Determining a job applicant’s personal values is crucial in preventing costly hiring mistakes, which can cost firms an average of £6,125 per employee in associated labour turnover costs. That’s according to global talent assessment organisation Pearson TalentLens, which is launching a new, values-based assessment tool that will help combat the ‘hit and miss’ approach to recruitment still used by many UK firms.
Sosie, set to launch in the UK in September, will provide employers with a richer starting point from which to make informed recruitment decisions, because it measures personal motivations, interpersonal values and personality traits within a single assessment tool. Current research indicates that the mindset of an individual, as linked to their personality and values, is more important in many instances than the skills a person brings to a role (ii). In today’s fast-moving world many employers cannot say with certainty what skills will be required by their staff in ten years’ time but they do know exactly the sort of people they will want working for them in terms of their mindset.
According to Chris Hall, Managing Director of TalentLens, “Values are instrumental in determining what people do, the effort they put in and how well they perform. When measured alongside other relevant information such as personality traits, they contribute to an accurate and well-rounded assessment of an individual.” He continues, “By exploring specific values such as conformity, leadership and orderliness you can gain insight into the person’s beliefs, interests, attitudes, needs and preferences.”
Sosie is a French term, which translates as “a perfect resemblance to another.” The test highlights the fact that two people with the same personality traits may act very differently according to their value system. By measuring values, businesses have the opportunity to assess the degree of similarity between the values of the employee, and those of the organisation, in order to maximise fit into specific roles.
“Employers are increasingly looking for a level of ‘fit’ between the organisation’s cultural or brand values, and those of the individual,” said Hall. “A clash between personal and organisational values can lead to disillusionment within a role, lower levels of productivity and higher staff turnover. Sosie offers recruiters the opportunity to assess compatibility in the very early stages.”
