Dive Into The Talent Pool Game

Received some good comments on the Experiential Talenteering post and the Talent Pools or Resume Database post. I thought I would just expand a little on those in today's post.

Alan Whitford, an e-HR and e-Recruitment consultant based in the UK says:
"One of the key differentiators that I have talked about over here (Europe) is that everyone has a talent pool if they have ANY type of candidate filing system - most just don't have any way of accessing it. Meanwhile, the accepted terminology that Hank started has a talent pool as an interactive, candidate communication environment.

My take is that what recruiters really really want is a 'talent puddle'- in other words the traditional shortlist of truly qualified candidates."

Alan's comment drives home a very important point. Most recruiting automation efforts today are actually making the recruiters job HARDER! Today's typical process is wait for requisition to be posted, post the job to a job board (usually the big ones), search existing resume databases for interesting resumes, merge the flood of resumes for the boards with the search results and then begin the hard work. Visually screening resumes, showing the pile of "possibles" to hiring managers, phones screening the interesting ones, and working the scheduling logistics to get candidates in. Meanwhile, many of the more interesting candidates (the passive and semi-passives) are not even involved.

The talenteering approach is to use automation to improve the flow of more qualified candidates, allowing the talenteer to present a shortlist of interested and qualified candidates to the hiring manager in less time. How? By marketing the company and the position in advance of the "official" opening of the position. (See Jeff Hunter's We Don't Need No Stinking Requisition post!) By taking a proactive approach to gain visibility into the upcoming requirements, filling a talent pool with both active and passive candidates, using automated matching to notify candidates of the new position (instead of posting to boards and waiting), and then using technology to screen candidates, the "talent puddle" referred to by Alan is what flows through the system to the talenteer and hiring manager.

Get proactive. Use technology to make your job easier not harder. Cast a wider net by sourcing ahead of demand for both active and passive candidates.

Comments

[Jason davis]

Hi doug. can you suggest some technology that can handle what it is you have described in your post?

Thanks

Jason

[Jim Durbin]

Pipelining sounds good but so much if it is geared towards inside recruiting.

From the outside perspective of agencies, my pipeline is finding good talent and skillmarketing to managers who are smart enough to hire based on what is out there instead of their budgets.

In my own job searches, I always sought to speak to managers who were about to open a position. My theory was why compete if you don't have to?

Translated to selling staffing - a good hire is a good hire. If you can inform your managers this is how you work, they will do their best to hire the people you bring to them when you first present them and not down the road when the candidate may no longer be available.

I'd love to get some ideas on pipelining strategies.

[Alan Whitford]

Hi Doug et al

Doug, thanks for referring to my post and opening up the debate on talent puddles - those who wish to follow/comment on that stream can also visit: (http://e-recruitmentstrategy.blogspot.com)

The line started by Jim does, of course, relate to the Holy Grail for all recruiters - How can I get enough Good Candidates in front of hiring managers - without having to put a giant list of non-qualified candidates into the mix to 'make up the numbers' - and How can I get my hiring managers to trust me and believe in my judgement when I present the qualified candidates.

Get that right, bottle it and sell it:-)

Looks like some fun discussions ahead.

Alan