Specialist in Soft Skills, PerformanSe designs personality tests to allow you to hire the right candidate and facilitate the career management of your human resources.

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Consulting Editor & soft skills assessment specialist - Improve your human resources management by better knowing your candidates’ and employees’ soft skills!

PerformanSe - Soft Skills assessment specialist

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has fascinated people since its inception, and its rapid development is fuelling both hopes and preconceptions. Robots, avatars, virtual recruiters... While these technological assistants may leave us dreaming, they will not be replacing humans any time soon.

Recruiters and Human Resources (HR) professionals have long been thinking about the immense potential of AI and data analysis. In particular, how to create more efficient talent acquisition process and detect the best potential. Nowadays, more than 36% of permanent contracts are terminated before their first anniversary, with a major financial impact for companies, reducing recruitment errors as much as possible has now become a major challenge!


What is Artificial Intelligence in recruitment?

AI is such a vast and revolutionary technology that it is difficult to give it a precise definition. It can be considered as a a branch of computer science whose aim is to create machines that are capable of performing tasks that traditionally require human intelligence.

Forget the stereotype of the virtual robot or the case of the AI from the technology giant Google, called LaMDA, that is convinced to have a soul and feelings! Today, we are (still far away from the effective virtual recruiter.

Major groups such as L'Oréal have tested including a robot called Vera in their HR processes. This virtual assistant specialising in human resources was used to sort, interview and select applications... but without much success! For the time being, this fantasised vision of AI is more fiction than science.

It was in the 1950s, with the beginnings of automation - i.e. the automatic operation of a production unit controlled by a programme - that the new science of AI entered our daily lives in a concrete way. 

The British mathematician Alan Turing wrote a famous article entitled Machines of Computation and Intelligence, in which the famous question "Can machines think? was raised for the first time. The rest followed, and those still considered to be the two fathers of AI, McCarty and Minsky, founded the AI laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

How does Artificial Intelligence improve the efficiency of recruiters?

61% of employees surveyed are satisfied with their career development and 86% feel they have the skills to adapt to change. However, their career plans remain relatively vague, with 35% saying they do not have a clearly defined career plan.

Today's careers are not like yesterday's, employees' expectations and motivations at work are changing, players are hesitating and contracts are evolving. To better understand the expectations of today's employees, PerformanSe surveyed - via Panelabs - 1099 European employees aged between 22 and 55.

Discover the results of the survey in the infographic below. And if you'd like more information on the subject, you can download our white paper dedicated to career management.  

[Infographic] Employees and their careers: the great indecision?

Do you think that motivational factors vary according to job, sector or age? Some do, but most are common to almost everyone. The good news is that you can build on these pillars to improve loyalty and performance.

We carried out a survey of 52,000 people over six years, based on assessment tests. The results show that one of the primary motivating factors, regardless of gender or function, is the concept of achievement. "It's about finding satisfaction in achieving objectives, taking on challenges and seeing the results of your work in concrete terms", explains PerformanSe R&D.

It's a concept that can encompass a variety of realities, but it can be summed up as "the desire to work within something defined, to have an established structure or clear, precise guidelines." Yes, even for creative profiles who are often imagined to be looking for independence rather than a clear-cut framework! It's up to managers to define deadlines and juggle between those who want daily updates and those who need a weekly or monthly schedule, for example.

"It might seem contradictory in relation to the second motivator, but just because you need structure doesn't mean you don't want to have a certain amount of freedom and work at your own pace. It's an interesting mix of a desire for organisation and autonomy". And not necessarily easy to manage! Companies can put in place flexible working hours, the possibility of organising their timetable over the week or even teleworking to meet their teams' desire for independence without leaving them to their own devices.

Continuing to learn and develop skills throughout one's career is vital for everyone, but even more so, according to the PerformanSe survey, for senior citizens. "Among the over-50s, there is a slight shift from doing to learning. I'm speculating, but it's possible that after having produced a lot in the first part of their career, there's a desire to return to the path of discovery". So we need to focus on training opportunities for these audiences.

It can take many forms (from a simple gift voucher to a major promotion), but it remains a priority for everyone. It's often assumed that the motivations of men and women are not the same, but the truth is that "while empathy or non-verbal or non-financial recognition may be more important for women, the basic logic and motivation remain the same". It's all about being congratulated and rewarded for a job well done.

