Why local councils need behavioural hiring

Behavioural hiring helps local councils look beyond technical skills to identify candidates with the natural work preferences and service-oriented mindsets required to thrive in community-facing roles.

By shifting focus from what a candidate has done on paper to how they naturally behave in a work environment, councils can build teams that are more resilient, collaborative, and aligned with public service values. This approach addresses the unique pressures of local government – including high public visibility and diverse stakeholder needs – by ensuring new hires possess the right work personality for their specific department.

Key takeaways

• Behavioural hiring reduces the risk of bad hires by assessing natural work preferences rather than just technical experience.
• Councils can use behavioural data to match candidates to specific community service roles, improving long-term retention.
• Focusing on work personality helps create diverse yet cohesive teams that can handle the complex regulatory and social demands of local government.
• This method provides a fairer, more objective way to evaluate candidates, reducing unconscious bias in the recruitment process.

The high stakes of council recruitment

Recruiting for a local council is fundamentally different from hiring for a standard corporate role. You aren't just filling a vacancy; you are selecting a steward for community resources and a face for public service. When a hire fails in this environment, the cost is not just financial. A poor fit can lead to service delays, damaged community trust, and a toxic culture that spreads through small, interconnected departments.

Traditional recruitment methods – primarily the resume and the unstructured interview – are notoriously poor at predicting how someone will actually perform once the initial honeymoon period ends. We often see councils hire for experience but fire for behaviour. A candidate might have a decade of planning experience, but if they lack the collaborative mindset needed to work with frustrated residents or the resilience to handle public scrutiny, they are unlikely to succeed long-term.

This is where behavioural hiring changes the game. It moves the conversation from "can they do the job?" to "how will they do the job?" By understanding a candidate's natural tendencies, councils can predict how they will react under pressure, how they will communicate with colleagues, and whether they will truly embrace the council's core values.

Building community trust through work personality

Local government relies on a vast array of personality types to function. A library assistant requires a different natural approach to a heavy machinery operator or a senior town planner. Behavioural hiring allows council leaders to map the specific work personality required for each unique role. At Compono, our research into high-performing teams has identified eight key work activities that define success, and matching people to these activities is the secret to lasting engagement.

Consider a community engagement role. You likely need The Campaigner – someone who is enthusiastic, persuasive, and naturally draws people in. If you accidentally hire someone whose dominant preference is to work in isolation, they will likely find the constant public interaction draining. This leads to burnout and, eventually, another vacancy for your HR team to fill.

Conversely, for roles in finance or regulatory compliance, you might look for The Auditor. These individuals are methodical, detail-oriented, and find satisfaction in maintaining order. By using behavioural assessments, councils can ensure that every department is staffed by people who are naturally energised by their daily tasks, rather than exhausted by them.

Reducing turnover in a competitive talent market

Turnover is a significant headache for local government, particularly in regional areas where the talent pool may be smaller. When councils lose staff, they lose institutional knowledge and continuity. Behavioural hiring helps solve this by improving "Organisation Fit." When a person's natural work preferences align with the team's needs and the council's culture, they are significantly more likely to stay.

We often find that why new hires fail usually isn't about a lack of skill; it's about a mismatch in expectations or environment. Behavioural data allows hiring managers to have more honest, targeted conversations during the interview process. Instead of asking generic questions, you can ask behavioural questions that probe into how a candidate handles specific scenarios they will actually face in your council.

Compono Hire helps councils automate this process by scoring and ranking candidates based on their fit for the role and the organisation. This doesn't replace the human element of hiring; it empowers it. It gives your recruitment team the insights they need to look past a polished resume and see the real person underneath, ensuring that the people you bring on board are there for the long haul.

Ensuring fairness and objectivity in public hiring

As public institutions, councils are under immense pressure to demonstrate fair and unbiased hiring practices. Traditional interviews are often swayed by "affinity bias" – the natural tendency to favour people who are similar to us. This can lead to a lack of diversity and a "groupthink" culture that stifles innovation and community representation.

Behavioural hiring introduces a layer of scientific objectivity. By using validated psychometric assessments, you are measuring all candidates against the same objective criteria. It doesn't matter where they went to school or who they know in the community; what matters is their natural aptitude and behavioural fit for the role. This creates a level playing field and ensures the best person for the job is the one who gets the offer.

Furthermore, this data-driven approach provides a clear audit trail for hiring decisions. If a decision is ever questioned, the council can point to objective behavioural data that supports the choice. This transparency is vital for maintaining the integrity of the public service and ensuring that the council continues to be seen as an employer of choice that values merit and potential over connections.

Supporting long-term development and succession

The benefits of behavioural hiring don't stop once the contract is signed. The insights gained during the recruitment phase are incredibly valuable for ongoing development and leadership planning. When you know a new hire's strengths and potential blind spots from day one, you can tailor their onboarding and professional development to set them up for success.

For example, if you hire The Helper for a frontline service role, you know they will excel at empathy but might need support in asserting themselves during difficult community disputes. You can proactively provide training or mentoring to help them bridge that gap. This proactive approach to management builds a culture of support and continuous improvement.

Over time, councils can use this data to build a "map" of their entire workforce. This makes succession planning much easier. Instead of guessing who might be ready for a leadership role, you can look at the behavioural data to see who naturally exhibits the traits required for different leadership styles. Whether a situation calls for directive, democratic, or non-directive leadership, having a clear understanding of your team's personalities allows you to place the right leaders in the right spots at the right time.

Key insights

• Behavioural hiring allows councils to predict job performance by matching work personalities to specific role requirements.
• Using objective behavioural data reduces the impact of unconscious bias, leading to fairer and more diverse public service teams.
• Aligning a candidate's natural preferences with the council's culture significantly improves employee retention and community service quality.
• The insights gained during behavioural hiring provide a roadmap for personalised employee development and more effective succession planning.

Frequently asked questions

What is behavioural hiring exactly?

Behavioural hiring is a recruitment method that focuses on a candidate's natural work preferences and tendencies. Instead of just looking at past experience, it uses psychological insights to predict how a person will behave, communicate, and solve problems in a specific work environment.

How does this help councils save money?

The cost of a bad hire in local government can be upwards of double the role's annual salary when you factor in recruitment costs, lost productivity, and the impact on team morale. Behavioural hiring significantly reduces the risk of making a poor hire, leading to higher retention and lower long-term costs.

Is behavioural hiring fair for all candidates?

Yes, it is actually fairer than traditional methods. It uses objective, scientifically validated assessments to measure candidates against specific role requirements. This reduces the influence of unconscious bias and ensures that candidates are judged on their actual potential rather than just their resume or interview performance.

Can we use this for internal promotions?

Absolutely. Behavioural data is incredibly useful for internal mobility. It helps you identify which existing staff members have the natural traits required for leadership or for a move into a different department, ensuring that your internal talent is utilised effectively.

Do candidates find these assessments off-putting?

Most candidates actually appreciate the process because it shows the council is serious about finding the right fit. Compono's assessments are quick and engaging, and they provide candidates with insights into their own work personality, making for a much better candidate experience.