Talent Networks User Guide

Modified on Mon, 4 Nov at 9:10 AM

Introducing Talent Networks

The Talent Network is a new enhancement within our platform, designed to improve how organisations manage, categorise and engage with their talent pipelines. It builds upon the Talent Pool concept, offering advanced functionalities for automating communication, segmenting candidates and streamlining candidate management.

The Talent Network helps organisations to fill vacancies faster and more efficiently by:

Building a comprehensive database of potential candidates.
Keeping candidates engaged and informed.
Organising candidates into relevant networks based on their skills, interests or roles.

What's included in this guide

Set up
Creating a Talent Pool
Viewing candidates in Talent Networks
Managing candidates in Talent Networks
FAQs for Talent Network

Set up

Activation

Request to activate the Talent Network through our Support Team, who will let you know when this is complete. If you are already using Talent Pools, activating the Talent Network will not affect any of your existing Talent Pools.

Security Role Permissions

To ensure that only authorised users can access the Talent Network, you will need to configure your Security Roles. If you haven’t previously used the Talent Pool functionality in Jobtrain, you can find guidance on setting up access here.

To create a Talent Pool Application form, you will need to enable access to the Talent Pool Application Template Setup within Security Roles:

Go to Settings > Security Roles
Select a Security Role to edit
Then go to the Settings tab > Talent Pool Application Template Setup

Video steps:

Security Role Settings - Application Template Setup

Emails

Effective communication is crucial when you’re adding candidates to a Talent Pool. Automated emails can keep candidates engaged and informed.

When you’re creating a talent pool, we’ve made it mandatory to add an acknowledgement email template that’s sent to candidates, so ensure you have one ready!

To set up communication templates:

Go to Settings > Communication > Email Templates.
Select Create Email Template from the left-hand menu.
Then create different email templates for various scenarios, such as:
1. Welcome emails for candidates added to the Talent Pool or confirmation when a candidate joins a public pool themselves.
2. Candidate invitation emails to apply for a specific role.
3. Notification emails about upcoming opportunities within the network.
Once created, these templates can be triggered by specific actions within the Talent Network.

Video steps:

Creating an email template

Merge fields

Two new merge fields have been created to support Talent Pool communications:

Talent Pool Name
Talent Pool Reference Number

System Customisation – setting up the automatic email

Go to Settings > System Customisation > Emails to setup which email will be sent automatically based on the following actions:

System Customisation > Emails	The trigger that sends the email
Talent Pool Acknowledgement Email	When a candidate joins a Talent Pool from the Talent Networks area of the candidate site.
Assigned to Talent Pool	When a client system user assigns the candidate to a Talent Pool.

Video steps:

System Customisation - Talent Pool emails

Creating a Talent Pool Application Form

First, visit the Application Templates: go to Settings > Application Templates.
Select the Form Type: choose Talent Application Form.
Click New Application Template in the left-hand column.
Build the Form: Use the form builder to design the application form that candidates will complete to join your talent pool.

Pre-set questions: Fields such as Candidate Name, Email and Phone Number are automatically included.
Enable CV Upload (optional): If this is enabled, uploading a CV will be a mandatory requirement.
Default Template: When enabled, these Talent Application form questions will be set as the default for all newly created Talent Pools (with the option to select a different application form for each Talent Pool if needed).
Standard Talent Questions: Use pre-existing lookup fields like Location or Department to allow candidates to specify their preferences and match their skills with your organisation's data.
- Use the Visible toggle to show or hide standard questions.
- Modify the Caption field to rephrase the question wording as needed.
- Use the Mandatory toggle to make questions required or optional.
Add Custom Field questions from the main application form builder or create new custom fields specifically for Talent Applications as needed.

These application forms are displayed as a single page for candidates, so we recommend they are kept short and simple to encourage completion.

Video steps:

Creating a Talent Pool application form

However, candidates can send themselves a reminder to come back to the Talent Pool Application Form if they are unable to submit it at that time.

If a candidate is identified as already being in your database (based on a match of first name, surname and either email or mobile telephone number), their record will be linked to all other job applications and talent pools they have joined.

