In order to gain an early understanding of whether a candidate is a right fit for Robert Walters or Walters People, Ellis and her team use Thomas International's Personal Profile Analysis (PPA). This assessment provides a detailed insight into a person's behaviour in the workplace, how they are motivated and their preferred method of working.

“If the first telephone interview with a candidate goes well, we invite him or her for a second interview. We also immediately send them an invitation to complete the Personal Profile Analysis", explains Ellis. "We choose to carry out the assessment as early as possible in the procedure, because the objective results enable us to screen candidates properly. Thanks to the results, we can look beyond the CV". The candidate always gets to see the report himself and it is also discussed with Ellis or one of her colleagues.

In addition, the speed associated with the assessment plays a major role in Robert Walters' application process. Filling in the PPA takes about eight minutes and provides a wealth of valuable information. "We aim to keep the application process for a candidate as short and qualitative as possible. The speed with which a PPA is completed certainly contributes to this. But we do stick to our current selection procedure: it remains tailor-made. If the candidate has competencies that match ours, then the candidate is invited for physical interviews and a role play. All these elements ensure that we can paint a complete picture of the candidate''.

For Ellis, the use of the PPA is a logical and important part of the application process. "A CV or interview does not say everything about a person. Some people unconsciously have an image of themselves that is not quite right, or pretend to be different in order to have a better chance of getting a job. An assessment ensures that you immediately have a good picture of someone's work behaviour, how someone prefers to communicate and what motivates them. And it is precisely these insights that we need to make the best recruitment decisions."

Ellis also regularly receives positive feedback from the candidates about the PPA. "Actually, everyone always recognises themselves in the results of the assessment. Many people see the report as a gift to themselves. They also like the fact that the procedure, especially in such a fast and tight labour market, does not take unnecessarily long."

So instead of focusing on someone's level of education or work experience, Robert Walters chooses to look at someone's personality. "Knowledge and skills can be learned and experience can be gained, but someone's actual personality cannot be trained. When an employee is happy in his or her work, this is the best basis you can have for a long and pleasant working life," concludes Ellis.