Unlocking Recruitment Success with Talent Intelligence, with Rachel Davis

In this episode, we’re joined by Rachel Davis, CEO of Armstrong Craven, who discusses the role of talent intelligence and data in the recruitment process. Founded 30 years ago, Armstrong Craven is a global talent research firm, providing data-driven solutions to talent acquisition, talent intelligence and HR teams.  

Rachel begins by discussing the current landscape for talent intelligence and its growing significance in organisations. She emphasies how data and insights are meeting the increasing appetite for information in talent acquisition. To illustrate the value of talent intelligence, Rachel shares an example involving a US-based Biotech firm. Through talent insights, the firm was able to design a recruitment strategy that attracted specialist technology skills into the organisation. For the organisation they were able to reduce their time-to-hire by 18 months, ultimately accelerating how quickly they could bring lifesaving treatments to market.  

Talent intelligence has the potential to positively impact diversity and inclusion. Rachel highlights the common tendency of organisations to focus solely on their own environment or limit diversity measures to just a few metrics. Whilst talent intelligence and mapping provides the external data to show where the talent you need is located, it’s critically important that organisations understand the barriers and lived experiences of people from diverse backgrounds.  

She advises talent leaders to present a strong business case for talent intelligence, highlighting the cost of poor decision-making, the urgency of the organisational context and the broader applicability of the data to drive growth plans.

The episode wraps up with an exploration of the skills required for a career in talent intelligence. Intellectual curiosity, proficiency with data, and the ability to translate findings into meaningful insights for the business are crucial components of success in this field.

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Key Takeaways:

- It’s important to understand the in-house capacity and capability of your team to determine whether you need a specialist partner to deliver the expertise you need.  

- Data and insights play a critical role in improving diversity and inclusion outcomes.

- To secure investment, talent leaders must present a strong business case for talent intelligence, highlighting its direct impact on decision-making and organisational growth.

- Proficiency in data analysis and an adeptness with AI are skills that professionals in all fields should strive to develop.