HMRC Assessment Centre

Take a look at the assessment centre guide. Hopefully someone else will have been on the HMRC itself.. I'm almost 100% sure you'll have a verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning assessment on the day.

I have also been invited to the Assessment centre for HMRC...it is for one and a half days apparently...I have no idea what to expect.

Guys I have also been invited...please keep me posted if any1 can help in any way as even i dont know what to expect :(

What was the process pre-assessment centre? Did you get a telephone interview/interview/online tests/etc?

Application-online tests-telephone interview- and now assessment centre.

Thanks

I have also been invited to the assessment centre...... i have booked a date for the AC and it now says that im "on hold for policy exercise".....does any one know what that means???....... has any body been given any details about what the day will consist of?...... any information would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Ruz

Redsuperted, how r u 100% sure that we will be getting a mumerical & verbal reasoning, as it has no mention of it in the Assessment day guide?

and can anyone answer what time it starts on the 2nd of Feb?

Do we have to come a day before, on the sunday?

I think you should call them up to find out for definite answers to those questions.

Regarding the tests - ask them too, I'm sure they'll say. I'm not 100% but it is extremely likely!

I also have the status...on hold for policy exercise....I HAVE NO IDEA what it means :-S

There is also no clues as to what the assessment centre involves on their website...oh dear!

i cant even find a number to call them on so not sure what to do?!?.....what day have you booked out of interest katherynfielden?..... ive booked the 11th Feb, was thinking that they might be waiting until closer to the date to give me more information??

I too have been invited to the assessment centre stage, and I too have no clue as to what is going on. One thing I am pretty sure of, however, is that we will be required to sit the online tests again as proof that it was really us that sat them in the first place. No pressure!

Other things I've heard are that we will be asked to take part in various scenarios where our team work/leadership/reasoning skills etc are assessed.

Finally, as an internal candidate, I can vouch for the fact that the recruitment process is far from straightforward and fairly lengthy in most cases, so try not to panic too much.

I booked for the 10th Feb...a tuesday I think. But the assessment centre is for 36 hours?

Do we get provided with overnight accomodation? I kinda need to know what is going on so i can organise transport.

I've got one in that 2nd week as well, think it might be 10th but haven't got any more information yet. Hopefully it will come nearer the time! I am sure we will have overnight accomodation, wonder what time we will leave on the 2nd day though?

I read somewhere, on another forum I think, that last year they had do to:
A group exercise
A paper-based in-tray exercise
A report and presentation and
Some other 1-1 exercise

This'll be my first assessment centre so haven't really got a clue what it'll be like! Do people wear suits the whole time?

I have also been invited to the assessment centre. There's a lot of mystery surrounding it, which is both exciting and nerve racking!

I received an email giving loads of details about the Assessment Centre today. If you havent received it, let me know (Personal Message) and i will forward it to you.

Kat

Yeah I got that today as well. The bit about competitive banter is a bit strange, made me laugh though!

Do you know if we get refunded for petrol if we drive? I have a 220 mile round trip! If so what is the rate e.g. 15p per mile or something?

J087, The competitive banter bit made me laugh as well! Kath you'll get petrol expenses of something like 15p a mile, but I'd really recommend getting the train. You'll be exhausted when you finish and the last thing you'll want to do is start a massive drive home.

I'm going to the AC in Warwick on 4th and 5th Feb, anyone else? For those that haven't had an assessment centre before, it is damn tough - considerably more-so than attending one in the last few years. There are so fewer places this year due to this incredibly annoying credit crap, that the competition is huge! I have attended 3 assessment centres BT, E.on and TfL in the last 2 months, performed well in all of them (they've told me in feedback) and been offered none. It's killing me! And I've got 2 and a half years experience on a Graduate retail management scheme! Some of them have had up to 15 candidates with 2 positions available. You go in there with the odds massively against you, and the shit thing is that you just don't know what they are looking for!

For those of you that are wondering about the venue, it's exactly the same place I had the E.on assessment centre, and it's very nice. Bedrooms are spacious with separate bathroom, ironing board/iron (crucial with a screwed up shirt that has been in your bag all day!) and the food is good also. Don't go to Warwick station, it's further away from the venue than Coventry station. Head to the latter, then get a cab to the venue (the local cabbies all know exactly where the gaffs are) costing about £10 - you'll get that back in expenses, just grab a receipt.

