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The New Dictionary of Hiring

Talent Risk Register

/TAL-UHNT RISK REJ-IS-TER/
  NOUN

A Talent Risk Register is a record of the people and capabilities a business plan depends on, when they're needed and what happens if they're missing.

MEANING

A requisition report tells you the title, days open, candidate count and assigned recruiter. Useful if you manage searches. Not much help if you need to know whether a business plan is in trouble.

‍

A Talent Risk Register records the capability the plan depends on, when it's needed, whether it's likely to arrive and what happens if it doesn't. Add the Cost of Absence and the fallback option. Now the COO can see which part of the plan is exposed instead of reading through 47 open jobs and trying to guess.

Defined by:
James Ellis,
Employer Brand Labs
Category:
Risk
The New Dictionary of Hiring card: Talent Risk Register, noun. A record of the people and capabilities a business plan depends on, when they're needed and what happens if they're missing. Abstract iridescent glass shape on a white background.

MAKE THE CHANGE

Instead of:
A list of “priority reqs.”
Ask:
Which unresolved talent dependencies create material risk to the plan?

EXAMPLE

Two roles can delay a major launch, one expert's departure would interrupt a core service, and a fourth capability has no realistic external supply. All four belong on one page.

HOW TO USE IT

Create a short list of talent dependencies tied to major commitments. For each, capture the required date, business impact, confidence of getting or keeping the capability, owner and fallback plan. Review it with the business, not just recruiting.

SAY IT TO LEADERSHIP

Here are the people risks behind the business plan, ranked by what happens if they don't resolve. These need owners and decisions, not just recruiting updates.

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH

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James Ellis
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