Talent Pipeline Playbook v7 Final

Your
Talent
Pipeline
Playbook
a Research eBook by:
®
8 Key Strategies for
Connecting with Candidates
© 2015 iCIMS, Inc. All rights reserved.
ENGAGEANDINTERACT
MAKE IT MOBILE
EMPLOYEE REFERRALS
EMBRACE SOCIAL MEDIA
BUILDTALENTPOOLS
INVESTININTERNS
CONNECTWITHPASSIVECANDIDATES

Table of Contents
Your Talent Pipeline Playbook
The War for Talent Wages On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
What It Means. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Demand for Talent Pipelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Play #1: Assess Strengths and Weaknesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Play #2: Look Within...to Internal Talent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Play #3: Play to Passives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Play #4: Be the Social Butterﬂy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Play #5: Engage and Interact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Play #6: Make It Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Play #7: Invest in Interns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Play #8: Reference the Referrals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Final Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
How iCIMS Can Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2

The War for Talent Wages On
It’s no secret that because candidates are in control of today’s talent
acquisition landscape, companies are competing to capture the best,
reigniting a “war for talent”. However, new research predicts that
companies will be waging this war for longer than anticipated,
as a result of forthcoming talent shortages.
According to the Aberdeen Group,
79 percent of companies indicate a
shortage of critical skills available,
which is an all-time high. In fact, this
shortage has grown by 44 percent
since 2012.
This is echoed by the fact that
companies in the legal, energy,
and transportation industries
are struggling to find top talent,
according to iCIMS’ 2015 Q2 U.S.
Hiring Trends Report.
3
The Challenge
By 2020, around the world there will be a:
of high-skilled workers
-40 MILLION
SHORTAGE
of low-skilled workers1
.57applicants
per opening
.45applicants
per opening
.44applicants
per opening
Legal
Energy, Chemical
and Utililies
Transportation
and Distribution
1. http://fortune.com/2015/05/12/how-u-s-companies-can-ﬁll-the-skills-gap/
+95 MILLION
SURPLUS

What It Means
Ninety-two percent of executives believe there is a serious gap in
workforce skills, and nearly 50 percent are struggling to fill jobs.2
Additionally, 80 percent of hiring managers and 84 percent of recruiters
agree that hiring the right people has a direct impact on a company’s
ability to achieve its strategic goals, and believe that talent acquisition
is key to overall success and proﬁtability.3
In fact, when talent can’t be found, lost profit and revenue can be as
high as $23,000 per unfilled position.4
Employers surveyed by the Manpower Group said that talent shortages also result in:
4
2. http://blog.adeccousa.com/theskills-gap-and-the-state-of-the-economy
3. Hire Expectations Institute, 2015
4. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Reduced competitiveness and productivity
Increased employee turnover
Reduced employee engagement and morale
Higher compensation costs
27%
24%
22%
It doesn’t help that today’s
professionals change jobs more
frequently. The Labor Department
reports that millennials, who will
comprise half of the U.S. workforce by
2020, will hold six jobs by the age of
26, more than any other generation.
The Millennial
FACTOR
Yet, 20 percent of U.S.
employers are still not
pursuing strategies to
overcome talent shortages,
despite the negative impact
on their business.
40%

?
We need a workforce strategy for our time, not one designed to address the talent needs of the past
The Demand for
Talent Pipelines
Why
Companies must develop robust talent pipelines to nurture both
active and passive high-skill candidates.
Talent Acquisition for Today's Business Landscape
As noted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Foundation, today’s talent acquisition requires
a demand-driven strategy for a continuously
evolving business landscape. Talent pipelines
are a key part of this strategy.
5. Aberdeen Group, 2015
6. Human Capital Institute, 2015
5
Best-in-Class companies are three times as
likely to build an engaging talent community
compared to all other companies.5
In fact, according to iCIMS proprietary research:
52% of U.S. companies surveyed
believe that building a talent
pipeline or candidate pool is the
top talent acquisition priority.
However, only 22% of
companies have a strong
pipeline for critical positions.6
52%
22%
In fact, research Lee Lecht Harrison
reports that 30% of employers
described their pipeline as poor
or nonexistent.
Talent Pipeline
tal-uh nt pahyp-lahyn
noun
A pool of candidates qualiﬁed to assume open
positions that have been newly created or vacated.
30%
1950s 1980s Today
Employer-driven in-house Outsourcing Talent pipelines

6
How will YOUR
organization
build its talent
pipeline?
We’ve got you covered.

Assess Strengths and Weaknesses
As the saying goes, knowledge is power. That’s why the first step
in developing your robust talent pipeline is assessing current talent
acquisition strengths and weaknesses.
According to the Aberdeen Group, Best-in-Class
organizations are 80 percent more likely than all
others to use talent profiles to identify and track
talent across the company. Follow suit to identify
talent gaps in your organization, as well as assess
other key metrics.
Is talent diversity a strength or weakness in your
company? Talent pipelines can help you find more
diverse talent, which is good news for business.
McKinsey & Company finds that gender-diverse
companies are 15 percent more likely to perform
better financially, while ethnically-diverse
companies are 35 percent more likely.
7
Play #1
Take Action:
Your Evaluation Checklist
What critical positions and skills
are needed at your company?
Where does your company
currently find its best hires?
What is your average time-to-fill?
What is your company’s
talent makeup?
What is your company’s
projected growth?
These questions should guide how
you source talent to your pipeline.
?
?
?
?
?

