Sourcing new candidates every time there is a job opening may not be the most efficient way to manage talent. When we come across a few good candidates during the selection process, we usually can't hire more than one of them. But, competent talent is hard to come by, so it's important to assess the skills and potential of each candidate to see if they can be redeployed to benefit the company.

Candidate redeployment is when you change a candidate's current role to fit a different job profile in the company. This is where skill-based hiring takes precedence.

How does talent redeployment work?

To see if a candidate would be a better fit for a different role in the company, map all the skills that are required to attain steady growth in a particular role and compare it with that candidate's skill set. Ensure that you are giving candidates clear expectations about the new role.

Look for skills that are easily transferable between the two roles, analyze if they have to be re-skilled, and give enough training and support to prep them for the new role.

Talent redeployment: a win-win for both the candidate and the company

Re-engaging old candidates and redeploying talent can help create a great candidate experience. It can also cultivate a positive company culture, improve talent retention, save money, and open up more avenues for the candidate to explore. 

This approach encourages both candidates and employees see a long-term future within the company, as they get to fulfill their career goals in-house. Plus, by providing opportunities for redeployment, the company becomes better able to shift priorities and resources from low volume work demands to higher volume, higher demand areas. 

It is essential to ensure that the individuals who are redeployed have all the essential skills, qualifications, and desire to grow within their new roles. 

Employee redeployment as an alternative to layoffs

During economic downturns, the first solution that employers usually resort to is downsizing the workforce. However, these layoffs come with big costs. 

The economy eventually recovers, and when it does, the company is left with fewer resources to bounce back. On top of losing good employees with institutional knowledge, it also leaves a negative impression among existing employees. 

Redundancies are inevitable, and it is always important to keep your employees prepared for changes. Be sure your employees are able to collaborate between teams so that they learn more about how different teams function, and offer plenty of opportunities to upskill and reskill so that they can continue to refine their knowledge and acquire new, valuable skills.

Read our blog to understand all you need to know about upskilling and reskilling your workforce.

Driving talent redeployment within your organization 

Ensure that both candidates and employees are aware of new job openings within the company so that they can explore their options. It can be beneficial to have an internal talent marketplace that employees can use to view and apply for new opportunities.  

To match talent skill sets with open roles, you need to have an updated database of candidates and employees. With Zoho Recruit's unique candidate portal, candidates can fill their details, apply for openings, and track their application. 

Learn more about how the candidate portal works

Help your talent help you

While redeploying talent seems like a great idea under most circumstances, it is important to understand that it takes a lot of effort. After all, the candidate or employee set out to fill a completely different role, and they will likely need ample time and training to perform well in the new role. Hiring incorrectly for redeployment and causing talent redundancies also has expensive consequences for the company. 

Zoho Recruit ensures that you never lose good talent by enabling you to archive top candidates that were not offered the job. This way, you can re-engage with them and add them back to the hiring pipeline when a need for their skill set arises.