Kalido, a data warehouse software company spun out of Shell in 2003, has put three values at the heart of its business: to be an ethical software company; to be customer, not product led; and to employ the highest quality people. To achieve this last value the company uses a number of objective assessments from SHL to help select the very best.
Andy Hayler, founder and chief strategist of Kalido, comments ìThe variability of talent within the software industry is quite extreme, and you canít tell someoneís potential from their CV. Faced with this situation, I began to look for a better set of tools to help make the right hiring decisions.î
Hayler booked himself on an SHL Level A training course to learn more about psychometric testing. On returning to his business he tested what heíd learnt on volunteers from his existing staff.
ìI am very data-driven so like to see real proof before making a decision. We ranked 16 of our programmers in terms of their performance and then asked them to complete the DIT5 ability test from SHL to see how well it predicted their actual job performance. The results were very impressive, with a high correlation (0.65) between high scores in the test and performance in the role. This gave the whole process considerable credibility,î Hayler continued.
The company now uses a range of ability tests from SHL as the first phase of its selection process. It has also added an online OPQ assessment and has given all recruiting managers training in competency-based interviewing skills ñ also provided by SHL. Once again, before adopting the OPQ, Hayler and his team researched the market and tested the product on themselves.
The company, assisted by SHL consultants, worked to develop ideal competency profiles for the key roles they frequently recruit. Using some in-house modelling they are able to define a percentage ëfití between a candidate and the perfect profile.
This level of rigour is unusual in recruiting in the software industry, but has been generally welcomed by Kalido staff as they see it adding to their competitive advantage and bringing one of their core values to life. Even unsuccessful candidates have commented positively on the process, saying that it shows how seriously Kalido takes its people ñ adding to its employer brand. Hayler adds: ìI have been very impressed by SHL throughout my dealings with them, whether on ability tests, OPQ, consulting or interview training. They seem to me a highly professional organisationî.
Kevin Kerrigan, managing director of SHL (UK) Ltd, added; ìAndy Hayler and Kalido have really taken the benefits of objective assessment to heart. By investigating and validating tools internally before they are implemented they have not only satisfied their own ëengineersíí minds, but they have won significant buy-in across the company and made assessment part of the organisational culture.î
Kalido turns to SHL to help select high quality people
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