The remote work imposed during the pandemic, and the crisis itself, probably changed the way people see work, what they expect from their employer, and consequently their desired psychological contract with the company. Today, mental representations of work change with work experience, but also with salient external factors, such as a global pandemic. Thus our R&D team decided to launch an exploratory study on the notion of the "Psychological Contract" with more than 12,000 data that we collected, coupled with interviews.


What is the desired psychological contract?  

To put it simply, today two types of contracts link us to our employer: the employment contract (tangible element) and the psychological contract (intangible element). The latter is defined by the employee's representations of his obligations to his employer. How do I project myself? What place do I give to the trust I have built up over time? How do I see my career? Do I agree with the value and culture of my company? These are all questions to which the psychological contract is linked. If you want to know more, a very nice article on the subject was written by Parlons RH and Dominique Duquesnoy: "Psychological contract: a new look at the "next world". 


Psychological contract: How is it measured? 

Assuming that the psychological contract contains all the mental representations of an individual (concerning his relationship to work) and consequently all the contractual clauses that cannot be listed in an employment contract, it is very difficult to have a universal measure of it.  In order to implement a measure of the psychological contract, we have chosen a specific measurement angle. 

Why is it called the desired psychological contract? 

For, we measure the preferences and expectations of employees regarding their work relationship. This measurement of the contract will allow HR professionals to use it in recruitment situations, but also in orientation and development.  

The psychological contract, a key factor in talent retention

When we think of recruitment, we immediately think of interviews: interviews with or without a CV, on the phone, by video or face-to-face, with or without a supporting test, structured according to skills or conducted in a more informal way, by a professional recruiter, HR teams, the manager, his or her n+1 or peers, but always in a pattern of meetings / questions / answers / exercises... As if the question of evaluating accurately should always be resolved there and only there. And yet, recruiting always begins well before and ends well after...

A few reminders to make sure you don't miss anything and optimize all the dimensions of the experience.


Before the interview: define the need... and share it!

The upstream phase is always crucial because it presents two major risks of error:

Not having defined the job to be filled and the profile actually associated      with it in a fair, appropriate and precise manner. You run the risk of      launching into an endless search, of trying to clone already known profiles, or of taking refuge in stereotypes      by default.

Not sharing it sufficiently between the actors concerned: there is a risk that      the profiles selected by one will be rejected by the other and that      tension will spread throughout the process.

While the first mistake is generally well known, the second is sometimes more hidden. Even if it is often made of a succession of individual exchanges, recruitment remains a team effort. It is therefore essential to take the time to align positions - between recruiters and managers, n+1 and n+2; therefore to discuss in detail, despite the pressure of urgency that too often presides over the exercise, on the missions, activities, competencies and soft skills expected. Not making a mistake also means making sure that everyone in-house shares the same vision of who we are looking for and why.

Did you know that 13% of contracts are broken before the end of the trial period and 36% of permanent contracts are broken in the first year! 😱

It is not without knowing that a recruitment error is not without financial and human consequences for the company.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as zero risk in recruitment.

Too many parameters come into play for that, but we can nevertheless limit the risks, secure the processes, promote success... and optimize the results!

Our experts share with you, through this infographic, "7 keys to successful recruiting" 👇

[Infographic] 7 keys to successful recruiting!

Technology is not to be outdone in meeting the key challenges of successful recruitment. In 20 years, it has already considerably changed the landscape of recruitment practices and customs. With the gradual arrival of ATS - for Application Tracking System - the digitalisation of HR processes has reached a new level...

Cédric Robin, recruitment specialist and ATS promoter, Partner & VP Sales at Beetween explains in detail what we are talking about today.

Over the past 20 years, the evolution of technology has changed the recruitment landscape significantly...

Of course! Twenty years ago, the widespread use of mobile phones and the Internet had already created new relationships with candidates, who could be reached anywhere and at any time. The subsequent emergence of social networks (LinkedIn) made it possible to benefit from the first online candidate pools, which were easy to reach, based on information that was updated in real time. The subsequent generalisation of telephone pre-selection practices, as well as the use of video tools, amplified by COVID, have further simplified approaches and meetings. And now the use of intelligent recruitment platforms, primarily ATS, will make it possible to go even further...


What does the emergence of TSAs mean today?

The ATS enables the sharing of applications on common platforms, but also automates their management and refines the selection process. It responds to a need for performance through digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence with obvious impacts in terms of sourcing, as well as in terms of efficiency of recruitment processes in general, with a view to simplification and time saving.