Look Within...for Internal Talent
Determine if your organization already has employees that could rise to
ﬁll critical positions. Internal hires may possess the industry experience
and insight your organization needs to stay competitive.
There are other reasons it pays to look within. On average, external hires
are paid more and for their first two years on the job, they receive
significantly lower marks in performance reviews.7
Best-in-Class organizations understand the power of internal sourcing;
according to research from the Aberdeen Group, they’re 10 percent more
likely than all others to emphasize hiring from within.
8
Play #2
TakeAction:
Establish competency models and profiles of success to identify high
performers in your company.
Create a strong pool of internal employees with onboarding solutions
that engages new hires from the start. Start new hires on the path to
success with 90-Day Plans that lay out expectations.
7. Matthew Bidwell, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business http://asq.sagepub.com/content/56/3/369.abstract
External hires are paid
18% MORE
than internal promotes
in the same positions.

Pursue the Passives
Passives Activesvs.
Who makes up a significant portion of your talent pipeline? Passive candidates.
These candidates are willing to entertain a job oﬀer but aren’t actively seeking a
new position, and they’re valuable.
The reality is that only 30 percent of professionals surveyed are actively
seeking jobs.8
Yet, according to a 2015 iCIMS study, 78 percent of survey
respondents would be open to a new career opportunity if contacted
by a recruiter with a relevant opportunity, even if they weren’t actively
seeking a new job.
9
Play #3
8. LinkedIn Talent Trends Survey
9. LinkedIn Talent Trends Survey
Take Action:
Understand what your passive
candidates are looking for and focus
your recruitment efforts on these
interests. Make communicating these
benefits easy with software that
facilitates powerful recruitment
marketing automation.
The top two reasons candidates switch to a new position?9
Better
compensation
and benefits
Better
work/life
balance
More
opportunities
for advancement
$
U.S. Workforce
LinkedIn Talent Trends Survey
0%
Actively looking for jobs
20%
40%
60%
80%
Not actively looking for jobs

?Why
Google+
13.8
3.3
2.9 2.6
LinkedIn Facebook Twitter
Fast Facts
0
Average number of times jobs are viewed on social networks11
5
10
15
Be a Social Butterfly
One of the most important parts of building a talent pipeline? Expanding your candidate reach. Make your
company more visible by regularly participating on a variety of social media channels (not just LinkedIn).
Recruiting on social media yields results. In fact, 73 percent of companies have
successfully hired a candidate with social media. As a result of using social media
for recruiting, 42 percent of companies say candidate quality has improved and
31 percent saw an increase in employee referrals.10
Although iCIMS proprietary research finds that 60 percent of companies claim they intend to implement
social recruiting strategies this year, very few are technologically prepared to support that strategy.
10
Play #4
10. https://www.jobcast.net/26-social-recruiting-stats-and-facts/
11. iCIMS Proprietary Research
TakeAction:
Establish corporate profiles on a variety of social media platforms
and share relevant, industry-related content on these profiles, in
addition to job postings.
Attract candidates by using social media profiles to share more
about your company culture.
Use social recruiting technology to collect information about
potential candidates and build more strategic talent pools.

According to Talent Board, 44 percentof
job seekers say they need time to get to know
an employer before applying for a position.
Organizations can influence this assessment with
proactive, positive candidate engagement.
Forty-two percent of job seekers are more likely to
applyfor a job at a company after they’ve interacted with
a brand’s career presence online, a 2015 Futurestep survey
finds. Your fully-branded career portal is the perfect place to
introduce your company to prospective candidates and
facilitate ongoing engagement.
44% 42%
Engage and Interact
Engaging candidates on an ongoing basis is critical to sustaining a
robust talent pipeline, and many candidates want this engagement.
Play #5
11Your Talent Pipeline Playbook
Take Action: Your Engagement Toolbox
Quick Connect
Give visitors to your career portal
the option to connect with your
company’s social media profiles for
ongoing updates, insight, and
announcements.
Interests Option
Allow passive candidates to
identify aspects of your
organization they want to learn
more about. Get creative with how
you distribute interest-based
content to your audience!
Unique Content
Frequently publish engaging,
informative content on your
corporate blog or other platforms
that helps position your
organization as an industry expert.
Social Media Postings
Post to all relevant social media
channels on a regular basis
to keep your organization
top-of-mind to members of
your talent pipeline.
Building Relationships
Make personal connections via
invitations to your organization’s
recruitment events. However,
be cautious of becoming too
persistent in your communication.
CONNECT
CONNECT
WITH US!
Name
Email
CONNECT
CONNECT
WITH US!
Name
Email
CONNECT
CONNECT
WITH US!
Name
Email
X
X
X X
!
!!
!