Creating a Talent Pool

From the main menu, click on Talent then select Talent Pools.
You'll see a list of all public Talent Pools and any private Talent Pools you have access to.
Click Create Talent Pool from the left-hand menu and fill in the details:

Talent Pool Name: Clearly label the Talent Pool for easy identification.
For Candidates: Add the name that candidates will see for this Talent Pool.
Access to all users: Toggle off if you want to restrict access to specific users.
Notes: Here you can provide guidance or instructions about the purpose of this Talent Pool for other users.

Save and Publish options

To bypass a landing page and direct candidates straight to the Talent Application Form, leave the landing page content blank before publishing.
This method means candidates are directed straight to the Talent Application Form after clicking the Talent Pool card.

Sharing links

Copy Apply Link: This directs candidates straight to the Talent Application Form (if the Talent Pool is published).
Copy Landing Page Link: If a landing page has been created, this link directs candidates to more information about the Talent Network opportunity.

In the Landing Page tab, the following settings are available:

Choose Application Form: The default Talent Application Form is pre-populated here, but you can choose a different form for candidates to complete when joining the pool if needed.
Acknowledgement Email: The default Talent Acknowledgement Email is pre-populated here, but you can choose an alternative email template to send to candidates when they join the pool if needed.
Publish to Talent Network:
- Toggle to Yes to make the Talent Pool visible to candidates, allowing them to join.
- If set to No, candidates cannot join on their own, but other client system users, with access to the Talent Pool, can instead assign candidates to it.
Closing Date (optional): Choose whether to set a closing date for candidates to join the Talent Pool.
Talent Opportunity Card Background: Customise the appearance of the Talent Pool card in the candidate experience.
- Colour: Select a background and font colour for the card.
- Image – Choose an image from the Media Library to display as the background of the Talent Card. Images must be 350 x 350 pixels.
Landing Page: Add content to the landing page to provide candidates with information about the Talent Pool and what they can expect. If this section is left blank, candidates will go directly to the application form.
You can then choose to Save, Save and Publish, or Exit the form.

Congratulations, your Talent Pool is now created!

Video steps:

Creating a Talent Pool

The candidate experience

Video steps:

Candidates’ experience - application

Candidate duplicate check

When a candidate submits a Talent Application, the system automatically performs a Duplicate Check to ensure that their information isn't already in the system.

Existing Candidate: If the candidate's details (such as email address) match an existing record in your system, they will be prompted to log in to their account. This ensures that their new Talent Application is linked to their existing profile, avoiding duplicate entries in the system.
New Candidate: If the system doesn’t find a matching record, a new candidate profile will be created and the Talent Application will be added.

Assigning candidates to a Talent Pool

There are two main ways to assign candidates to a Talent Pool:

1. Assign to a Talent Pool

From a list of candidates against a job:

Tick the checkbox next to the desired candidate(s).
Click on the Add or Assign button from the left-hand menu.

2. Assign from search results:

Tick the checkbox next to the desired candidate(s).
Select the Actions menu and choose Assign to a Talent Pool.

In the pop-up window, fill in the details and click Assign.

Source Application: If the candidate has multiple existing job or talent records you can choose which specific application to copy into the new Talent Pool.

If they don’t have an existing job or talent records (e.g. they have only registered for job alerts without submitting further details), a new talent pool record will be created using only their basic information (name and email).

Select a Talent Pool: You can choose any Talent Pool to assign a candidate to even if it is not a Pool that you have been assigned visibility of.

Create New Talent Pool: If there are no existing Talent Pools that suit your needs, you can create a new one. Newly created Talent Pools here will remain unpublished by default and will automatically adopt any default Talent Application or Email settings.

Video steps:

Assigning candidates to a Talent Pool - from a job list of candidates

Assigning a candidate from a search

3. Candidates can choose to join Published Talent Pools:

If you publish your Talent Pool, candidates will be able to view and join it via the candidate website by completing and submitting the Talent Application Form.

