Reading Time: 7 minutes
Have you ever hired someone who looked perfect on paper, only to find they just didn’t fit once they started?
You’re not alone. It happens all the time. Most hiring processes focus on surface-level information: CVs, interview answers, past roles. But what actually drives long-term success lives underneath. It’s the behavioural fit. That day-to-day alignment with how someone prefers to work, communicate, and make decisions.
This is why we use the Behavioural Assessment by The Predictive Index. And to show you what it looks like in real life, I recently asked Mat Livsey, Director at Black Ink HR, to volunteer for a live behavioural readback. It’s something we normally do in private with leaders after they complete the assessment, but this time we made it public. You can watch it online, but what I want to do here is go deeper. To explain why behavioural assessments matter, what they uncover, and how businesses are using them to make better people decisions.
Let’s clear something up straight away. The Predictive Index Behavioural Assessment is not a personality quiz. It’s a strategic business tool designed to improve decision-making around hiring, team building, and leadership.
It works on a simple but powerful principle:
This gives you practical insight into how someone operates in the workplace. How they handle pressure, how they lead, how they interact with others. Not in vague or abstract terms, but in patterns you can see, use, and talk about.
Once someone completes the assessment, they’re aligned with one of 17 Reference Profiles. These are not boxes or labels. They are common behavioural patterns that describe how someone naturally prefers to work. They give you a useful language to discuss behavioural fit.
In Mat’s case, his results aligned with the Collaborator profile. This is someone who brings steadiness, patience, and a focus on harmony. The kind of team member who keeps things moving forward, not by being the loudest voice in the room, but by being the one everyone trusts to keep things grounded.
These patterns help leaders and teams understand each other better. They make it easier to see strengths, spot friction points early, and build trust.
The Self Pattern is where the real magic starts. It shows how someone naturally behaves when they’re not adapting to expectations. When they’re just being themselves.
With Mat, this meant a calm and methodical approach. Not impulsive. Not loud. Just steady. It showed up in how he works with others, how he processes decisions, and even how he sees his own role in a team. As he put it, “I’m not the one out front, but I’m often the glue holding it together.”
That’s an important insight. Because if a job demands a constant shift away from someone’s Self Pattern, it can lead to friction. Not immediately. But slowly. The job feels like a grind, not a good fit. That’s when performance drops, and retention risks rise.
This is where we look at the Self-Concept pattern. It reflects how someone feels they need to behave right now based on their current environment. It could be their role, their team, or the pressure they’re under.
Mat’s Self-Concept was closely aligned with his natural Self Pattern. That’s a great sign. It means he’s working in a way that matches his natural style. He’s probably operating at a sustainable pace, not constantly stretched.
But when there’s a big gap between these patterns, it suggests someone is adapting. Sometimes that’s okay. Roles evolve. Deadlines loom. But when that gap becomes a permanent state, it creates strain. The role may demand a high level of dominance or extroversion, while the person is naturally steady and reflective. Over time, that mismatch leads to burnout.
We often see this when someone was hired based on experience, not behaviour. They look the part. They say the right things. But the job just doesn’t fit. Not because they can’t do it, but because it doesn’t match how they’re wired.
Even the most impressive CV can lead to a costly mis-hire. Discover why good hires often turn out to be a bad fit, and what you can do to stop it happening again.
From supporting the growth of leading pharma companies over the past 15 years, I have learnt that when it comes to predicting future performance, technology is key:
For me, hiring without the use of psychometric assessments is like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle with pieces missing … and no picture on the box. It’s not fun, it takes longer, and when you are almost finished, you realise you have pieces missing.
Take the assessment today and start measuring more to improve your recruitment.
If you are interested in learning more or are ready to incorporate behavioral data into your recruitment process, please contact me today, I will be happy to help.
Let’s get started!
Dave Crumby
Founder at 360 Talent Solutions
Certified Predictive Index Practitioner
360 Talent Solutions Ltd is an Associate Partner of Humanostics® , a PI Certified Partner authorised to use the science, assessment software, and curriculum of management workshops of The Predictive Index.
In partnership with Humanostics, we provide companies access to the assessment tools provided by The Predictive Index.
Take the 6-minute PI Behavioral Assessment™ today. Once you have completed the 6-minute assessment, I will send you a Full Behavioral Report by Predictive Index.
Discover how the Predictive Index and our Recruitment Optimisation Framework help trusts align hiring with strategy, attract the right candidates, and retain staff.
Discover how The Predictive Index, applied through the Recruitment Optimisation Framework, helps organisations cut costly mis-hires and build teams that stay.
Most hiring mistakes happen because the team’s needs weren’t fully understood. This article shows how to avoid that by using behavioural insight to make decisions that last.
Discover why Predictive Index stands out as a hiring assessment, combining behavioural and cognitive insights to help you choose the right person with confidence.
