logic tests, presentations. The result: those who are methodically strong but weak in communication are hired. Those who have social intelligence but do not stand out often fall through the cracks in the selection process.

Quiet strengths such as empathy or conflict awareness often remain invisible – even though they stabilise teams.

That is why wrong hires in technology often fail for the wrong reasons. Not because of a lack of know-how. But because of a lack of self-organisation, an inability to work together or a lack of conflict management skills (EY 2024; Bitkom 2023).

Assessment centres that take soft skills seriously focus precisely on these areas:

How does someone react under pressure?
How do they deal with resistance?
Do they take responsibility when the going gets tough?

Such skills can be tested – if you really want to see them. In simulated conflicts. In group discussions with conflicting goals. In role-plays that require stress, clarity of roles and communication.

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Combining efficiency and candidate experience

Assessment centres are often considered time-consuming, expensive and difficult to scale. And yes, if you have participants analysed by eight observers for a whole day, you will reach your limits – in terms of personnel, finances and organisation. But effort and quality are not mutually exclusive. They are directly dependent on clever design.

Well-structured assessment centres save money by avoiding misplacements. And they save time because they provide clear signals – in advance. Provided, of course, that they are well planned.

Three adjustments make all the difference:

Automate pre-selection
Digital pre-assessments or situational online tests help to reduce the number of irrelevant interviews – without detracting from the candidate experience.
Modularise exercises
Not every format requires real-time observation. Many tasks can be evaluated at a later stage – e.g. video self-presentations or case solutions with a rating scale.
Take candidates seriously
A structured AC comes across as professional – an unstructured one as condescending. The clearer the briefing and the more comprehensible the tasks, the better the candidate experience.

After all, the war for talent is also a war for trust. If you want to attract top talent today, you have to show that you think about selection processes not only from your own perspective, but also from that of the candidates. Assessment centres can and should be challenging. But they must also be respectful, comprehensible and transparent. Selection processes are not a one-way test – they are the first proof of how the company thinks, communicates – and leads.

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Conclusion: measuring correctly means making better decisions

Many assessment centres still operate according to old patterns – patterns that date back to a time when specialist knowledge was the most important factor for success. Today, things are different. In hybrid teams, agile projects and digitalised working environments, soft skills are not just accessories, but the foundation of effective collaboration.

Those who select talent are also deciding on team dynamics, innovative strength and future viability.

Assessment centres are the right tool for this – and an important one at that – provided they are rethought. In other words, they need to be clearly structured and digitally supported. Above all, however, they must not only observe social skills, but also put them to the test in a targeted manner. This results in selection processes that create added value – for both sides. In order to check who fits in and who will ultimately stay.

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Do your assessment centres check whether someone thinks logically – but not whether they work well in a team?
Then you are wasting potential – and risking hiring the wrong people, which can be exhausting. CareerTeam helps you rethink selection processes: efficiently, verifiably and with a spotlight on what matters tomorrow.
Let's find out together where your diagnostics have blind spots. We look forward to talking to you.

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