What interest can a candidate have in developing TTYs?

For the candidate, it is very simple: the ATS optimises the application "experience". The tool facilitates a one-click response, and in certain contexts offers the circulation of applications within networks of the same company, or even within professional or territorial clusters in the public sector, thus providing opportunities for new meetings. Whereas in the past candidates were obliged to apply each time in a specific way, they can now simply express their intention to change and see what happens. This of course helps to give him visibility and targeted choice, a fortiori in penurious contexts...


And what are the main benefits for the recruiter?

For the recruiter, the tool must firstly enable an increase in efficiency, allowing him to process large volumes of CVs more quickly and easily, in a more objective manner, with the benefit of clear control and reporting data. At the same time, it offers an alternative sourcing channel for candidates that is both accurate and powerful. This is all the more true when it operates in specific job sectors or employment areas, but also when it manages large volumes of course.

When technology is used for recruitment...

The development of hybrid management models is tending to make the function evolve towards increasingly remote management of teams that have become largely virtual. Teams meet less often, they are less and less often together in the same place, and they sometimes communicate by video or email... even when they are on the same site! The time when a team was defined by a unity of time and place, in permanent physical proximity, thus seems largely over. It is therefore legitimate to wonder how best to take advantage of these new modes in terms of performance...

To do this, we asked Arnaud Trenvouez, R&D Program Manager at PerformanSe, 5 questions.

Remote management is not a product of COVID 19. The movement towards widespread partial telework had started long before, especially in large organisations, and there are well documented articles on the subject online since at least 2005.

The question - in reality - is probably as old as management! Whether it was Julius Caesar's armies, the bishops in the provinces or the management of the colonial empires at a time when the ship alone linked continents, the large international organisations have always required remote management and have been able to organise it. But until now it has been limited, generally chosen, reserved for the most mobile and motivated teams. Now it has become almost universal and has been imposed very quickly, even on the simplest functions and the least inclined teams...

At PerformanSe, if there is one theme that fascinates us, it is that of soft skills, emotional and behavioural skills that are often contrasted with hard skills, which are more technical in nature.

We love them so much that our brand new podcast "Soft skill, who are you?" is dedicated to them (in french for now, translation coming soon). The first episode is about creativity, a skill that, once you reach adulthood, is certainly not reserved only for artists. Indeed, stop the stereotypes, you don't need to have dyed your hair blue to be creative!

Here is a summary of what you need to know about this wonderful soft skill, and some advice on how to develop it better and boost your performance and fulfilment at work.

Creativity has several meanings. It can be understood as :

the power of an individual to create, i.e. to imagine and realise something new  

and as the ability to discover a new, original solution to a given problem

However, one definition of creativity is accepted by most researchers in the field: that of the American psychologist Robert Sternberg. Creativity is seen as the ability to produce something that is both new and adapted to the context in which it occurs.

Here, creativity will be the process by which the imagination is transformed into reality, including times of preparation, incubation, illumination and verification. This is how we understand the notion of creativity applied to work: finding an original and innovative idea that respects the budgetary and time constraints as well as the resources that can be allocated to the project concerned.

your divergent thinking: brainstorming to find as many innovative ideas as possible

and your convergent thinking: putting ideas together to produce an original idea that meets the requirements imposed  

While we all go through them multiple times in our lives, job interviews are often an uncomfortable undertaking, and sometimes downright stressful. We agree to be challenged and examined from every angle, in the hopes of being chosen for our much-coveted job.

Today, more and more frequently, recruiters are bringing psychometric tests into the process. Why?  To make successful hires and ensure that the candidate they choose will be the right fit. Drawing on algorithms, these tests help reveal the soft skills of those assessed, by bringing to light their personality, motivations, behaviours or such factors as their cognitive potential.

The ability to assess candidates’ soft skills is of fundamental importance in a professional environment where the nature of a job and the responsibilities it entails are constantly shifting. In the long run, these soft skills can even prove more important than technical skills !

There comes the point in the recruitment process when the results of these tests are reported to the candidate, creating a new medium for discussion in an interview. By combining the two approaches -- recruitment tests and a structured interview -- recruiters are able to more easily uncover the best talents and secure their hire.

We have picked 4 helpful tips for candidates to maximise the benefits of this crucial stage, and, in fact, of any recruitment process!  By applying them, you will be sure not to be thrown off balance during this results-reporting interview.

