Talent mapping isn’t a new idea—it’s been broadly used overseas, particularly in the UK and Australia, but here in the states it might seem like a novel concept.

First Things First…What is Talent Mapping?

Talent mapping is essentially a way to strategically focus your recruiting and sourcing of employees. It’s a way to put a long-term spin on how you’re going about finding the best talent, and the basis of this on-going strategizing typically comes in the form of looking at your competitors and other people in your industry and assessing what they’re doing.

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Talent mapping heavily relies on researching of competitors and industry leaders, and gathering intelligence.

The ultimate goal of talent mapping is typically to take succession planning a few steps further. Rather than reacting in somewhat of a panic when a position becomes available, talent mapping anticipates the long-term needs of an organization, and guides that organization towards how to fill a position once it is open.

The Benefits of Talent Mapping

The primary advantage of talent mapping, as mentioned above, is the level of preparation it provides an organization.

It looks at not only current openings and how to best fill them, but then also anticipates future openings, as well as the potential for new positions that may be created.

The strength of this approach is the fact that rather than just focusing on being reactive and hiring on a contingency basis, you’re instead being proactive. Ultimately, the concept of talent mapping should be a pivotal part of any organization’s long-term strategy, as far as talent, and otherwise.

When you take this approach to the recruitment of new talent, it allows you to build strong relationships with some of the best and brightest in your industry, and even if there’s not an appropriate opening for these individuals at the present moment, the building of these relationships will allow you to recruit them in the future, as the need arises.

Organizations that rely on talent mapping as a primary part of their talent management strategy often tend to have an easier time managing their employer brand as well, making them more appealing on a general basis to potential employees.

Talent Mapping Tips

Talent mapping is a valuable, but complex and time-consuming activity for an organization. Before undertaking this as part of your corporate strategy, consider the following tips:

• Many companies find it’s most advantageous to work with a third-party company to fulfill their talent mapping needs. Talent mapping is somewhat like what a headhunter will do for a corporation, but yet it goes more in-depth and that component really makes it more of a specialty in the recruitment sector.
• There has to be a great deal of consistency in messaging, tactics and overall brand image in order for talent mapping to be successful. This level of consistency needs to start with CEOs and continue downward to everyone involved in the hiring process. Without consistency in talent mapping and the overall recruitment process, there can be a detrimental impact to an organization’s overall employer brand.
• Talent mapping isn’t a process that ever really ends. It’s something that’s ongoing and it needs to be constantly updated and refreshed to ensure your corporation is on the cusp of what’s happening amongst competitors, what’s being offered, and what talent is available. Again, as mentioned earlier, talent mapping is about focusing on long-term strategy, not short-term hiring.

Talent mapping is one of the biggest trends the U.S. is likely to see in the coming years, particularly as other global companies have been embracing it, and recognizing the advantages that come with taking a long-term view of recruitment and hiring.

Rather than focusing on finding the best available candidate for any given position, talent mapping lets you put your focus on finding the very best candidate, period.

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