How to Build an Effective HR Talent Pipeline

Talent needs are changing constantly with rapid evolving of business needs. This is true for every function, including HR. While businesses tend to focus on talent planning and pipeline creation for core functions such as marketing or sales or finance, the people enabler, i.e., human resources (HR) also calls for equal attention toward talent planning. This becomes more pertinent with HR taking a strategic seat at the business table, and influences the most important people decisions. HR itself must be enabled and empowered to enable the organization to perform well. 

Even today, despite the realization that a people are a unique source of competitive advantage, organizations are seen shying away from investing in HR. According to the survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 28% of the C-Suite executives look at human resources as strategic. In fact, many CXOs are of the opinion that the talent management function is one area where leadership competencies are lacking. A good 37% of the SHRM respondents stated that Leadership and Navigation were not seen enough in the HR talent pool. Organizations conceded this, stating that the problem existed at various levels, right from identifying the right talent at the entry level (20%) to creating an effective talent pipeline for HR succession management. 

Here is how to bridge this gap and create a competent talent pipeline at all levels: 

1. Understand what skills are required: The first step to creating an effective talent pool and pipeline is to understand the success factors for each role, and to outline them. Carry out a competency mapping exercise by benchmarking with industry norms and looking at internal positions. In the process, evaluate how high performers do well and why. You can also refer to the US Labor Department’s O*NET database of occupational qualifications or an acclaimed competency model of a consulting firm to start off with. Build a customized competency framework for your business, based on these reference points. 

2. Apply the competency framework: Just keeping a glossy competency framework ready is no use unless you actually use it. Link the competencies to your selection tools and hiring process. Identify the best tools to assess different competencies in your candidates. For example, a knowledge test may work well for a technical role whereas a behavioral interview is apt for a managerial role. Make sure you empower your business managers to assess competencies by training them in the competency grid and its application. 

3. Know your competition: Building a talent pipeline is very closely related to the talent status of your competition. After all, talent often keeps rotating within the industry. Benchmarking your employer value proposition against competition is the best way to get realistic and create a unique employer brand. You can get information from employees who are leaving and from those who rejected your job offer and opted for competition. 

4. Standardize assessments: Even with a competency-based approach, it is easy for each assessee to resort to his or her own way of assessment. This can bring in bias and subjectivity in evaluation. Standardize the rating criteria; you can use this standardized data as a predictor of job performance by using analytics tools. A good idea is to structure the entire selection process and to add a standardized element at every stage, right from sourcing to screening to assessment. 

5. Evaluate your evaluation process: It is important that your evaluation tools and processes are not only “valid” but also “reliable.” Validity measures how accurately the tool reflects in the real world; i.e., a test is valid if it measures what it is supposed to measure in practical. Reliability is about consistency of results; i.e., if a person takes a personality assessment test many times, the result should be the same every time. These two are the foundations of effective evaluations. 

Such proactive measures to strengthen your HR processes, tools, and interventions will help you find the right talent for the right job. It will help elevate the HR function from being a mere bystander in the game of business, to being an active strategic contributor.