4 tips to successfully interview after a soft skills assessment

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We'd all like to be able to predict the success of our candidates or employees (in a job, in a company) as well as meteorologists can predict the weather.

While this is not yet entirely feasible, the gap is closing. Not least thanks to the development of evaluation methods, now enhanced by technological advances.

Our guide, the result of in-depth research, focuses on assessment methods that have been scientifically evaluated and validated for their predictive capacity. You will discover a detailed scoring of each method, enabling you to understand their level of reliability and effectiveness in today's professional context.

More than just a compilation, this guide is a reflection on the innovations underway in the world of human resources, particularly with the emergence of generative AI and advanced technologies. We explore how these developments could influence and improve predictive scores, paving the way for even more accurate and personalised talent management practices.

This guide is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the future of recruitment and performance management. It lays the foundations for understanding where we are today and how we can prepare for the exciting transformations the future holds in the field of predicting human potential.

[E-book] Recruitment: the predictive power of assessment methods

Engagement is important! Companies need the engagement of their employees, and collective performance depends on individual engagement... We agree!

Yet the HR discourse on engagement today and the potential levers for action are neither clear nor shared. So what are we really talking about? In a world that claims to be open and flexible, is engagement still possible? Do we need to deploy new means to ensure it? And if so, what and how?

To help HR teams gain a clearer understanding of this key management issue, we have produced this White Paper. It includes research results, interviews with experts and testimonials from HR directors, and advice to inspire you and help you take action!

[E-book] Engagement: An outdated concept? A major asset to be preserved?

Yesterday, the company was a place we never left, and ideas for a break in his career were rare and suspicious. Today, on the other hand, stopping to think has become more natural, a sign of greater mobility and a positive appetite for change. But mechanically, distance and indifference to the organization increase…

In this context, the very idea of career management is undermined. Is there still room for loyalty to the organization? Can the company still be desirable? Can we abandon a positive model of integrated collaboration? And, if not, how to make it still attractive and make people want to project themselves there?

It is to address these crucial issues that we propose this White Paper dedicated to career management. The results of studies, the views of career experts and HRD testimonies invite us to imagine other models. Because the very idea of a career needs to be rethought today, both for organizations and their employees!

[E-book] What would you say to reinventing career management?

Unparalleled in the field of HR tools for developing and recognising skills, 360° is a prime approach to improve self-knowledge. Sometimes  daunting to those who have never had a chance to test it out, this  approach actually yields remarkably profitable results for its  beneficiaries.The fact remains that this is a sensitive approach, all  the more for organisations that are diving in for the first time!

Find out the obstacles you need to sidestep in setting up a 360°, so that you can get the very best out of this approach!

[HR Guide #3]: The 6 pitfalls to avoid when rolling out a 360° system

From the organisation’s perspective, taking an interes in that to which individuals aspire and what naturally sets them in motion is not to be taken lightly. An environment that allows needs to be voiced naturally is an environment in which employees are happier, more engaged and consequently, perform better

In absolute terms, there are no motivated or non-motivated employees, making the question instead: do individuals’ fundamental motivating forces find the conditions they need to unfold in the working environment? Do the characteristics of the environment make it possible to adequately cover the full range of needs?

[HR Guide # 2]: What are the motivations of your employees?

Job satisfaction and professional development arise when there is an  optimal match between the motivating forces driving an employee and that  employee’s work environment. An environment that provides responses to  employees’ main needs will promote their well-being, commitment and  performance at work!

In a professional context, the scientific literature has identified nine  motivators as covering the vast majority of individual needs relating  to job satisfaction and well-being in the workplace: achievement,  organisation, diversity, altruism, belonging, recognition, autonomy,  learning and power. Knowing these motivators will give you a valuable  guide to understanding and identifying the needs of individuals at  work, resonating with your company’s organisational practices.

[HR Guide # 1]: What are the motivations of your candidates?

Two weeks ago our experts Gildas Fras and Yentl Vandenbroucke were invited to the Human Capital Europe conference to talk about talent management and soft skills assessment. During this event, speakers addressed the relationship between human-beings and their company, colleagues and environment. 

In this video, our colleagues explained the value of measuring soft skills during hiring processes, the impact of cognitive bias and the importance of the psychological contract between the organization and its employee. 

[Replay] Change your perspective on soft skills!

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