For those of you contemplating about resitting the online tests... that will probably happen, especially with the fact we start at 1.30! It will be a long couple of days. The E.on AC gave us paper versions of the online tests, which if anything, were very slightly easier than the online ones. The bitch is though, that they don't tell you when your time is elapsing, they just shout 'Stop, pens down now please!' So it's difficult to manage your time - (If anyone is like me and can never quite finish the last few Qs for the numerical tests, I like to know when I'm on my last minute to make educated guesses!).

The good news is that we don't have to prepare a presentation for it - it takes days of effort and all comes to nothing if you don't get the job. But anyway, enough of my negativity, but I'm sure you can tell how pissed off I am for not having been offered a job yet!

Anyone know how many grad places HMRC have?

Hope my info helps!

I have one of these too. I am starting to get more worried after reading these posts lol. I remember reading on prospects that there were 50 vacancies. Dave1984 did they not say in the feedback not tell you where you can improve?

I'm going later in Feb, the last week I think. Anyone know the address? Is it just one venue for everyone? I haven't had any emails since getting through the phonecall. I am an internal candidate, so have been tying to ask around what they are after, but it just seems to be the obvious things, like team-working, respecting others, considering the wider picture, not being too overbearing etc.

Do you guys all want to be Tax Inspectors? or are some management...

RBX, They don't really tell you how to improve, just how you did on the day. And that's what it's all about, the scores on the doors on the day. Another thing to remember is, all these big companies are crap with feedback - because you have to wait about a month before you get any. By that time you've forgotten what and how you did, and it doesn't help you with impending assessment centres because you won't get the feedback in time! With the examples I've cited in my previous post, there have been so fewer vacancies than in past years that in these assessment centres you may actually make the grade (hit everything on their check list) but still not get the job, because someone else has made the grade that was marginally better than you. Trust me, this year is a damn bitch for gettin a decent job.

The most difficult thing I've experienced in the assessment centres I've attended this year so far is time management, particularly in the exercises that require a huge piece of work to be completed within a limited time. Just don't spend too much time reading, thinking and planning! Just get it down on paper asap! The trap I fell into was wanting to make it all as thorough as possible and I ended up writing far too much detail for the beginning of the exercise and left myself too little time to get anything substantial down for the latter parts of the exercise.

Harold, I've applied for General Management, yourself?

I have a feeling that the HMRC AC is gonna be tougher than most. Good luck guys

I went for the Tax Inspector positions, as I work with them and also know some trainees- though only a couple are from the last couple of years, the rest are either approaching the end of the four years training or even re-taking exams etc. I believe it is very challenging, but also quite well rewarded. The only issue I see is that I believe the training is not accredited, if that is the right word, ie if you train to be a tax inspector the qualification may not be recognised by, say, an accountancy firm if you wanted to jump ship.
Still, I'm bricking it really. I suspect I shall go blank or something in a group exercise, or arrive knackered and exhausted.

If you do the exams with HMRC, are they 'professional' i.e. what are they, and can you get a job outside of the inland revenue if you dont want to stay? I cant find anywhere what the exams are!

hy Dave1984,

This might be a little bit of topic. I'm going to have my assessment centre with E.on on 4th and 5th February. What can I expect with the AC and is there any technical interview?

Thanks

Could you guys start a new thread for E.On, rather than discuss it here.. it would be extremely helpful and you might get better input from other people too!!!

E.

Katheryn, I have been wondering the same thing. Maybe one of the internal candidates can tell us?

Redsuperted I think you'll find that any info regarding any assessment centres will be beneficial to us all - they are all very similar. On that note, I hope the following info helps you Helixn:

There is a final technical interview for any schemes other than the Corporate Management one, which is the one I went for. You will find candidates that have applied for a mix of schemes at the AC though - it's the same assessments for each scheme. Day 1 you will have a presentation and a paper version of the numerical test - then dinner and a chat to other grads. You will be placed into a fictional business scenario the second day, as a graduate that has just started work with a company called 'Powerdex' - the obvious similarities with Powergen made me chuckle. With all the work you complete on the second day you must ensure you focus on the objectives of Powerdex when answering any questions/exercises. You are given an agenda and have to manage the time yourself, ie making sure you are in a particular room for a particular exercise at a given time. You have scheduled breaks that I recommend you just work through - you won't get enough time to be as substantial as you need otherwise. You have to eat something at lunch though. Exercises include Group exercise (Can't remember what it was about!), a written report, a presentation on a flipchart (you have to decide which is the best energy saving idea from a bunch, why, what you would need to implement it, risks, benefits etc) and a competency based interview, just like your telephone interview but in more detail. That's it if I recall correctly.

