Success Story: How NeoBank Reduced Turnover 47% with Culture Fit
Real story of a 200-employee fintech that transformed their hiring with psychometric assessments.
Talen.to Team
Customer Success
NeoBank is a LATAM fintech with ~200 employees. In 2024, they had a problem: their annual turnover was 38% in technical roles.
This is what they did—and the results they achieved.
The Problem
The Numbers That Hurt
- Annual turnover: 38% (vs 15% industry average)
- Cost per replacement: ~$45,000 USD average
- Time to productivity: 6+ months for new engineers
- Hiring volume: 120 hires/year to maintain headcount
The Root Cause
After exit interviews and analysis, they identified the pattern:
“Most departures weren’t about compensation or growth. They were about cultural misalignment. We hired well technically, but poorly culturally.”
The hiring process was:
- CV screening
- Technical interview (2 rounds)
- HR interview (30 min)
- Offer
Culture fit was evaluated in 30 minutes with generic questions. There was no structure or objectivity.
The Solution
Phase 1: Diagnosis (Month 1)
Action: They assessed all 200 current employees with Talen.to’s assessment.
Findings:
- Top performers (4.5+/5 rating) had a distinctive OCEAN pattern
- Those who left before 12 months had significantly different scores
- There was a NeoBank “cultural profile” that no one had explicitly defined
Identified profile:
NeoBank Culture Profile:
• Openness: 75-88 (fintech innovation)
• Conscientiousness: 78-90 (regulation, compliance)
• Extraversion: 55-72 (collaborative but focused)
• Agreeableness: 62-78 (direct feedback culture)
• Emotional Stability: 72-88 (growth pressure)
• Relational Engagement: 75-85 (cross-functional collaboration)Phase 2: New Process (Months 2-3)
They redesigned the funnel:
BEFORE: AFTER:
1. CV Screen 1. CV Screen
2. Tech Interview x2 2. Talen.to Assessment (45 min)
3. HR Interview (30 min) 3. Tech Interview x2 (only if fit >70%)
4. Offer 4. Cultural Deep Dive (60 min)
5. OfferKey changes:
- Assessment before technical
- Only candidates with fit >70% continued
- HR interview went from 30 generic minutes to 60 structured minutes
- Questions based on assessment results
Phase 3: Implementation (Months 4-12)
- Trained 8 hiring managers on profile interpretation
- Created role-specific scorecards
- Established “ideal profile” for each position
The Results
At 6 Months
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover (annualized) | 38% | 24% | -37% |
| Time to productivity | 6 months | 4 months | -33% |
| Average hiring cost | $12,000 | $8,500 | -29% |
| Candidate satisfaction | 3.2/5 | 4.1/5 | +28% |
At 12 Months
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual turnover | 38% | 20% | -47% |
| New hire average performance | 3.6/5 | 4.2/5 | +17% |
| Offers accepted | 68% | 82% | +21% |
| Time in process | 32 days | 24 days | -25% |
Calculated ROI
Annual savings from turnover:
- 72 departures/year → 40 departures/year
- 32 fewer replacements × $45,000 = $1,440,000 USD saved
Talen.to cost: ~$24,000/year
ROI: 60x
Lessons Learned
1. Initial Diagnosis is Key
Assessing the current team before changing the process gave them the real cultural profile—not the aspirational one.
2. Assessment Before Technical Saves Time
50% of candidates who passed CV screening didn’t pass the assessment. That’s hours of technical interviews saved.
3. Data Convinces Stakeholders
When Engineering asked for “exceptions” for candidates with low fit but high skill, they had data to show turnover risk.
4. Training Matters
Hiring managers needed training to interpret profiles and ask effective follow-up questions.
CHRO Quote
“Before Talen.to, culture fit was something we ‘felt.’ Now we have data. We can predict who’s going to work out and who won’t. The change in turnover speaks for itself.”
— Laura Méndez, Chief People Officer, NeoBank
Does Your Company Have the Same Problem?
If your turnover is above 20%, you probably have an undiagnosed culture fit problem.
Schedule a demo and we’ll show you how to replicate these results.
Related Resources
Talen.to Team
Customer Success
Passionate about transforming how companies build exceptional teams through science and technology.
Ready to improve your hiring?
Start assessing culture fit with science. Thousands of companies already trust Talen.to.