Why was I in Aberdeen?_Part 2

Day 2...The day has arrived when I had to give in my 100% effort and more. I was nervous but most importantly I knew that was my final opportunity. Each of us had different time slot of the activities. The day involved a case study analysis (individual), group discussion followed up press conference and finally a technical presentation (individual).

Case study was the most tasking among all because we were constraint by time. Given an hr or 1.5hrs (for people whom English is not their first language) to read through the whole stack of documentations (LOTS) which you had to imagine yourself playing a role in finding the problem and creating solutions to the problem and why you come up with the solution. The key here is time management...do not lose track of the time. You were given 5 min to give your proposal. Then a 20 min for the assessors to ask question with regards to your proposal. Therefore, it is important that one give the critical information in that 5 mins. The key here is think of the wider implication...think bold think big think out of the box. I must say that my working experience had helped me because I had worked in a manufacturing environment in terms of problem solving.

Next we had lunch, an opportunity to eat with some of the assessors. Even though the food were brilliant, none of us were really paying attention to the food.

Then come the next session....group work. You get to read the document for 5 min by yourself. Then paired up with a partner for 15 min to work on a social investment proposal. After the initial discussion, we come to a Review Board meeting (in this case all 3 pairs come together) to discuss as a whole for 30 min. In this activity, remember to talk, make suggestions and contribute. As a group, I say we did great. After coming to a final agreement/proposal as a whole team, here comes the press conference where the assessors play a role as journalist and ask each of us question regarding our recommendations. Be very careful with your answer. Think before you speak. I was the last to be asked and I observed how everyone react to the questions...and I became less nervous....

Finally, the day ended with technical presentation. The part of the day where we felt more at ease because it was presenting something we know about for 15 min. The key is to know what are the key elements Shell seek in a candidate? Having that in mind will help in answering the questions that comes after the presentation. The assessors got 30 mins after your presentation to ask questions. To me, this section was tasking too. I had one question I did not anticipate....*Explain this piece of work to a kid*....blimey..took me a while but I did give an answer that brings out a smile from the assessor. I have also been question my rationale behind changing my career path to another industry. An anticipated question. Everyone of us came out feeling more relax by the end of the presentation. Oh, we all have different assessors. I had an extra assessor in my technical presentation, probably because I was presenting outside their field. I came out smiling, according to one of the guys. I suppose I knew I had nail the technical presentation. Body language had revealed my triumph.

It was time to return to reality. Our journey back to Aberdeen airport ended up in a luxury taxi again. This was the interior of the taxi with one of the guys sitting in front. Looking smart, eh? Three of us share the taxi because we all were heading back to London.



We were sitting in a Mercedes Benz S320. hehehe...I never had been in one and I am not complaining.



My first experience in an assessment centre...it was brilliant. I met new friends, I know more about the company and I know a little bit more about myself in terms of performing under pressure. The outcome was revealed the next day which explained my joy....