Late last year, Ardent Partners published its groundbreaking Direct Sourcing Toolkit research study, which highlighted the criticality of direct sourcing in a world of talent and work that was seemingly evolving by the day. In that report, I discussed the impact and value of direct sourcing’s major cornerstone…talent curation:

The curation of talent pools requires the same rigor and keen sense for talent as its non-business namesake. Art curators (the best-known curation role) are responsible for identifying, collecting, and managing works of art based on their skill in identifying for value, type of art, and quality in paintings, sculptures, etc. In a similar sense, talent pool curators (often consisting of business leaders well-versed in talent acquisition and hiring) are responsible for identifying top-tier workers and “collections” of expertise and skills that can be tapped in an on-demand manner. At its core, talent pool curation involves grouping various types of candidates into a veritable “bench” of flexible, agile talent.

“Direct sourcing” can sometimes refer to several key talent acquisition models that involve a series of processes centered around directly sourcing workers without an intermediary (such as a recruiter or staffing supplier). However, a true direct sourcing initiative requires several key facets in order to harness the incredible power of talent pools…namely, talent curation.

Workers that are curated into talent pools have a unique series of skills that are effectively aligned with the greater organization from a human capital perspective. These candidates are often curated due to their overall fit and relevance to recurring roles, and, most importantly, can contribute to true workforce scalability in a time that demands staffing flexibility. Although talent pool segmentation and integration of pools into enterprise recruitment streams are critical endeavors, talent curation should be seen as the nexus of direct sourcing and, perhaps, its most important foundational layer.

I’m excited to join AMS next week (Thursday, May 6 at 2pm EDT) for an exclusive webcast that will focus on the criticality of talent curation within direct sourcing. The webinar will highlight:

• What is a direct sourcing talent curation model and why is it important?
• Where does talent curation sit within a full direct sourcing solution?
• How can organizations ensure they have the right talent curation expertise?
• What talent curation best practices help drive ROI faster?

Click here to register for the May 6 webinar.

Direct sourcing is primed to become a revolutionary means of tapping into highly-skilled, on-demand talent in the face of global uncertainty and business disruption. As businesses strive to reduce hard recruitment costs and build an agile workforce, direct sourcing will quickly become a primary channel for organizations to facilitate deeper alignments between available talent and work that needs to be done. Within this model, talent curation is a crucial first step that sets the repeatable success of other direct sourcing attributes. See you next week!

Tagged in: Chief Procurement Officer, Christopher Dwyer, Complex Categories, Contingent Workforce, Direct Sourcing, Future of Work, People, Strategy, Talent Management, Webinar