‘Everybody has talent. It’s just a case of moving around until you find out what it is.’
So said creator of the Star Wars universe, George Lucas. George had a valid point; you have to seek out your talent. This is coming from a man who gave the world Yoda, so a reliable source you know it’s from…
However, it can be difficult to seek out unearthed talent in the workplace. The conversation surrounding any extra skills your superstars may have usually stops at the interview stage.
Pooling your collective talent has many benefits, including;
- A higher staff retention
- Higher engagement
- Higher productivity
- Lower hiring costs
So, how do you locate and make use of your in-house talent without shouting it across the office via a speakerphone?
You can do so with our infinitely helpful tool; ‘The Talent Tracker…’
What is Talent Tracker?
Talent Tracker is an advanced filtering system that admins can use to locate employee skills, hobbies and experience. It comes as part of The Knowledge Arcade and The Academy LMS.
Talent Tracker picks up keywords from employee profiles. It filters from profile sections such as:
- Employee bio
- Work history
- Education
- Achievements
- Hobbies
What makes this extra advantageous is that you unearth knowledge that you wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
What can it be used for?
When it comes to the Talent Tracker, imagination is your only constraint.
You can scan for anything. Where it will really come in handy is when you are beginning a new project, or need to fill a position. Instead of hiring outside talent, why not search in-house first? Search for academic brains. Search for artistic experience. Search for logical minds. Search for people who like Game of Thrones!
Here are just a smattering of keywords you might want to search for:
Hard Skills:
- SEO
- Copywriting
- Graphic Design
- Social Media
- Blogging
- Mathematics
- Accounting
- Event Planning
- Bookkeeping
- Data Analysis
Soft Skills:
- Communication skills
- Leadership skills
- Creativity
- Team working
- Time management
- Problem solving
- Presentation skills
- Mentoring skills
- Networking
Using Talent Tracker as a Social Tool
70% of employees say that having friends in the workplace is a crucial part of being happy at work. Sometimes we’re so busy at our desks that we forget to mingle. Use Talent Tracker to help your employees connect better on a social level.
This is exactly why we have a hobbies section on our profiles. Be it photography, football, running, table tennis, or watching 1970s B-movies. You might be surprised by who shares your interests.
If enough people share the same hobbies, then why not start a work social based around it?
Use Talent Tracker to Improve The Experts Area
The Experts area is a place where you can pose questions to colleagues who are connoisseurs in their fields. Be it marketing, sales, customer excellence or social media; admins can appoint experts in any area they wish.
If the expert is online, then colleagues can pose questions via instant message, allowing the possibility of a near-instant response.
If you need to fill an experts area, then Talent Tracker is a quick way to do so. Simply search for the skill you need and hey presto!
Use Talent Tracker to Reward
Apart from having a deeper understanding of your colleagues, another fantastic aspect of the Talent Tracker is that you can personalise your rewards system. The Rewards Centre is a crucial part of our engagement solutions. We can reward great workers with experience points (XP), virtual badges and with real-life rewards.
It’s the real-life rewards which is what Talent Tracker can help to tailor. For instance, if someone writes on their hobbies that they love Indian cuisine, then you can offer for them to trade in XPs for an Indian meal! (Yes, this is indeed a hint to my line-manager!)
Final Word
Talent Tracker is an awesome way to unearth hidden inhouse talent. There are endless benefits such as saving money on hiring externally, unifying your team, finding new experts and personalising rewards. You’ll also experience higher staff retention, as everyone will feel their talents are being put to good use.
