How to build a talent pipeline during the coronavirus

The report above is a base example of what we would deliver to our clients at the end of a project. However, each pipeline is unique and how candidate data is collated and presented should be treated as such. Different organisations have different drivers for creating a talent pipeline. Some want to build resilience into their human capital, some want to empower gender diversity, and some use it for location feasibility purposes.

At their most basic level, 6 Group’s talent pipelines detail:

• A summary of total talent identified: Detailed waterfall statistics representing the process all potential candidates have been through and the reasoning for their inclusion on the pipeline.
• Geography of pipelined talent: We illustrate where the target talent communities of the pipeline are located to offer a balance across desired geographical areas. This is particularly important if you are looking to support resourcing activities around your company’s key locations.
• Pipeline gender split: Many organisations engage in talent pipelining for motivations around diversity & inclusion. Illustrating the gender balance across the pipeline is useful to gauge the availability of diverse talent in certain disciplines.
• Competitive analysis: Building awareness of which organisations hold the market share of your target talent will aid you in interpreting why they are drawn to these companies – e.g. employee value proposition (EVP) and employer brand. 
• Employer brand perception: Pipelines are powerful tools to gauge how your target talent markets actually think of you as an employer. We ask employer brand focused questions of all identified candidates which illustrate the client organisation’s reputation as an employer. These are first-hand accounts and present an unvarnished reality which, in turn, help them to make improvements. 
• Pipelined talent availability: One of the core purposes of a talent pipeline is longevity in its ability to supply pre-engaged and pre-qualified candidates when required by the organisation. Achieving a balanced spread of candidate availability (typically over a 12-month period) will ensure that you future-proof your hiring activities.
• Pipelined candidate details: Informative data of those who have been preliminarily assessed and deemed appropriate for the pipeline are captured. Individual profiles of each pipeline member are built and CVs are also collected for reference.

2. Define the approach

Once you understand the talent markets you’re seeking to explore and engage with, you can begin to consider which approach will work best in building a strong talent pipeline.

How you develop your approach can be split into two segments:

1 | Identification: The more channels you utilise for your approach, the wider your access to the desired talent communities will be. We adopt a multitude of tailored sourcing channels during a talent pipelining project. These include:

• Company target lists
• Social media
• Contact networks
• Candidate databases
• Referrals
• Networking
• Academic alumni sites

2 | Engagement: Building an awareness of your target talent markets is just one half of the battle. How you subsequently entice this identified cohort into potentially joining your organisation – whether that’s immediately or at some point in the future – is a test of your attraction capability. Constructing a well-considered and engaging narrative about your organisation to ensure the candidate experience is exceedingly positive is key. 

As a global executive search & talent intelligence firm, our clients trust us to act on their behalf. We uphold a highly professional approach which is built around the client organisation’s EVP and employer brand. We ensure that the delivery team is well-versed in all aspects of the client’s company and we develop first-class, client-branded marketing materials to distribute to all identified candidates.