It’s Time to Expand Your Talent Pool: Here’s Why.

The benefits of having a wide talent pool may not always be seen instantly. However, it can make the future development of your company a lot easier. In the current world of work, limiting your talent pool is something that you can’t risk. There are a wide variety of considerations when it comes to Tech Recruitment and FMCG Recruitment which we have covered off in more detail in ‘Tech Recruitment UK: Navigating the Competitive Landscape‘ and ‘FMCG Recruitment Trends and Strategies‘. In this blog, we specifically look at some of the top tips to expand your talent pool.

What is a talent pool & why should you extend it

A talent pool is essentially a database of potential career prospects. Workers on the database are usually both highly qualified and have already expressed an interest in joining your organisation in some form.

Organisations will usually use talent pools to build relationships with employees whose skills and knowledge align with the company’s capabilities and values. An effective talent pool database will normally include information about each candidate, such as their abilities, potential roles they could fill, how well they mesh into the business culture, and much more.

Establishing a strong talent pool is important to a successful recruiting process. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to recruit immediately, having a pool of talented individuals to choose from is exactly what you need.

Building your talent pool is something that you can easily work on when it’s quieter in recruiting, but is there a more strategic approach? Extending your talent pool will ensure that your employer brand is much broader. Here are a few ways for you to find the correct balance.

Our Top Tips to Expand Your Talent Pool

Workplace flexibility

Flexibility in terms of when and where your employees work can give you access to talent that could be perfect for the role, but they just can’t meet the standard 9-5 in office requirements.

Reconsider requirements

You should keep in mind that degrees and years of experience aren’t always an indicator of skills and expertise anymore. Shift around your job descriptions to use more inclusive language; try to keep your application process short and concise; focus on skills and a person’s characteristics, not the path candidates took to get to where they are.

Internal talent pool

You should keep an eye out for internal employees who would be great to add to your internal talent pool. These are the employees who have the potential to grow into new roles with some mentoring and training.

Building an internal talent pool will help you to make the most of the talent that’s right in front of you, engage your employees by offering them training and development opportunities, and will reduce the risk of losing valued employees to competitors.

Previous applicants

If someone has previously applied to work for your company, you know that they will likely be interested in another opportunity. Keeping up with candidates with certain skill sets in a short supply means that you will be able to reach them before the competition when roles start to open up.

Remote workers

If you consider accommodating to personal work preferences, you may be able to win over candidates compared to your competition. If you have the ability to appeal to remote/hybrid workers, this is bound to broaden your talent pool instantly.

Social media

This is an extremely easy way to engage with those who are interested in your company. Some of your followers can even make up part of your talent pool – so, reaching out and engaging with them whilst recruiting could bring you your perfect candidate.