Advances in AI help Rugby firm launch new tool to help job seekers and businesses
A Rugby company is poised to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) tool it has developed, supported by Warwick Science park's business support service Business Ready, which will help candidates find the right jobs and companies hire the right people.
Career-Fit was founded by experienced HR professional John Kilvington and uses advanced psychometric testing to understand what motivates people and their competencies.
READ MORE: Small business owners say government funding for tech adoption will boost growth
"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," said John.
"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," he said.
"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, John said he struggled to find a way of packaging it and making it appealing for businesses to use and Career-Fit was referred to Business Ready via the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub.
There, he met Fiona Molloy, growth advisor at the University of Warwick Science Park’s free business support service Business Ready.
"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," she said.
"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," she added.
Business Ready 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.
