Having a talent pipeline can slash your organization’s time to hire, cost to hire, and improve the overall quality of talent you acquire. But what’s the catch?
Frankly, there isn’t one. While building and nurturing a talent pipeline requires time and resources, the long-term benefits are highly sustainable.
A talent pipeline helps recruiters fill roles quicker with candidates that are best suited for the job. Moreover, having a pipeline to source new employees helps employers save advertising spends.
In this guide, we will explore how tech employers can build quality talent pipelines and utilize them to drive successful hiring decisions.
What is a pipeline in recruiting?
A talent pipeline refers to a group of candidates whom a company may hire for future vacancies. This talent has the necessary qualifications for the relevant job openings.
Talent pipelines are relationship-centric recruitments. Instead of reaching out to strangers, recruiters focus on candidates whose qualifications and talents are known.
Tech hiring can be time-consuming because finding the right tech talent requires significant effort. Therefore, having a talent pipeline is quite beneficial for tech hiring managers – it is a resource of vetted tech talent.
How is a talent pipeline different from a talent pool or a talent community?
Even seasoned professionals sometimes confuse the terms ‘talent pipeline’, ‘talent pool,’ and ‘talent community.’ So, how are they different?
Earlier, we mentioned that a talent pipeline is a form of relationship-centric recruitment. This means that the recruitment focuses on building a relationship with the prospective hire over time – nurturing and training them in the process. A dynamic relationship of this nature is beneficial for both the company and the candidates.
What does a talent pool mean?
While a talent pipeline consists of candidates who are qualified for a particular position, a talent pool is an umbrella term for candidates that have not yet entered the pipeline. These candidates are still under consideration – they may have not yet been vetted for their skills.
What does a talent community mean?
A talent community refers to a space where qualified professionals can interact with one another. Online spaces like Facebook, Reddit, Slack, and Channel qualify as talent communities. When creating a talent pipeline, talent communities act as a possible source of finding candidates.
5 benefits that talent pipelines offer tech recruiters
With tech & IT having the largest skill gaps across all sectors, tech talent pipelines are invaluable to employers. Sourcing and nurturing a quality pipeline takes time and investment, but the results are rewarding long-term. Here are some explained.
1. Reduced time to hire
A technical talent pipeline is a source of high-quality tech professionals for recruiting on-demand. Having tech roles left unfilled for a prolonged duration can dramatically hinder your organization’s operations. With a pipeline, tech employers are guaranteed fast, quality hires, reducing your overall time to hire.
Read: A Tech Employer’s Guide to Minimizing the Time to Hire
2. Reduced hiring costs
A talent pipeline cuts your job advertising and marketing down significantly. With an on-demand source of quality talent, tech employers don’t need to splash out on job fairs and advertisements.
Also Read: A Tech Employer Guide to Minimizing the Cost Per Hire
3. Diverse workforce
In recent years, many industries have undergone reforms to promote diversity in the workplace. The Diversity in TECH report suggests that 45% of the tech workers believe the tech industry is now focusing on diversity and inclusiveness. However, the remaining 55% believe the industry needs to put more effort into creating a diverse workforce.
A pipeline of potential candidates allows tech employers to identify and focus on underrepresented groups. Research shows that a diverse workforce translates to higher profits for companies.
Furthermore, diverse teams are said to have enhanced performance and better problem-solving abilities – diverse backgrounds translate to fresh perspectives.
4. Strategic hiring decisions
Employers conduct technical recruitment drives to discover quality tech talent. Hasty hiring decisions can damage your organization in the long run, but if you’re looking to fill a tech role fast, what’s the solution?
Well, talent pipelines are the answer. They help employers fill tech roles fast, with quality hires. The candidates in your pipeline have already been vetted by your company for their skills. Thus, tech talent pipelines facilitate more strategic-decision making in the long run.
5. Improved candidate experiences
Recruitment is more than just about your company’s needs – candidate experience also matters. Candidates that transition smoothly along your recruitment funnel will be more enthusiastic about working for your organization
Since a talent pipeline framework emphasizes real, organic relationships, it helps improve your candidate experiences. Fostering relationships helps tech employers communicate the benefits of their organization to prospective candidates. Moreover, you can take feedback from tech talent and learn about any apprehensions they may have.
