If you’re a corporate recruiter, you know that some of your best prospective candidates for those open requisitions are already in the building – so to speak. The trick is in finding them. Unless employees proactively apply for the job (and depending on your company this could be unlikely), how do you know who might be suitable for the position? Your organization’s talent management software might be able to help. Here’s how:
Performance Appraisals
Do you know which competencies are vital to the position you have to fill? Try running a report in your performance management software. Have a look at which employees were given the highest ratings on these competencies in their performance appraisals. You should then be able to access more detailed information on each of the high performing employees’ performance and their current role in the organization, to validate whether or not they would be a good fit. Performance appraisal forms typically list the employee’s current job title, their manager, department, location, etc., so you can easily establish contact.
Succession Planning Programs
If your organization has a succession planning program in place, you should mine it for potential candidates. Many programs rate candidates in terms of their readiness for promotion and risk of leaving, as well as on their performance of key competencies. Ideally you’d be able to run reports on all of these ratings, again isolating those candidates who have strong assessments in the competencies important for the role you’re trying to fill. The best designed succession planning programs use talent pools to develop a specific set of competencies in a group of high potential employees. Talent pools are typically defined for all key areas in the organization, not just leadership. All you need to do is match the talent pool competencies to the position requirements, run a report, and get a list of all the suitable internal candidates who are ready for promotion – and you’re getting warmer.
Employee Profiles
Many of the talent management suites on the market today include online employee profiles that capture your employees’ broader skills and experience. The best ones let you search and compare candidates based on specific criteria, then access a wealth of information on the employee’s current role, their work experience, education, language skills, certifications and licenses, career goals, etc. In some cases, more than a LinkedIn profile could tell you. So you could, for example, search for all employees who’ve studied accounting, or who have Microsoft certification. This way you can easily find existing employees with the qualifications you’re looking for. You can often even contact the employee or their manager directly from the profile, for further discussion.
Job Descriptions
If your firm has talent management software to manage their job descriptions, you should be able to browse the job description database and find jobs that have requirements similar to the ones you’re trying to fill. A quick search to see who’s been assigned these job descriptions should provide a list of employees with the skills and experience you’re looking for.
While talent management software is designed primarily to help manage employee performance, development and rewards, it can also be a valuable tool for recruiting – especially when some of the best talent is already working for you.
Sean Conrad is a Certified Human Capital Strategist, Senior Product Analyst at Halogen Software, and seasoned blogger. He’s a firm believer in the value of automating talent management processes so you can leverage the data provided to improve business practices.
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