Are You Using Market Mapping to Identify Where the Good Candidates Are?

Are You Using Market Mapping to Identify Where the Good Candidates Are?

More than anyone, as recruiters you understand how important it is to know the talent landscape. Which is why market mapping (often called talent mapping) is a vital recruitment tool– allowing you to be ahead of the game with a long-term talent pipeline to offer clients.

What is market/talent mapping?

Talent mapping, quite simply, is researching and mapping where the talent lies in a certain company, industry or geographic location. It is about finding out where the high flyers are, where the rising talent lies…and where the talent gaps are.

Once the existing talent is mapped out and the individuals profiled, the next step in market mapping is reaching out to these individuals to find out if they would consider moving to a new role in the future- it can be in 6 months, 12 months or even years ahead.

This long-term approach ensures that you have a talent pipeline feeding in from all corners of the industry for years into the future.

Why do it?

Becoming an expert in talent mapping will mark you as an outstanding recruiter that can reduce client’s hire time. Most companies wait until employees quit before beginning the often long and expensive search for a candidate: with talent mapping you already have top candidates in mind who have already been primed for an offer of interview. This can streamline the client’s hiring process enormously, making you look very good indeed.

Talent mapping also gives you a powerful knowledge of the industry in its current stage while allowing you to prepare for talent gaps and potential challenges in the future. This will make your personal brand as a recruiter extremely attractive to forward-thinking clients.

How can you talent map?

It used to be the case that only big companies with big resources could talent map, but now you can talent map using social networks like LinkedIn in association with your existing recruitment database.

• Put all the info in a spreadsheet or mapping software as you go.
• Build your talent map constantly, adding in contacts you meet along the way (you never know when someone might become useful).
• Be realistic- don’t waste time trying to map uninterested/unattainable candidates.
• Scour your competitor’s websites for any information on talent movement.

• When you’re ready, start reaching out to find passive jobseekers.
• Keep it updated! This is not a job that takes care of itself; talent mapping requires good research and reaching-out skills.

Talent mapping gives you an in-depth understanding of the talent pool, both currently and long into the future. As a recruiter, it takes time to create and maintain, but it is a formidable tool in your recruitment arsenal, and one that is increasingly required.

Until next time

Cheryl