HR Glossary

Talent Pool

Talent Pool is an expression used to describe a database with all of your current and potential future job candidates.

what-is-talent-pool

➡️ Before we define talent pool, don’t miss out on our new Guide Finding High-Quality Job Candidates.

Talent Pool Definition

Talent Pool refers to a place or database where recruiters and HR Managers keep all of their top job candidates. Talent pools make not only candidates that have applied for jobs, but also sourced, referred candidates, silver medallists and candidates that have willingly joined your pool in an inbound way.

In other words, candidates from different stages of their candidate journey may be a part of your talent pool.

Here, you can learn everything you need to know about talent pool.

Why to build Talent Pools?

Today, everyone is talking about building high-quality talent pools, but what does it mean to build a talent pool?

Building talent pools with qualified candidates is important for many reasons, and some of the most important ones include reducing time to hire, improving quality of hire and reducing cost to hire. In today’s world of data-driven recruiting, these metrics have become extremely important.

Imagine if every time you had a job opening, you had a pool of talent from which you can just pick the best one! Sounds great, right? This is the reason why many recruiters have started building high-quality candidate database for current and future needs.

How to build Talent Pools?

Talent pools can be done using outbound or inbound recruiting strategies.

Sourcing tools, an outbound way of building talent pools, are one of the most common methods used to build high-quality candidates databases. These tools search candidates and their profiles on the web based on specific keywords used.

Referrals are another great way for building talent pools. Referred candidates are known to be the best employees that stay longest with companies. Often times, there are silver medallists that don’t get hired, but keeping them in your talent pool will make filling next position much easier and faster.

Inbound Recruiting, on the other way, is done through Recruitment Marketing methods in which candidates are attracted to willingly join your talent pool because of the awesome content you are providing. For example, you may have a team blog on your career site that talks about interesting projects you are working on. Candidates interested in the project may subscribe to your blog and end up in your talent pool!

managing talent pool

Inbound Recruiting is becoming one of the most popular Recruitment Marketing methods used to improve Employer Branding and encourage Candidate Engagement.

Talent Pool lead generation

Check out this new blog on how to generate more leads in recruiting and build high-quality talent pools.

See TalentLyft in action

Applicant Tracking, Recruitment Marketing, Sourcing and Talent CRM software are powerful alone, but unstoppable when used together!


Related content

  • Affirmative action is an HR policy which ensures equal employment opportunities and focuses on groups and minorities who tend to suffer from job discrimination.Affirmative action definitionAffirmative...

  • Blended workforce consists of a variety of employees on different types of contracts such as full-time staff, part-time employees, temporary employees, independent contractors and freelancers.Blended workforce...

  • Candidate is a job seeker who has been pre-qualified for a specific position or category of jobs and has been through the application processWhat's a candidate?A...

  • Competency modeling is a framework for defining the skills, knowledge and behavior requirements of a job. Competency modeling definitionCompetency modeling is a framework for defining the skills,...

  • Developmental counseling is a type of shared counseling where employers work together with employees to identify strengths and weaknesses, resolve performance-related problems and determine and create...

Explore more topics

  • Training and Development

    Training and development of your existing and new employees is what drives organizational success in the long term. By giving your people opportunities to educate themselves and improve their skills and expertise, you create a culture of learning, reducing turnover and improving productivity. Learn all the best practices and set up your employees for success!

  • Attracting Candidates

    Discover innovative methods for attracting top candidates and winning the talent war. Learn how to strengthen your employer brand, leverage social media, create engaging job postings, and use targeted marketing strategies to stand out in a competitive job market. Attract and secure the best talent to drive your organization’s success.

  • Recruitment Metrics

    If you can't measure it, you can improve it. Or something like that. Either way, tracking metrics is in the recruitment process is crucial to see what works and what doesn't. Dive in to this topic to learn all about the most important metrics to track and how they can help you optimize your hiring process.

  • Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

    Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have become key focuses in building a thriving workplace culture—and for good reason. In our DEI Hub, we provide strategies, insights, and best practices to help HR professionals, business leaders, and change-makers champion a more inclusive and equitable workforce. Join us in fostering diversity and empowering employees by exploring a wide range of DEI topics, from inclusive hiring practices to creating a workplace where all voices are heard and valued.

  • Recruitment AI

    Leverage the power of Recruitment AI to enhance your hiring process. Discover how artificial intelligence can automate candidate sourcing, improve talent matching, reduce bias, and streamline decision-making. Stay ahead with AI-driven recruitment strategies that help you attract top talent efficiently and effectively.

  • Workplace Diversity

    Promote workplace diversity with strategies that foster an inclusive environment. Learn how to attract and retain diverse talent, create equitable hiring practices, and cultivate a culture of inclusion. Embrace diversity to drive innovation, enhance collaboration, and strengthen your organization’s overall success.

Simple and affordable recruitment software