Use mobile
Don’t use mobile
70%
30%
Make It Mobile
There’s no doubt about it: job seekers are using mobile to find career
opportunities and apply for jobs.
According to iCIMS proprietary research, mobile and tablet usage
among job seekers has increased 60 percent since 2014. Yet,
only 9 percent of businesses have implemented a mobile-friendly
career portal.
Did you know? Application rates drop by a
staggering 365 percent if an application on a mobile
device takes more than 15 minutes to complete.12
Applications that aren’t mobile-optimized can
increase this completion time.
Play #6
840 search results
View
Search
Results
Small Company
Sales Positions
$50K - 70K
New York, NY
Take Action:
Ensure you reach as many qualified candidates as possible with
mobile-optimized career portals. This means your career portal should:
Integrate responsive design that automatically adjusts the
viewing screen to fit the device in use.
Enable direct uploads of application documents from
Google Drive or Dropbox.
Offer easy-click buttons and links for optimal
functionality.
SUBMIT
CLICK HERE
UPLOAD
Today’s Job Applicants
The Aberdeen Group finds that 70 percent of job applicants have
used a mobile device to apply for a job.
-365%
12. iCIMS Hire Expectations Institute

84%
16%
Invest in Interns
Interns can be one of an organization’s most secure sources of
entry-level new hires, and are therefore an important part of your
talent pipeline.
According to a 2015 study by the National Association of Colleges and
Employers, approximately 71 percent of employers plan to transition
interns into full-time employees, and 63 percent of companies would
like to hire interns for entry-level positions.
Play #7
Employer Experience with Interns
Approximately 84 percent of employers said hiring interns was a positive experience.
Take Action:
Improve your organization’s internship program
with iCIMS’ talent acquisition software.
Connect: Create intern talent
pools to nurture talent early on.
Target students from career-focused
high schools or target colleges
to help build meaningful
relationships over time.
Recruit: Engage interns on the
social channels they use most, like
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter,
to help them feel a part of the
company culture and community.
Onboard: Facilitate organized
onboarding with seamless intern
training, task, and event
scheduling.STEP 1
1
STEP 2
2
STEP 3
3
Positive experience
Negative experience

Reference the Referrals
Studies find that one of the best ways to hire top talent is through
employee referrals. As revealed by iCIMS proprietary research,
43 percent of companies say their best candidates come from
employee referrals. However, only 14 percent say they currently
leverage employee referral technology to sustain an effective
employee referral program.
Play #8
13. https://www.glassdoor.com/research/studies/interview-sources/
The Disconnect
Top Sourcing Channels (Percentage of Hires)
Recruiter Referrals
Employee Referrals
College & University Referrals
Online Applications
0%
20%
10%
30%
40%
Research from Glassdoor
finds that only 10 percent
of sourcing comes from
employee referrals.
Yet, the chances of a successful
job match increase from 2.6 to
6.6 in statistical significance when
an employee referral is hired.13
Take Action:
Launch an incentivized employee referral
program. Give employees a reason to want
to make referrals with rewards like extra
vacation days and bonuses.
Leading social distribution services
allow employees to set up automatic
job postings to their social media profiles
at a frequency they choose, making
participation easy and effective.

Final Thoughts
In light of future shortages of highly-skilled workers, companies
must build robust talent pipelines to more strategically source talent
for tomorrow’s workforce. Dedicated talent acquisition technology
helps companies more effectively build these pipelines with
automation and ease.
Talent acquisition software that streamlines
processes can be an ideal solution, given that
46 percent of hiring managers cite lack of time
as the reason their company doesn’t have a
strong talent pipeline.14
Leading companies already recognize the value of this technology.
As reported by the Aberdeen Group, Best-in-Class organizations are
2.7 times more likely to increase their budget for talent acquisition
technology this year to help fill jobs with the best-fit candidates.
14. http://www.eremedia.com/ere/3-questions-to-consider-before-implementing-a-talent-pipeline/
15
46%

Connect with iCIMS on social media!
iCIMS is a leading provider of innovative Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
talent acquisition solutions that help businesses win the war for top talent.
Scalable, easy to use, and backed by award-winning customer service,
iCIMS enables organizations to manage their entire talent acquisition
lifecycle from building talent pools, to recruiting, to onboarding, all within
a single cloud-based platform that is connected to the largest partner
ecosystem of HR technologies in the industry. With more than 3,000
contracted customers, representing approximately 4,500 organizations
worldwide, iCIMS is one of the largest and fastest-growing talent
acquisition solution providers.
Learn more about how iCIMS can help your organization today. Visit
www.icims.com, call us at (800) 889-4422, or view a free online demo
of the iCIMS Talent Platform.
16
How iCIMS Can Help.

Talent Pipeline Playbook v7 Final

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