Once a candidate is assigned to a Talent Pool a system user cannot remove them, only the candidate can remove themselves.

A Talent Pool can only be deleted when there are no longer any candidates assigned to it.

Viewing candidates in Talent Networks

To view candidates assigned to a Talent Pool:

Go to Talent > Talent Pools.
Click on the desired Talent Pool to see the list of candidates.
Click on a candidate’s name to view their full profile, application history and the jobs they have applied for.

This overview makes it easy to identify candidates who are suitable for future opportunities or who may need further engagement.

Video steps:

Viewing Talent Pool candidates

Viewing the Talent Network

To access the Talent Network:

Go to Talent > Talent Network

Here you will see the My Talent Network page. This page shows all activities within the Talent Pools you have access to.

By default, the list is ordered by most recent activity, however, you can change this by clicking on the headers at the top of the list.
You can also rank candidates or click to view the candidate's CV or the relevant Talent Pool from this list.
Candidates will appear in the Talent Network list multiple times if they are assigned to more than one Talent Pool.

Video steps:

Viewing a Talent Network

Last Activity

The Last Activity field helps you keep track of the most recent interactions or updates related to a candidate within the Talent Network or a specific Talent Pool. This includes both candidate actions and recruiter activity, ensuring you always have a clear view of engagement levels.

Candidate Activity: Any updates made by the candidate, such as editing their profile, submitting a new application or making changes to their Talent Pool application, will be reflected in the Last Activity date.
Recruiter Activity: Any actions taken by a recruiter, such as adding a note, sending an email or text message or making updates to a candidate’s status, will also update the Last Activity date.

This feature allows you to quickly identify candidates who have been recently active or those who might require follow-up, helping you prioritise engagement with the most responsive or relevant candidates.

Finding Talent

To help you find candidates easily within the Talent Network, use the filters and search options available:

Filters: At the top of the Talent Network page, you can filter candidates based on their responses to the Talent Application they completed. For example, if you're looking for nurses in London, you can combine the Location and Skill or Department filters to refine your search.
Star Rating filter: The three dots in the Star Ranking column allow you to filter candidates based on their star ratings.
Search field: Located at the top right of the Talent Network page, the search field allows you to perform a keyword search across both candidate names and CV content, enabling powerful and flexible searching.
Talent Pool-specific filters: If you're viewing candidates within an individual Talent Pool, the filters at the top of the page will be customised based on the Talent Application questions specific to that Talent Pool.
Search across the system: Candidates who join the Talent Network can also be found through broader searches in Search > Talent and, if setup, Search and Match. These allow searches to be conducted against either an individual job or across the entire system.

Managing candidates in Talent Networks

Within the Talent Network, you can perform the following actions by marking the check box next to any candidate(s) and selecting an action from the left-hand menu:

Assign to a Job: Move the candidate from the network into a specific job opening.
Send Email: Send individual or bulk emails to candidates.
Send Text Message: Send individual or bulk texts to candidates.
Forward Candidate: Forward candidate(s) details via email.
Assign to a Talent Pool: Assign candidate(s) to another Talent Pool.
Smart Search: Links to the existing Smart Search functionality - candidates joining the Talent Network / Pool can be searched using Smart Search/Match if you have this functionality in your system.
Print: Print a table of selected candidate details.
Export to Excel: Export a table of selected candidate details.

All actions performed on a candidate are logged in their activity history.

Candidate Notes FAQs

The Candidate Notes feature allows you to add and view notes for candidates across both Talent Pools and jobs, ensuring that notes stay with the candidate throughout their journey.

If notes are added to a candidate within a Talent Pool, they will follow the candidate if they are moved to a specific job.
A Candidate Notes button appears on the right-hand side of the candidate card at the top of the page. Clicking this button will open a modal window, which links to the same notes functionality in the candidate’s profile.
From both the Talent Network and Talent Pool List of Candidates pages, a notes icon will display the same Notes modal window, allowing easy access to add or view them.
Users with access to Notes in their Security Roles can view notes, even if they do not have access to the specific job the note was added against. This works like the history feature, where granting access to notes may allow visibility across jobs that the user is not assigned to.
Both job-related and Talent Pool-related notes are visible in the same Candidate Notes display. The notes will show the reference number and title of the job or Talent Pool where the note was added for clarity.