And so we're back on topic, can anyone tell me exactly what is an 'in-tray' exercise? For you internal candidates, is there anything you recommend we research before the HMRC AC?

Hey people

Am currently a trainee inspector. Good job but stressful - studying takes over your life!

1) yes wear a suit.

2) Im not sure if some people have to resit the online tests. I didnt but think I read somewhere abut 5% of people have to.

3) They are taking on a lot more people this year. Think in region 150-170.

4) They are trying to get qualifications externally validated. Accountancy firms do respect the course and I know several people have gone to PWC, KPMG etc a couple of years after qualifying. New exam system not yet sorted.

5) Intray ex - literally what it says. Email intray. have to read through about 24 emails and accompying info and make dcisions. Then have about 45 min to write report. When I did it it was all on paper but they may give you guys computers.

Hope this helps

Hey people

Am currently a trainee inspector. Good job but stressful - studying takes over your life!

1) yes wear a suit.

2) Im not sure if some people have to resit the online tests. I didnt but think I read somewhere abut 5% of people have to.

3) They are taking on a lot more people this year. Think in region 150-170.

4) They are trying to get qualifications externally validated. Accountancy firms do respect the course and I know several people have gone to PWC, KPMG etc a couple of years after qualifying. New exam system not yet sorted.

5) Intray ex - literally what it says. Email intray. have to read through about 24 emails and accompying info and make dcisions. Then have about 45 min to write report. When I did it it was all on paper but they may give you guys computers.

Hope this helps

Wow..that sounds quite gruelling. Thanks very much Dave. At least I will have an idea of what to expect. And best of luck for your HMRC AC

Travel Lover, good help cheers. I had an e-tray event with Faststream and didn't pass it, and got no feedback. With these situational judgment tests like e-tray/in-tray, what approach are they looking for? Bit of a general question I know, but do you know where I'm coming from? Is it merely following only the info given to get the correct answer? Because I know civil service value these exercises quite importantly in measuring whether you're right for the role.

Thanks in advance

I failed the fast stream one but got the HMRC job. I think the main thing is:

Fast stream one - only the first part (the 24 email thing) counted as to whether you passed. The report was assessed as part of the assessment centre,

HMRC - both get assessed and from what I have heard the report counts for a lot.

As for approach Im not sure. All I would say is I know each competency is measured twice during the assessment centre so even if you dont do as well on that if you do ok on the other exercises you will be ok.

I would also remember that there are 3 different routes on offer - Tax Professional, Accountancy and Management - so they will be looking for strengths in different competencies depending on which role you've applied for. You wouldn't be expected to be brilliant at everything (couldn't do any harm though - lol), but to do well in the relevant competencies, i.e. Management - leadership, relationships, etc; Accountancy - numerical ability, logical reasoning etc. Also, as I understand it, if you've applied for one role but seem better suited to another then they will consider you for the alternative instead.

On the subject of whether the qualifications are externally recognised or not, I wouldn't worry - you can do a lot worse than get trained in tax and accountancy by the people who make the rules! But the training is presumably very subject specific - they couldn't be seen to be spending thousand of pounds of tax payers' money training people who are likely to leave as soon as they qualify. I have heard that the qualifications are widely acknowledged in the private sector as well though.

Good points Alun, although I'm not sure the point about each scheme being assessed differently is correct. My understanding of it is that at the ACs there will be candidates with a mix of what they have applied for. The AC should be the same for all candidates and assess the same competencies. Anyway, I'm sure we'll find out.