How do you build a talent pipeline?
Cultivating a talent pipeline offers many benefits, but putting one together can seem daunting at first.
However, with a clear strategy and a proactive approach to recruitment, tech employers can build a successful talent pipeline. Here’s how to build your tech talent pipeline.
1. Identify your organization's long-term needs
The first step in creating the talent acquisition pipeline is to identify what kind of talent your company needs currently, and what roles you may need to fill later.
You can answer these questions by determining your company’s long-term goals. Possible reasons for future hires include changing the company location, expanding the company, adding different departments, mergers, and acquisitions.
For example, let’s take a new start-up. In the early stages, the organization may only need to hire junior-level software developers. However, as the start-up grows and expands its clientele, it may need to hire mid and senior-level software developers to tackle complex projects.
Thus, anticipating your company’s long-term needs drives meaningful decisions regarding your talent pipeline.
2. Determine sources to fill your tech talent pipeline
The next step is to source talent for your pipeline. This is an ongoing process – candidates may fall in and out of your talent pipeline over time, and that’s nothing to be concerned about.
Candidate sourcing is an active search for talent. To hire an applicant for a data science position, you’d need to search for prospective employees with the relevant qualifications.
Possible talent sources include social searching platforms like LinkedIn, where employers can target the right talent through keywords. Additional talent sources include referral programs, networking events, and recruiting databases.
3. Connect with your potential candidates
After identifying which candidates to approach, the next step is to establish a contact. Keep in mind that with a talent pipeline you do not actively ask professionals to apply. Instead, employers build an organic relationship with potential candidates and encourage them to consider your company in the future.
Candidate-focused early conversations can help you learn about the goals, experiences, and future plans of the talent you approach. These conversations also build trust with prospective recruits and nurture candidates who don’t feel ready to pursue a new job.
4. Test the talent pool you've created
After identifying potential talent, tech employers need to vet candidates for their technical skills. Asking about a candidate’s past job experiences and future goals can help you assess their fit.
The most reliable way to assess tech talent is with technical skill assessments. Skill tests assess candidates on their technical competency and are designed specifically to check for necessary skills. For example, a software engineer skills assessment test may vet candidates for their coding knowledge and problem-solving skills.
Moreover, tech assessment tests help employers assess candidates for cultural fit and maintain a diverse workforce. Since skill tests are free of any unconscious biases, they are inherently inclusive and encourage diversity hiring.
5. Find healthy ways to nurture your talent pipeline
Now that you’ve put a pipeline together, the next step is to nurture it. Remember, these candidates aren’t necessarily ready to join your organization. At this point, they’re likely just prospective employees.
Nurturing your talent acquisition pipeline involves cultivating meaningful, organic relationships with your talent pool. An employer’s goal should be to propagate a positive impression of their organization – help candidates realize the benefits of joining your team.
When nurturing your pipeline, it’s best to avoid overwhelming candidates, which may drive them away. Instead, try to share useful, relevant information with them on occasion. Let them know that you and your company care.
6. Hire from your talent pipeline
Now that your talent pipeline is steady, and candidates are being consistently nurtured, it’s time to enjoy those benefits we discussed.
Did a tech role in your company just open up unexpectedly? Try reaching out to your talent pipeline to fill it quickly and reliably.
Since your pipeline has already been vetted for candidates’ programming skills, consider inviting applicants in for a pair programming interview. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically influenced business operations, including hiring protocols.
These days, and for a long time coming, virtual interviews are the safest, most efficient way to interview candidates. Tech recruitment solutions like WeCP include advanced remote interviewing software with collaborative IDE, pair programming, and high definition video calling to drive effective hiring decisions.
Wondering what to do next?
Get in touch with the experts
A major part of building your tech talent pipeline involves guaranteeing candidates have the right skills. With a tech recruiting platform, employers can conduct skill tests to reliably screen candidates.
Moreover, when the time comes to hire applicants, employers can conduct remote video interviews with WeCP (We Create Problems) to complete their evaluation process.
So, if you’re looking to reduce your time to hire by up to 90% and want to fill your recruitment pipeline with more qualified candidates, schedule a demo with WeCP today and never look back to the old, time-consuming, and frustrating ways of recruiting.
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