The TalentFirst Inventory^TM (TFI) is a brief, online pre-employment screening tool with criteria that go beyond traditional background checks.  The TalentFirst Inventory^TM outlines eight job-related productive and counterproductive attributes, alongside supporting measures.  Before you invest the time and money to train a new employee, test your applicants for skills like:

• Customer Service
• Tenure
• Productivity
• Dependability

This test provides the answers you need to make informed hiring and promotion decisions.

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The TalentFirst Inventory™ (TFI) is a brief, online pre-employment screening tool with criteria that go beyond traditional background checks. While background checks focus on past actions or employment history, the TFI provides an added layer of assurance: predicting how candidates will conduct themselves on the job — through character, not just credentials.

The TFI is a valuable asset in the competitive talent selection landscape, particularly for businesses in the service and hospitality industries, like retail and hotel chains, banks, and other related sectors.

It quickly identifies candidates who are dependable, have integrity, and will drive a high-performance, more secure work and team environment.

The TalentFirst Inventory^TM uses a scientifically validated, legally compliant, and fair assessment to see how a candidate is likely to perform in the workplace. This assessment, or character check, gives an employer the complete picture of the candidate during the recruitment and selection process, illustrating how they will behave in every interaction. When candidates complete the TFI, their results are scored automatically. To further support the employer’s decision, the screening tool offers helpful recommendations based on data from thousands of candidates with similar roles and experiences.

The TFI outlines eight job-related productive and counterproductive attributes, alongside supporting measures. Drug Avoidance and Integrity-related measures can be omitted to accommodate local regulations and compliance requirements in a given state or region.

TalentFirst Inventory^TM  Candidates complete the TFI online, and results are scored automatically; employers receive actionable recommendations based on data from thousands of similar candidates. The TFI outlines eight key productive and counterproductive attributes, with options to omit certain measures for regulatory compliance.  The TFI does more than screen for service-oriented behavior: it gives employers a predictive model to find candidates who align with company culture, want to stay, and are eager to develop.

Quick Facts:

• What roles is TFI suitable for? – Entry-level roles across retail chains, hospitality, service industries, and other service positions in related sectors.
• How long does the assessment take? – 10–15 minutes, completed online.
• How does the TFI meet legal compliance? – The TFI meets legal compliance through its adherence to U.S federal and state regulations, including standards set by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
• What behaviors does the TFI assess? – Productive (e.g., dependability, customer service) and counterproductive (e.g., risk-taking, aggression) behaviors.
• Can the TFI be integrated with other systems? – Yes, it works with applicant tracking systems (ATS) and our Talent Selection portal.
• Languages Available – English and Spanish (North America)

To help employers hire with confidence, the TalentFirst Inventory outlines:

What Does It Measure?

Talent Behaviors

• Customer Service – Demonstrating courtesy, cooperativeness, friendliness, and attentiveness toward customers.
• Tenure – Emphasizing long-term rewards over short-term goals.
• Productivity – Planning, organizing, executing, and completing work assignments on time.
• Dependability – Planning, organizing, executing, and completing work assignments on time.

Risk-Oriented Behaviors

• Job Safety – Assuming responsibility for job safety and accident prevention.
• Integrity* – Maintaining positive attitudes toward integrity, responsibility and workplace ethics.
• Workplace Nonviolence – Avoiding argumentative, violent, or hostile behavior in the workplace.
• Drug Avoidance* – Refraining from the use or sale of illegal drugs in the workplace.

* Can be omitted to accommodate different regulations in a given state or region.

Benefits of the TFI

• ATS integration – Connects seamlessly with Applicant Tracking Systems to enhance company efficiency and deliver a smoother, more engaging candidate experience.
• Enhanced Workplace Safety – Screens for drug avoidance, nonviolence, and job safety, reducing shrink, theft, and fraud.
• Improved Productivity – Identifies candidates with integrity, accountability, reliability, and excellence.
• Reduced Turnover – Screens for tenure and dependability, helping hire employees likely to stay long-term.
• Proven Impact – Integrates seamlessly into recruitment workflows, minimizing liability and safeguarding assets.
• Legal Compliance – Adheres to U.S. federal and state regulations and EEOC guidelines, ensuring fairness and standardized evaluation.

The TFI is a strategic cornerstone of talent selection, ensuring the right candidates are identified early to drive productive onboarding and support the entire employee life cycle. Its implementation refines hiring strategies and adds value for cross-functional teams, including Loss Prevention (screening for integrity and reducing inventory loss) and Workplace Safety Programs (assessing behaviors for a safer environment).

Why going beyond a resume to character works.

The TFI helps employers understand a candidate by assessing productive and counterproductive behaviors; however, it equally focuses on identifying dependable candidates who also exhibit shared values and ethics. Instead of only looking at applications and resumes to filter out candidates who don’t meet employment standards, our pre-screening tool captures vital traits that match your brand and maintain company culture, non-violence, and high performance — all of which are critical to success.  A large U.S. retail chain with over 300 locations integrated the TFI into its recruitment and selection workflow, which included traditional background checks, to select candidates with strong integrity, a commitment to non-violence, and a service-oriented mindset.  With the TFI’s proven record of reducing turnover rates, improving customer satisfaction, and decreasing workplace violence incidents, this retailer saw a major improvement in its business.

Here’s how the TFI helps you screen for the right character.

The TFI uses an Applicant Report, a clear and actionable method for outlining a candidate’s suitability for a role. When a candidate submits their responses, a percentile score is assigned to each productive and counterproductive trait; higher scores indicate a greater likelihood of positive workplace behavior. The report then creates tailored interview questions from a candidate’s responses learn more about them — ideal for sorting favorable and unfavorable qualifications more thoroughly.

The Applicant Report summarizes the profile of scores into an Employability Index, a single score derived from its eight behavioral scales (e.g., productive and counterproductive

composites) to provide a clear recommendation for review. This index is your go-to indicator when making selection decisions. Scales from all competencies outlined by the TFI are present in the report, too.  Note: The Candidness and Accuracy scales determine whether a candidate’s responses to the TFI are valid for use and interpretation. Candidates scoring low on these scales receive a “Not Recommended” evaluation. The report also includes Significant Admissions (or direct admissions) that are not good for work. Said items are categorized into productive admissions, counterproductive admissions, and total admissions.

How the TalentFirst Inventory strengthens your brand with every interaction.