While LinkedIn has continued to operate independently, it has borrowed increasingly from Microsoft’s other services since Redmond bought the network. The latest new feature is called Talent Insights. It aims to leverage more human resource data to help analyze available talent.
As the name suggests, Talent Insights provides talent analytics to LinkedIn members and organizations. The business network can now present a data graph that uses data from users to present human resource users with a self-serve representation of where talent is.
For example, if a HR department is seeking new recruits or looking to expand, LinkedIn can help. Talent Insights can show which areas have a pool of talent, where the most talented people are.
The company says the feature is focused on HR departments and is efficient, fast, and works in real-time. LinkedIn says it had three goals when creating the new feature:
- Deliver data on demand: give HR leaders and talent professionals the ability to answer complex talent questions in minutes.
- Make the insights actionable: ensure that anyone can interpret the data. You don’t have to be a data-scientist to get immense value from the product.
- Harness real-time updates on LinkedIn: provide the most accurate view of labor market trends at any given moment.
It is an interesting ability because it pushes LinkedIn towards a competitive realm with services like Oracle and SAP. For example, LinkedIn could leverage Microsoft Dynamics to create a major competitor in talent acquisition.
Outside Talent
Talent Insights not only shows companies where talent is on the outside, it also reports on internal talent. This can allow HR departments to see where talent lies in an organization and where companies are falling behind.
The Talent Pool report is used for sourcing strategy for talent such as developers and product managers, workforce planning, attrition rates and location analytics.
LinkedIn’s Talent Insights Company Report is used for competitive intelligence and employer branding for recruiting. Here’s a sample report.
