With Custom Predictive Profiles, you can design profiles based on the traits that matter most for your roles. While Spark Hire offers research-backed standardized profiles, you may want to build something specific to your organization and position’s needs. This guide walks you through how to create a strong profile.

Create a strong Custom Predictive Profile

1. Identify roles that need tailored profiles

Spark Hire offers standardized profiles to support a wide range of positions. However, these may not fit every use case. In those instances, you can create a custom profile tailored to your role or organization’s specific requirements to better identify quality candidates.

Consider using a custom profile when:

• You want to emphasize behavioral competencies unique to your version of a role.
• The standardized profiles available don’t fully reflect what success looks like in your organization.
• You’re building a new or blended role with requirements that differ from traditional job descriptions.

2. Select observable, job-relevant behavioral competencies

A good profile doesn’t cover every possible skill—it highlights the behaviors that truly define strong performance and help you predict success.

• We recommend you start with a standardized profile for a similar role and adjust it to reflect the specific behavioral competencies that matter most to your team.
• Ask: What do our top performers in this role actually do differently?
  • Select behavioral competencies that reflect how your top performers behave—not just what’s in the job description.
  • Also, think about team members who didn’t thrive in the role—what behavioral gaps held them back? Those can point you to traits that are essential for success.
• Choose 6–9 behavioral competencies to keep your profile focused and predictive. Data shows that fewer than 6 may not give you enough insight to compare candidates effectively, while more than 9 can make it harder to focus on the qualities that matter most for the role.
• Limit to 2 behavioral competencies per category to avoid over-emphasizing one area.

3. Revisit profiles periodically

Profiles aren’t set-and-forget, roles evolve.

• Update profiles after major team, role, or strategy changes.
• Collect feedback from hiring managers about how well predictions matched real candidate performance.
• Use analytics or team feedback to identify patterns: Are high-potential candidates performing well? Are any traits over- or under-weighted?