An AI career assessment tool developed by a Rugby-based career guidance company could help businesses make far better-informed hiring decisions and get people into jobs that truly fulfil them.
Career-Fit, founded by John Kilvington who has worked in HR for more than 40 years, uses advanced psychometric testing to understand what motivates people and their competencies in transferable skills before matching them to ideal vacancies, and helps businesses fill their own vacancies or build teams.
Now, thanks to advances in AI, the firm has developed a tool which will enable businesses and organisations to quickly interpret the results of these tests without the need for a qualified psychologist.
It is hoped the tool will help candidates find roles that enable them to thrive both now and in the future, and businesses or organisations to quickly fill vacancies with motivated candidates.
John has worked with Fiona Molloy, Growth Advisor at the University of Warwick Science Park’s free business support service Business Ready, which is funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Warwickshire County Council to create a launch plan and to provide marketing advice around Career-Fit.
Career-Fit was referred to Business Ready via the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub.
John said: “I looked into psychometric testing in the early 1990s after my company was tasked to build teams for IT companies in many different emerging markets at that time in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
“People in these regions had skills and inherent motivations, but there was no reliable way of assessing them because the economies they worked in were not the same as a Westernised labour market.
“This led me to create psychometric tests to assess an individual’s motivations, regardless of academic ability, and work out where they will excel the most in the workplace.
“The tests looked at qualities such as flexibility, adaptability, resilience, and emotional intelligence – all excellent predictors for career success across a range of sectors.
“After refining the testing over a number of years, recent advances in AI have been game-changing. Instead of needing a psychologist to interpret the results of our testing, AI can do so in a matter of moments.
“This led me to found Career-Fit to enable more businesses and individuals to take advantage of this accessibility.
“However, I struggled with finding a way of packaging it and making it appealing for businesses to use. That’s where Fiona and Business Ready came in.
“What she has enabled us to do is to really focus on what makes Career Fit’s tool unique, and why it will be useful for so many companies.”
Fiona Molloy, Growth Advisor at Business Ready, said: “John clearly had extensive experience in HR and psychology when he came to us for support, but was not sure of the best way to sell what he had created to businesses and other organisations.
“He’d never really needed to come up with a marketing or launch strategy before, so we have been guiding him through that process and enabling him to ‘sell’ Career-Fit’s tool.
“Career-Fit is now at a stage where the tool is ready to be launched, and we’re confident it will make a significant difference to businesses needing to find quality candidates and individuals looking for fulfilling work.”
Councillor Martin Watson, portfolio holder for Economy at Warwickshire County Council, said: “The Business Ready programme provides tailored advice for many local businesses, and this is seen in the support provided to Career-Fit. John used his specialist knowledge to create a fantastic tool for businesses and Business Ready has been able to provide advice to support John in the development of his launch plan and marketing knowledge to ultimately grow his business.”
Cllr Louise Robinson, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for growth, investment, digital and communications, said: “All products need launch and marketing strategies to ensure potential customers can be targeted from day one and the product has the best chance of success.
“Business Ready has helped Career-Fit take the significant step from product development to launch and given John the marketing know-how to target HR departments in companies across a huge range of sectors.”
Business Ready forms part of the Business Growth Warwickshire programme. It is delivered by University of Warwick Science Park on behalf of Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire’s five District and Borough Councils. The support is part funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (via the District and Borough Councils), and Warwickshire County Council.
Find out what other support is available to your business by calling Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub on 0300 060 3747 or visit the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub website.
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Notes to editors
All press releases relating to projects supported by funding must include 1. A text reference to the funding provided by the UK Government and a proof point. 2. The funded by UK Government logo.
Business Growth Warwickshire Programme
The £4.6 million Business Growth Warwickshire Programme, developed and commissioned jointly by Warwickshire County Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Rugby Borough Council, Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Warwick District Council, is designed to engage with over 2,000 businesses, more than 500 of which will receive intensive, bespoke support. The programme, funded by the UK Government (through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund via the five district and borough councils) and £500,000 from Warwickshire County Council, will play a major role in strengthening small and medium sized businesses across Warwickshire in the short to medium terms. An additional £1.3 million from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is expected to be available to boost the Warwickshire Business Energy Advice Service.
It includes six strands:
- Warwickshire Business Start-Up Programme
- Warwickshire Business Resilience and Growth Programme
- Business Ready - Warwickshire High Growth and Innovation Programme
- Warwickshire Business Energy Advice Service
- Warwickshire Manufacturing Growth Programme
- Project Warwickshire – Visitor Economy and Hospitality Support Programme.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
£2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which succeeds the old EU structural funds. This money will go straight to local places right across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to invest in three local priorities; communities and place, support for local businesses and people and skills. For more information visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus