The in-basket is a common simulation exercise used in assessment centers. It tests how the candidate will handle the responsibilities of the new position by presenting a range of problems they may encounter. During an in-basket, the candidate receives information about the role to be played, such as descriptions, responsibilities, and general context.

The candidate is then given the in-basket materials and asked to respond to contents within a particular time. As the candidate completes an item, it transfers to the "out-basket."

After completion of the exercise, a discussion with the evaluators often takes place. In this discussion, the candidate describes their justification for the decisions.

A few examples of items you may see during an in-basket are below.

• Employee problems
• Upset community member
• Apparatus problems
• Required training
• Meetings

Evaluators can score the candidates in the following areas.

• Identify key issues
• Set priorities
• Anticipate problems
• Create solutions
• Give reasons

Having a systematic approach is essential. You can organize your basket items by time or by priority.

• Time: If the items given have a time they occur, you can organize your responses based on the time of day you will address each area. Next to each item, you will assign a priority and description of how you will handle the situation.
• Priority: You can organize each time based on priority. High, medium, and low are the levels of priority. Place each item in the selection priority, then describe how you will handle the situation.

The 4 Skills to Ace the Inbasket along with the tools from The Promotion Playbook. 

• Eliminate - Know the 4 Hazard Zones
• Delegate - Team Roster and Shift Prep Sheet
• Automate - Do sets and reps with the In-Basket Templates
• Do - Oral Board Prep Sheets

The Promotion Playbook: A Proven Path to Your Fire Department Promotion
by Amazon.com
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735739502/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_81RB0PMMVK0G3934N4NV