Recruiting for organisational fit, not just a CV match

WasteRecruit’s expertise and track record made them our first choice to manage this recruitment. Our team ethos meant that we placed organisational fit at the very top of our requirements. We only wanted to speak to individuals whose behavioural preferences were closely matched to our own and then look at their experience and broader aptitude. The WasteRecruit team devised a recruitment methodology which we believe increased significantly the chances of a successful process and of medium to long term staff retention.

Bob Sweetland — Managing Director, Specialist Fleet Services

Specialist Fleet Services (SFS), a member of the Rothschild Banking Group, provides contract hire and fleet management solutions to the public and private sector.

Growth had led to an opportunity for a Technical Procurement Manager to join the SFS team. It was imperative that this person had the right combination of ability, experience and personal qualities to meet the demands of the role and also fit with the culture at SFS.

WasteRecruit were retained by SFS to source and assess potential candidates. Traditional job analysis techniques were applied with key stakeholders to identify the critical aspects of the role that determined success. In addition, SFS staff completed personality profiles. These were reviewed in relation to the business, identifying those behavioural preferences important to fit with the working culture and the challenges the new recruit would face in the role.

What became apparent was a working culture where the focus was very much on the needs of the customer and team, rather than the individual. Within SFS there is a passion for quality and attention to detail, and a drive to achieve wider goals.

The bespoke assessment process reflected the need to balance the requirements of the role with the need for strong organisational fit. It was not simply about the functional aspects of the role, it was important to ensure the candidates had the right attitudes and behaviour to be successful at SFS. Evidence from the competency based interview was compared and contrasted with natural aptitude performance and personality data, and candidates were probed further to gain a fuller understanding of their actions and behavioural preferences.

Succinct two-page reports were produced assessing candidate alignment with the role and culture, with key strengths and development areas identified along with further areas to be probed in the face-to-face interview. WasteRecruit attended interviews to facilitate the process and provide relevant analysis and insight.

The assessment process provided SFS with clear and objective information which enabled them to make a much more informed selection decision. Ultimately the selection decision was determined as much by natural aptitude, motivation and personality, as previous experience.