The Science of Upplft

How we match talent and why there’s no such thing as a perfect match.

We’ve all heard it: “Culture fit is everything,” or “We just need someone who checks all the boxes.” But what if that approach is fundamentally flawed? At Upplft, we believe that hiring is less about finding a perfect match and more about creating informed, human-centered connections. Based on psychology, behavioural science, and real-world testing, we’ve built a framework that helps companies hire better, not perfectly, but meaningfully.

Here’s how the science behind Upplft reimagines matching talent to roles.

1. Hiring Isn’t About Finding the “One” It’s About Data-Informed Compatibility

Upplft started with a simple question: “Why isn’t hiring more like dating?” In relationships, we value personality, shared values, and compatible lifestyles. Yet in hiring, we still rely heavily on capability-based screening and resumes that reveal little about the human behind them.

The opportunity cost of a bad hire can be up to 3x the person’s salary. Upplft tackles this challenge by layering science-backed insight over traditional hiring steps and integrating personality, values, and culture matching into one cohesive experience.

2. Personality: Science Over Stereotypes

Most hiring tools treat personality as a surface-level input, if it’s considered at all. At Upplft, we use the HEXACO personality model, a six-dimensional framework validated by decades of psychological research. It includes:

• Honesty-Humility

• Emotionality

• Extraversion

• Agreeableness

• Conscientiousness

• Openness to Experience

  
  

These traits are not good or bad; they’re situational. For instance:

• High extraversion can foster leadership or create tension if a team already has dominant voices.

• Strong conscientiousness promotes focus but may lead to burnout in dynamic roles.

What matters is fit, not scoring high across the board.

Upplft balances scientific rigour with real-world usability by offering short-form assessments during the application process, designed to deliver meaningful insight without creating application fatigue.

3. Values: The Compass Behind Every Decision

Values determine how people behave when no one’s watching. When a company’s stated values and a candidate’s personal values align, engagement, productivity, and retention improve significantly.

To enable this, Upplft analysed 300+ company value statements and distilled them into a list of 20 core values. Candidates are prompted to choose their top 10, revealing what we call their “true values”, a deeper layer of authenticity beyond resume speak.

Interestingly, increasing the number of values selected from 5 to 10 revealed richer candidate profiles and decreased the likelihood of "gaming" the system by choosing only conventional corporate terms like “Teamwork” or “Integrity.”

4. Culture Fit Is More Than a Vibe—It’s a Framework

Culture is often treated as something intangible, a “feeling” people get during an interview.

But research shows it can and should be categorised and measured. Upplft uses the Competing Values Framework, which identifies four dominant culture types:

• Clan (collaboration, loyalty)

• Adhocracy (creativity, agility)

• Market (performance, competition)

• Hierarchy (stability, control)

  
  

We match candidates not just to the company’s stated culture, but to the unique cultures of teams and leaders within it. A candidate might thrive in a high-autonomy product team but struggle under a structured, hierarchical finance department.

Upplft asks hiring managers to identify their team’s dominant culture, then compares it to the candidate’s preferred environment, bringing visibility to alignment (or misalignment) early in the process.

5. The Upplft DNA: A Full-Spectrum Matching Model

Most hiring platforms prioritise skills, both technical and soft. But Upplft’s approach is holistic. We compare candidate and company alignment across six dimensions:

• Hygiene (basic eligibility)

• Experience

• Technical & Soft skills

• Personality

• Values

• Culture

  
  

A simple analogy: skills are the golf balls, personality is the marbles, values are the sand, and culture is the water that fills the spaces in between. Only when all elements are considered does the match become robust.

We also recognise nuance. Hiring an intern? Prioritise values and growth potential. Hiring a senior leader? Culture fit and leadership style might matter more than direct experience.

That’s why Upplft’s matching algorithm is dynamic, adaptable, and human-guided, not a black box.

Conclusion: The Power of Better Matches, Not Perfect Ones

Hiring will never be perfect. But it can be better, fairer, faster, and more human. At Upplft, we’re helping companies make smarter decisions earlier, reduce hiring bias, and create a more connected talent experience.

The magic of Upplft isn’t just in the algorithm—it’s in how we bring together behavioural science, data, and design thinking to enable more meaningful, enduring working relationships.

Download our white paper and uncover how we think about Talent, Matching and the future of Hiring at Upplft.

The Science of Upplft.pdf

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​About the Research: This blog is based on the whitepaper “The Science of Upplft,” authored by Adam Caines and Kris White. It integrates research in psychology, sociology, and organisational behaviour with field-tested hiring practices.