Tips to prepare for your Assessment Interview

As we head into the assessment season for candidates pursing membership of the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) or CICES (Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors) I thought I’d share five tips to help individuals prepare for their assessment interview. The tips here are general in nature; nevertheless, I sincerely hope they shine some light on ‘what good often looks like’ when preparing for your interview.

Take time off to focus

If you can, I highly recommend taking a few days annual leave before your interview to help clear your mind and decompress from work related pressures and to recalibrate your attention towards the assessment. Going into the assessment without any undue pressures will help you focus on the principal task at hand, bringing your best self to the interview.

Anticipate questions and be ready to cover the bases

Make sure you come into the interview prepared. Make sure your work demonstrates that you’re working in accordance with industry best practice standards and that you can substantiate your experience. If there’s something you’ve told us (assessors) about in your submission that you’ve done, expect to be asked questions on it that may dive into the details. As assessors we’re checking that you’ve done what you’ve said you’ve done and that you’re working to the standards expected of a professional. Importantly, don’t forget being a professional goes beyond technical ability, one must also be conversant and operating within the rules of membership and professional conduct expected of the institution you are seeking to join. Finally, also expect questions beyond your case study and summary of experience, with assessors often keen to explore your CPD and touch on your knowledge of key industry talking points.

Showcase your knowledge and elaborate with your answers

When asked a question take the opportunity to elaborate and provide detail that showcases your knowledge, experience and abilities. Expand on the question to demonstrate these winning attributes and seize every moment. When we have heard enough, we’ll politely ask a new question or change the topic. This is a good thing; we’re simply moving the interview along, so we ensure we have time to cover the required bases. Remember to smile during the interview too as this helps convey passion, enthusiasm and confidence and comes across well to the assessors.

Structure your answers

There’s lots of advice online regarding how best to structure an answer. My suggestion here is make sure you clearly signpost your answer in relation to its relevance to your chosen competencies and level of proficiency. This will help keep your answers focused and ensure the assessors can follow your answer and capture the pertinent points in relation to marking. Similarly, when giving longer answers or expanding on a point maintain the signposting and continue to highlight the linkages between competencies and the relevant evidence of your knowledge, experience, abilities and reasoned advice.

If you don’t know, say so

If you don’t know the answer, say so. But follow up by showing how you would go about finding it out. The biggest mistake is to make something up or blag as this does not instil confidence in the profession. What we’re looking for is a professional approach to work and in so treat us like a client; let us know if you don’t have an answer to hand, and if you can, demonstrate to us that you know how to go about getting it.

Bonus

Maintain perspective

Ultimately, the assessors are looking to assure you’re a safe pair of hands and will maintain the standards of the profession. In essence that you are a competent and professional surveyor. Having said that, if you’re an early career professional whilst we expect you to be competent and professional, we also recognise your career is in its early stages and that your abilities will grow as you gain experience. We’re not expecting you to have all the answers or to be the principal surveyor leading complex high value projects.

In summary

The assessment interviews are the culmination of years of hard work, they are a fantastic opportunity to showcase all of that effort and demonstrate your professionalism, competency and approach. In the final analysis, what matters is that you’re competent in best practice, can communicate clearly to stakeholders, you understand your limitations and are able to advise your clients appropriately.