Travle Lover, is there any advice you can give us for the AC? Did you leave feeling confident? Cheers

Anyone there this wednesday? Im having a bit of a worry here! :)
anyone know about the number of ppl that get to this stage v's amount of jobs being offered? i noticed a comment further up about the number of jobs has increased.
anyone had theres yet? im sure they have started today?
Is it just in Warwick or are there other places their doing them?
Thanks

I've got mine Wed too, Carly. It is just Warwick this year apparently. I'm getting really nervous now. I had to ring them today actually, because the information I've had says we're in Arden house. That's where we're staying overnight, but I'm not sure if that's where we're being assessed. Another document they sent me via email states that we should be assessed in either Scarman or Radcliffe building. So I'm unsure of where to meet! The lady that answered couldn't help me because the grad team was at the AC's today!

I also questioned what would happen regarding the weather situation, and basically if we can't get down there we're knackered!

Question for internal candidates or anyone else that knows anything about it, where are successful candidates likely to be located? I want to move down to London, would that be an option? Cheers

You should check your emails again possibly, i had an email a few days after confirmation that id got through. it was a very short one saying what time and where, im in Scarman.
I was worried about weather too.. im travelling up the night before but im fortunate enough to have a friend in uni there. i did check availability of a few b&bs and it wasnt too bad.. its just the expense of it all i guess.. the job for me will be managing to get there.. im travelling from South Wales so should be fun! Not a wonderful driver :)
Im terribly nervous too! its my first one.

Dave1984 - I didn't mean that any of the assessments will be different. Everyone will have to do the same stuff, but they will be looking for different qualities in people in relation to the different job roles, that's all.

As far as I can remember they've said that they will try to accomodate successful candidates in the location of their choice, but can't guarantee it. I'd imagine that you're more likely to be placed in one of the bigger offices like Cardiff, London, Merry Hill, Newcastle, Belfast etc. I do know that once you reach the grade of Officer, which is sort of just below the training grade that you're on on the grad programme, you are considered "mobile" - i.e. you're expected to take a job wherever it's offered.

Dave - you are right. All assessed the same as all are just different routes to grade 7.

I know everyone says it but just go and do your best. Group discussion - stay involved but dont start arguing/ getting agressive with people and if someone isnt participating try and include them. E-tray and report/presentation dont panic just use your time effectively. You will get asked a few qs about your presentation so if you have time try and think of possible qs. The face to face activity - chances are you will not feel positive after - no one did at my ac but just do your best and put it to the back of you once its done.

I felt confident on some of the activities but not all. They will tell you at the start that you will enjoy the event - and being honest you do in a slightly warped sadistic kind of way!

Carly - not sure how many they are down to but definitely a lot more about 170 jobs as this year as they have realised they are going to be short of g7s in the future due to a lot of them nearing retirement etc.

Candidates liable to be based all over from Scotland - Plymouth! At the AC you get a list of the possible locations and have to rank them. Successful candidates are ranked in order of their score from the AC. Top person gets first choice and then it goes down the list till all locations are filled.

Hope this helps (whilst avoiding studying!)

Alun - sorry didnt see your post. From what I remember its down to your ranking whether you get your prefered choice.

Alun - sorry didnt see your post. From what I remember its down to your ranking whether you get your prefered choice.

Thank you, very insightful. Just one thing... presentation?? I haven't heard anything about a presentation!

ilovetravelling - down to ranking??? No extra pressure then...

lol

Dave - yes its 1 of the 4 activities. You get a load of info have to write a report and do a presentation to 1 assessor. The assessor will then ask you a few questions.

Alun77 - yes - but dont think about that at the mo. Just be confident go and do your best!

I am thinking of driving to my AC, but does anyone know about the parking there? Is anyone else thinking about driving there (or already has)?

Hi I am going to drive too but I'm coming from South Wales on the 16th :S I don't know about parking but I'm sure that won't be a problem when we get there, this seems to be a very organised event.

Has anyone already completed the AC's this week and maybe even got a result? If so, how was the whole experience?

Appreciate your comments vastly.

Thanks
Mo

Mo, I'm assuming that they won't give any results until they see everyone, much like they did with the telephone interviews.
If anyone could comment on what happens regarding choosing an office that would be great. Do they give you a list to choose from? If so, what are the offices?

Thanks for any replies

What office are you looking/preferring to work in?

Sorry that was a silly question from me. Anyway I know two of the office locations, in London it's in Parliament street and in Cardiff it's in Llanishen.

Moko - not all in london end up in p sq. Some are euston tower.