Finding Signal in the Noise
Performalytics is a micro data analytics business making its fourth-ever hire — a pivotal moment for a growing company. Pollen’s process resulted in a placement that’s lasted more than two years.
Based in Oxfordshire, Performalytics needed a junior data analyst who could confidently work with visualisation tools, spot patterns in messy data, and turn insights into value for clients.
The founder had tried hiring through LinkedIn Jobs and recruiters before, with mixed results. CV screening felt uncomfortable, and past agency hires had been costly and misaligned. They wanted a smarter, more reliable way to find someone who could actually do the job — not just look good on paper.
Pollen took ownership of the entire process and designed a bespoke, skills-based assessment. Candidates worked with dummy datasets seeded with intentional errors, built visualisations, and presented insights — testing curiosity, attention to detail, and real analytical thinking.
To keep the process genuinely inclusive, we invited every applicant — including those previously filtered out — to complete the assessment.
The standout candidate came from the original “rejected” pile. Not only was he a perfect skills and behaviours fit, he already connected with one of Performalytics’ clients through a shared passion for cricket — creating an instant cultural and commercial match.
Over two years later, he’s still thriving in the role and is now being sponsored long-term — proof that when you hire for potential, you don’t just fill a role. You build the future of the business.
James Dickens, Managing Director, Performalytics
How did you find your experience working with Pollen?
Working with Pollen for the recruitment of our latest addition to the team was a breath of fresh air. They took all the admin, stress and time involved in the early stages of recruiting away, giving us a shortlist of great candidates ideally suited to both the role and our business. They worked closely with us to really understand the type of business we are, our core values and the type of candidate that would flourish in our working environment. Being such a small business as we are, this was invaluable and enabled us to focus on the day to day business until the final stages. We will certainly be using them for all future recruits.