Visibility of Talent Pools in candidate records

When a candidate applies for a Talent Pool opportunity, a candidate record is automatically created.

In addition to the jobs the candidate has applied for, their record will also display the specific Talent Pools they have joined or been assigned to.

Talent Networks from a candidate’s perspective

Candidates can find the Talent Network by scrolling to the bottom of the careers site where a call-to-action banner is shown. From here, candidates can click through to the Talent Network area of the site where they can view all public Talent Pools and set up Job Alerts.

Video steps:

Candidate experience - accessing from the List of Jobs

Once candidates have logged in, any previous Talent Pool applications can be seen from the header menu. From here candidates can:

View the name of any private or public Talent Pools they are a part of (this does not include private Talent Pools that were created prior to the new Talent Network functionality being activated within your Jobtrain system).
View the date they joined or were added to the Talent Pool.
View any relevant closing dates.
View and edit their applications.
Remove their application and leave the Talent Pool.

Video steps:

Candidate experience - updating a Talent Pool application

Candidate experience - deleting a Talent Application

Example email content

Here are some example email templates to use:

Email Template: Welcome to Talent Network

Dear {CANDIDATES.FIRSTNAME},

We are excited to have you as part of our Talent Network! We believe your skills and experience make you a great fit for future opportunities at {COMPANY.NAME}. We will keep you informed of any relevant openings.

If you would like to update your preferences or subscribe to job alerts, please log into your profile here: {LINK.TO.CANDIDATE.PORTAL}.

Best regards,

{COMPANY.RECRUITMENT.TEAM}

Email Template: Opportunity Notification

Dear {CANDIDATES.FIRSTNAME},

We wanted to let you know about an exciting new opportunity at {COMPANY.NAME} that matches your profile! Please click the link below to view the job description and apply.

{JOB.LINK}

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our team.

Best regards,

{COMPANY.RECRUITMENT.TEAM}

FAQs for Talent Network

What is the difference between a Talent Pool and a Talent Network?

Talent Pools are more static and typically used to group candidates into predefined categories (e.g., silver medallists or speculative applicants). Talent Network, on the other hand, is an area that allows you manage all candidates that sit within your Talent Pools.

Can I manually add candidates to a Talent Network?

Yes, you can manually add candidates by selecting their profiles and using the Assign to Talent Network option from the left-hand menu.

How do I make a Talent Network private or public?

When creating or editing a Talent Network, you will see an option to toggle between Public and Private. Public networks are accessible to all users with the appropriate security roles, while private networks are restricted to specific users you assign via the Sharing section.

Can candidates remove themselves from a Talent Network?

Yes, candidates can remove themselves from the individual Talent Pool(s) they are assigned to.

How do I search for specific candidates within a Talent Network?

Use the Search feature in the Talent Network interface. You can filter candidates by skills, locations or other criteria to quickly find candidates who meet your requirements.

Why aren’t some users able to access certain Talent Pools?

This could be due to security role restrictions. Ensure that the users in question have been granted access to the Talent Pool by reviewing their Security Roles and checking if they have the necessary permissions in the Talent Pool set up.

How do I track a candidate’s progress in the Talent Network?

Candidate progress can be tracked using Candidate Statuses. Update the status of candidates as they move through your recruitment pipeline, and view all past actions and communications in their candidate history.

Can I export a list of candidates in a Talent Network?

Yes, you can export candidate lists by selecting the desired candidates and using the export to excel option (if enabled for your role). This can be useful for reporting or sharing with other teams.

Common issues

I cannot assign a candidate to a Talent Network.

Ensure that you have the appropriate permissions within your Security Role to assign candidates to a Talent Network. You may need to contact your system administrator to check your access settings.

Emails are not being sent to candidates automatically.

Check if the email template is correctly set up in the talent pool.

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