Three weeks ago, my phone lit up with a LinkedIn message from someone named Jennifer. I didn’t think much of it.
I’m a university student graduating this spring, and while I was interested in a more concrete position, I already had a part-time job. And I know how recruiting messages usually go: I send my resume, it joins an untouched pile, and I never find out why they picked me in the first place.
So why did this message feel different?
When I finally gave in to my FOMO and sent a generic “I’m definitely interested!” reply, something unusual happened.
Jennifer didn’t want my resume. She wanted action.
Six minutes, 86 adjectives
A link popped up for a behavioural assessment, estimated at six minutes to complete. It gave me two tasks, each using the same list of 86 adjectives:
Page one
Select the words that describe how others expect me to behave at work.
Page two
Select the words that I feel really describe me.
The next day, Jennifer asked for my resume and invited me to the Predictive Success Corporation office for an interview. I was confused. Why would she want to meet me based on some adjectives?
Because Jennifer had more than adjectives. She knew about my need for collaboration, socialization, stability and precision, so she walked into the interview knowing exactly how to talk to me and what to ask.
How? The Predictive Index
The Predictive Index, as delivered by Predictive Success, is a talent optimization platform built around an assessment that reveals how people are naturally driven to work. Instead of gut-feel hiring and one-size-fits-all management, companies get science-backed insight into how to help their teams thrive. It measures four factors:
A
Dominance
B
Extraversion
C
Patience
D
Formality
Together, the factors place you in one of 17 profiles on a shared behavioural map.
My pattern
The Altruist
People-oriented, empathetic and expectation-seeking, but also prone to hesitation and conflict avoidance. It reflects my collaborative, sociable, driven and formal nature.
So after the usual interview questions, Jennifer asked questions to see how I’d handle those challenges in the workplace. The results were very accurate. Now I use them to lean into teamwork while staying focused and organized.
Three days later
I was a Predictive Success employee.
For the first time, my first day was exciting instead of scary. I already knew how to communicate with everyone. I knew who would give me reassurance and who would give me tough love. Most importantly, I knew I was joining a team that knew I was the fit they needed.
Don’t just take it from me
The Predictive Index, as delivered by Predictive Success, can change lives whether you’re working or not. Take it from Derrick, a Rotman School student at the University of Toronto:
A much needed aha moment triggered when I found out my test results… I cannot stress enough how significant this is to the overall betterment of progressing my career.
Software knowledge, soft skills and a stacked resume are all great. But the strongest tool you can carry into your career is knowing who you are and how you work.
Sometimes your best asset is being yourself.
