Profiling candidates for recruitment jobs before hiring them could give employers as high as an 80% chance of avoiding hiring the wrong people, researchers say.

The findings come from a limited study of 61 recruiters from 16 UK agencies that sought to link specific psychometric profiles with recruiters who have a record of success. The study was done by Thomas International and ClickATest.

“We're not suggesting there is a 'perfect beast',” said Tony Kaye, director of Thomas International.

“There is a whole range of people who can be very good, and perform to an acceptable level. What we are saying is that, by using a benchmark, you can avoid the high costs of employing the poor performer.”

Not only do the early findings suggest that using a benchmarking tool as part of the recruitment process can help identify those with limited potential for success, but they also appear to have singled out an unexpected group of successful recruiters. Their characteristics lean more towards a reliance on expertise and knowledge instead of the traditional hard-sell orientation.

“Finding that group could be an extremely attractive option because they are much easier to manage,” said Kaye.