The Importance of Having a Talent Bench
The majority of companies focus on their immediate hiring needs and forget to focus on building a talent bench that they can have ready to go when they have a planned or unexpected hiring needs. The lack of a talent bench can cost a company time, money and talent.
How to Build a Talent Bench?
- All hiring managers in your company should set a monthly goal of meeting 5 individuals that have the skill set and experience for positions that they have hired for in the past and will hire again in the future.
Companies should have quarterly open houses that showcase their products, services and employees. - Human Resources should proactively reach out to individuals via LinkedIn that have the skill set and experience for positions that they have hired for in the past and will hire again in the future and invite them to the open house.
- On the company website have a page that lists positions that the company hires for on a regular basis and have candidates register. This page would be different from the active/open positions. Hiring managers should follow-up with the candidates who registered and conduct 3-5 informational interviews on a monthly basis.
- Hiring Managers should on a regular basis check-in with those candidates that previously interviewed on positions and where good, but lost out on being hired and came 2nd in the hiring decision.
- Human Resources should create a company LinkedIN Group Page and proactively invite those individuals that would be good future hires. This LinkedIn Page would include company news, employee and client testimonials and a list of current positions.
- Engage with companies such as One World Consulting Group who can work with Hiring Managers and Recruiters in building out talent spreadsheets. These spreadsheets would include LinkedIn Profiles and contact information.