Sure, you are young, dynamic, well-trained and have already gained work experience here and there. Why shouldn't you be the boss of the whole store, lead the staff and set the agenda, because you usually have the good ideas!? In the AC role-playing games you can test whether you would actually be suitable for this position. Your future employer is also very interested in this because they want to know whether you have potential for advancement. That's why companies test their applicants in role plays in the AC.
Big theater on a small stage
The AC is your stage for role playing. As we already told you in our series on the assessment center , the AC is an extremely popular group selection process in which companies can get to know their strongest applicants personally and test them in small exercises. In the role plays, the applicant should slip into various company positions and show how he would carry out tasks as a human resources manager, supervisor, managing director or team leader.
For example, are you more someone who delegates tasks or tackles them yourself? Can you coordinate a team and ensure that everyone ultimately does their job? Are you taken seriously and does the team follow your instructions? These are questions that your future superiors will ask themselves and want to have answered in the role plays in the AC.
The AC role-playing game in detail
In concrete terms, corporate situations are simulated in the role plays in the AC. You will find out the role you should take on and will be given the task of either conducting an employee, complaint or negotiation meeting or a sales or consulting meeting. Your conversation partners can be colleagues, customers, the press, business partners or employees. Depending on what role you play in the AC and who your counterpart is, your communication, argumentation and goals must of course change. Before the AC role-playing game, you have around five to 15 minutes to get used to these roles. Afterwards, you have to show in a ten to thirty minute conversation with other examinees and an AC observer how well you can convince customers, negotiate with business partners or motivate employees.
AC role play example: The employee interview
Employees are only human and sometimes they just don't feel like working, are sad because their cat ran away, or are unmotivated because the money they take home at the end of the month just isn't enough. Clearly, the quality of work suffers under these conditions and an appraisal meeting will have to be called sooner or later to get the employee back on track.
Now you come into play when your role in the AC says you have to motivate this employee to work as a team again and not to be late, too unfriendly or too slow. This can get complicated because there are probably a few emotions built up that can come out of the employee during this conversation. You have to be prepared for this in the AC roleplaying game. If you criticize an employee for their misconduct, it is important to find the right tone. So can you motivate, but also criticize when it matters? It is important that you make a concrete agreement with the employee here, i.e. find a solution, because something has to change. Be empathetic but firm, show understanding and listen to your employee's suggestions, but never forget that you should act in the interests of the company. It's a challenge, but you can overcome it!
AC training for career starters
Do you need more information about role-playing games in AC? No problem, because the Barmer GEK offers free AC training for students. There you will not only find out what the role plays in the AC look like and how you can best prepare for them, but you can also take part in comprehensive training and be perfectly prepared for the individual parts of the AC, such as self-presentation, group discussion and group selection procedures in the AC . Take advantage of the offer and be perfectly prepared for your AC case study!
