media managed as one performance system.

Fix What’s Broken.

Build What Works.

custom research & talent intelligence.

Fix What’s Broken. Build What Works.

Better decisions start with better questions.

Most organizations are still guessing.

In talent strategy, poor decisions rarely come from a lack of data.
They come from misleading data, shallow insight, or research that isn’t designed to be used.

GBS delivers custom research and talent intelligence for organizations that need clarity they can trust—and insight that stands up in the boardroom, not just on a slide.

This isn’t research for reporting’s sake.

It’s research built to inform strategy, reduce risk, and drive action.

Why most talent research falls short



Most employer brand builds don’t underperform because they lack creativity. They fail because they’re built before alignment exists.

Common issues we see:

• Benchmark studies that don’t reflect real hiring conditions
• Surveys designed for scale, not nuance
• Data that confirms assumptions instead of testing them
• Insights disconnected from EVP, brand, or hiring strategy
• Findings that look credible—but aren’t operational

The result is familiar: decks that get shared, discussed, and quietly ignored.



Research only creates value when it’s designed to answer the right questions—with methodological rigor and strategic intent.

This is research you can defend—and actually use.

How GBS approaches research differently

Research built on psychology, ethics, and real-world application

Our research work is grounded in validated I/O psychology, behavioral science, and principles such as Person–Environment (P–E) fit—the alignment between people, roles, culture, and systems that drives performance, engagement, and retention.

We don’t just ask what people say.

We examinewhy they respond the way they do—and how those responses should shape decisions.

Every research engagement is:

what we research

What we research:

This insight becomes the foundation for strategy, activation, and measurement.

Candidate Experience & Hiring System Research

We examine how candidates actually experience:

• Career sites and job content
• Application and assessment processes
• Recruiter and hiring manager interactions

This allows us to identify friction points, false signals, and misalignment that undermine conversion and trust.

GBS partners with HR tech platforms, vendors, and solution providers who need independent, credible research to support:

Our role is not to validate assumptions—but to pressure-test them.

AI-Aware, Ethically Grounded Research

As AI increasingly shapes hiring systems and decision-making, research has to evolve with it.

GBS brings in-house AI expertise to ensure research is:

Designed with awareness of algorithmic influence and bias

Interpreted responsibly—without overstating conclusions

Used to inform ethical, human-centered system design

We don’t treat AI as a shortcut.

We treat it as a variable that must be understood—and handled with care.

what clients gain  from this work

Organizations that engage GBS for custom research gain:

• Clear, defensible insight tied directly to real decisions
• Reduced risk from assumption-based strategy
• Stronger alignment between brand, hiring, and candidate experience
• Research that informs action, not just discussion

This work often becomes the backbone for:

• Employer brand and EVP consulting
• Employer brand builds and career site strategy
• Recruitment media and performance optimization
• Vendor partners who want to better inform, and better serve, their clients
  

Because when insight is sound, execution gets sharper.

Who this research is for

GBS’s custom research works best for organizations that:

Need clarity before making high-impact talent decisions

Are tired of generic benchmarks and shallow insight

Want research that integrates psychology, brand, and systems

Require credibility—with leadership, boards, or the market

If you need fast data to confirm a narrative, this isn’t it.

If you need insight that holds up under scrutiny, it is.