Gillisa Pope is a senior member of WilsonHCG’s innovation team. She combines innovative ideas, analytics, and best practices in her role as director of sourcing strategy to design and implement effective sourcing solutions. Gillisa, a specialist in employment branding, is also a member of the group that creates WilsonHCG’s celebrated annual Fortune 500 employment brand report. She has more than 15 years of experience creating talent attraction strategies for some of the most admired brands in the world.
What is Talent Pipeline Management?
Benefits of a talent pipeline
Talent pipelining is a well-liked recruiting tactic with numerous benefits for both people and businesses. Here are some potential advantages to take into account as you determine whether talent pipelining is the best option for your company:
Integrated recruiter role
Your recruiters can more easily fill positions that are closely aligned with your company’s industry by using a talent pipeline. In a talent pipeline scenario, recruiters frequently serve as advisors and career coaches, so they must gain as much knowledge as they can about the positions their hires will fill. This can be a fulfilling experience for recruiting professionals. The best candidates for each position can be found by recruiters with the aid of close business integration.
More meaningful contacts
Building relationships with talented professionals in the industry often takes place before they are actively seeking a new position. Both recruiters and potential hires may benefit from these frequently more meaningful and profound connections. This may increase the quality of hiring because talented individuals may be more motivated to work for organizations that care about their careers.
Quicker hiring
The hiring and recruiting process can be sped up by keeping a talent pipeline. A recruiter can start investigating potential new hires in their established pipeline as soon as a position becomes open. Although some professionals in the pipeline may be content in their current position, others may be considering a change in direction. These people may be easier to find and hire since they already have a good working relationship with the recruiter and the business.
Good company fit
Before hiring a candidate, talent pipelining can assist recruiters in assessing how well their contacts will fit in various teams. For instance, by building rapport with potential new hires on a professional level, recruiters can learn more about a candidate’s preferred working environment and work style. In order to build diverse and effective teams, they can also learn about the social preferences and collaborative abilities of potential hires.
What is talent pipelining?
The process of locating and cultivating connections with people who may one day be of assistance to your organization is known as talent pipelining. The majority of this recruiting strategy is proactive, meaning you seek out potential hires and make connections with them before they even consider looking for a job other than the one they currently hold. When positions open up in their organization, many recruiters and human resources specialists compile potential new hires in a talent pool that they can use. The relationship they build with potential future candidates is emphasized by the majority of recruiting professionals who use talent pipelining.
How to build a talent pipeline
Here are some actions you can take if you’re thinking about creating a talent pipeline for your company:
1. Establish recruiting goals
When creating a new process for the first time, it is crucial to establish specific objectives. This is true when developing a talent pipeline. Think about the goals you have for your talent pipeline, the contacts you want to make, and the degree to which you want to keep in touch with potential candidates. To help you create your goals, think about referencing your organization’s mission or KPIs (key performance indicators). Consider structuring your objectives using the SMART goal framework to create goals that are precise, measurable, attainable, pertinent, and time-based.
2. Identify potential hires
Next, develop a strategy for finding potential new hires. Consider using online resources such as professional social media sites. You could also host or go to events like job fairs to meet people who might be interested in the job market in your industry. Consider employing innovative techniques, such as offering referral incentives, to expand your network of potential new hires.
3. Initiate a dialogue
Start a conversation with each potential hire after you’ve identified them. When possible, take advantage of in-person networking to help support personal and professional relationships. Try making connections with potential new hires at conferences or other industry events. You could create a persuasive email to introduce yourself, describe your business, and start a cordial conversation with new contacts.
4. Develop relationships
Continue nurturing your connections with the professionals in your pipeline. Perform a soft vetting process early on in your interactions with each prospective employee to learn more about their qualifications, history, and personality. If you think they might be a good fit for your business in the future in some capacity, keep in touch by sending them sporadic communications. To make sure you are still cognizant of one another’s circumstances and professional requirements, you may communicate via phone calls, emails, or face-to-face meetings.
5. Interview prospective hires
You can use your list of pipeline connections to start filling roles when you have openings on your team. Determine which of the people you’ve connected with might be a good fit for a particular job. Depending on their situation, reach out to invite them to an interview for a particular position. It’s important to get in touch with each person who might be a good fit to find out if they are free to work for your company because highly-qualified candidates might be unavailable and they might also be interested in making a career change at a time that aligns with your hiring needs.
6. Maintain connections
A candidate might not be available for a particular position. They might be available as well, but they might be a better fit for a different position. Keep in touch with past hires you considered because they might be suitable for a position you have open up in the future. These long-term connections can also assist in expanding your pipeline through recommendations and network connections.
FAQ
What is talent pipelining?
A pool of candidates who are prepared to fill a position makes up a talent pipeline. These could be staff members with the potential to advance or external candidates who are partially or fully qualified to fill a position. A talent pool and a talent pipeline are related concepts.
How do you build talent pipeline?
- Identify your company’s long-term goals and needs. …
- Develop a candidate sourcing strategy to fill your pipeline. …
- Establish contact with new candidates. …
- Assess your talent pool. …
- Nurture the candidates in your talent pipeline. …
- Prioritize ongoing training and development.
What is a recruiting pipeline?
A hiring pipeline is a summary of the steps each candidate must take. It extends from application through to offer or rejection. It covers every phase of the hiring procedure for every open position.
What is the difference between talent pool and talent pipeline?
A talent pipeline consists of candidates who have already been determined to be qualified for a specific position, whereas a talent pool is a larger group of candidates who have not been thoroughly vetted to enter a talent pipeline.
