How Can Your Business Cultivate a Talent Ecosystem?

When unemployment is low and active job seekers are hard to find, maintaining a large network of available candidates becomes more important. Many businesses without these networks get stuck in catch-up mode, struggling to find skilled professionals as they work to fill their existing vacancies.

If you’re not in this mindset yet, there are ways to switch from a reactive approach to hiring to a proactive one. By cultivating a talent ecosystem utilizing a program such as Talent Direct from nTech, you can increase your number of potential candidates, making it easier to find the workers you need in less time.

Continuously Assess Talent Needs

The only way to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to hiring is to be fully aware of your needs at all times. Instead of reacting to a vacancy and scrambling to find top talent, craft a strategy based on anticipating your future needs in advance.

This method goes beyond mere headcount analysis, a process that relies heavily on looking back and not forward. Cultivating a talent ecosystem requires your company to embrace talent forecasting, making sure the future is always on your mind.

Stay Connected with Past Applicants

Even if a candidate wasn’t ideal for a position they applied to, that doesn’t mean they aren’t a good fit for a future need. Instead of discarding applicants who didn’t initially work out for a specific role, consider where their skills and experiences could be valuable.

Then, make a habit of staying in contact over the long term. Reach out whenever you have an open position that might interest them and encourage them to apply. Additionally, provide feedback on their last application, giving them helpful insight into why they weren’t selected so they can learn and grow as professionals.

Regular, constructive communication allows you to build a lasting relationship. This way you can increase the odds of a talented individual seeking out opportunities with your company again in the future, allowing you to benefit from a more robust talent pool.

Reevaluate Current Candidates

Along a similar line, don’t overlook current applicants who are working their way through the hiring process for one position as potential candidates for another vacancy. If you have multiple openings where their skills and experiences could provide value, reach out to the individual and see if they would like to be in contention for that position as well.

In some cases, job seekers don’t apply to every role for which they may qualify. By initiating contact about these opportunities, you can steer top talent in a direction that might be mutually beneficial.

Consider Internal Sourcing

At times, the best person to fill a vacancy may already be an employee of your company. Internal candidates and past employees can be valuable resources, particularly for upper-level positions.

Examine what your existing workers have to offer and use that information to craft an internal talent pool. Often, this approach is fairly simple, particularly since you know whether an employee is a quality team member and has direct experience with their skills and knowledge levels.

By using the tips above, you can cultivate a talent ecosystem that can make filling vacant positions easier and more efficient. If you are interested in learning more or are seeking skilled professionals to join your staff, the team at nTech can help. Contact us to learn more about our services today and see how our hiring expertise can benefit you.