At a time when the search for great talent is more challenging than ever, The HR World hosted a webinar, sponsored by Connectr Talent Technology, to examine the potential of emerging talent – how organisations can find, attract and onboard this important people resource.

Going beyond simply individuals at the start of their career, emerging talent also addresses those who are returning to work or making a significant shift in their working lives. These are marginalised groups including ex-offenders, ex-military, parents returning to work – indeed any and all candidates who might not otherwise be a core part of a business’ attraction and hiring strategy.

The webinar featured input from panelists Simon Reichwald, Chief Progression Officer, Connectr Talent Technology; Jonathan De Kryger, Leader Campus Recruitment North, Human Resources, Worldline and Gareth Stirling, Senior Recruitment Business Partner, Totalmobile Ltd.

Between them they highlighted the importance of ensuring an organisation’s search for talent goes beyond the usual parameters, explaining how partnerships with external organisations and dedicated initiatives could bring increased awareness of an employer and work sector to people who may not otherwise consider those areas.

The panelists emphasised the need to educate and communicate with talent pools in order to secure engagement and interest, not just to complete the application and onboarding process but to help create candidates who would have a long term career with the organisation and within that employment sector. As Simon Reichwald pointed out, drawing from this talent base frequently means securing more loyal and committed employees than from other areas, but this can only be done by putting in the effort as the employer.

While many companies may still struggle with the number of applicants they receive for available roles, attracting emerging talent is still crucial for organisations who want to benefit from a diverse and committed workforce. Technology can certainly help to sift and engage with a large number of applicants, but ultimately the organisation must be welcoming and committed to these kind of applicants if they are to achieve success and benefit from everything they have to give.