Nowa strona 1 » How to Design and Launch an Internal Talent Marketplace

A Strategic Playbook for HR Leaders Driving Skills-Based Talent Mobility and Workforce Resilience

Introduction: Why Organizations Need an Internal Talent Marketplace

As business cycles accelerate and skills become the new currency of competitiveness, companies can no longer rely solely on external recruitment or top-down development programs. The untapped potential already exists—inside.

An internal talent marketplace (ITM) is a tech-enabled platform that matches employees with opportunities across the business: roles, gigs, projects, mentorships, secondments, and learning pathways. It democratizes access to growth, breaks down silos, and builds true workforce agility.

However, launching an ITM is not a plug-and-play effort. It requires strategic alignment, ecosystem design, thoughtful governance, and cultural readiness. This guide outlines a comprehensive roadmap for HR leaders ready to shift from reactive mobility to a proactive, opportunity-driven workforce model.

Step 1: Define the Purpose and Strategic Scope

Before selecting technology or redesigning workflows, clarify the business objectives the ITM will serve. Without purpose alignment, adoption will suffer.

Define Core Objectives:

Enable career development and retention through transparent opportunities
Support skills-based deployment to projects and initiatives
Build organizational agility by fluidly moving talent where needed
Accelerate diversity and inclusion by leveling access to growth

Choose a Strategic Scope:

Start narrow (e.g., internal gigs or project-based resourcing)
Or go broad (full mobility including roles, learning, mentoring)

Example:
A global pharmaceutical firm launched its ITM focusing first on cross-functional project gigs for R&D and digital teams to build confidence before scaling to enterprise-wide roles.

Step 2: Secure Sponsorship and Governance Early

A talent marketplace challenges existing power structures. Managers no longer “own” talent—they share it. For the system to succeed, executive sponsorship and governance alignment are critical.

Key Enablers:

C-suite champion (e.g., CHRO or COO) to endorse the initiative
Cross-functional steering group (HR, business, tech, legal, comms)
Clear accountabilities: who owns platform, data, user experience
Governance model to manage opportunity intake, skills tagging, and matching logic

Tip:
Frame the ITM not as a threat to management control, but as a capability enabler that increases engagement, productivity, and retention.

Step 3: Design the Experience Around the User

Employees and managers will only use a talent marketplace if it feels intuitive, transparent, and valuable.

Map the End-to-End Experience:

For employees: Profile creation → Skill visibility → Opportunity alerts → Application → Feedback
For managers: Post opportunity → Skill criteria → Candidate shortlisting → Matching support
For HR/CoE: Data insights → Talent mobility trends → Skills gap analysis

Key Experience Features:

Skill-based matching engine
Personalised opportunity recommendations
Visibility into cross-functional roles, projects, and learning
Simple workflows for applying, approving, and onboarding
Feedback and review loops post-engagement

Example:
A fintech company created short 3-minute video walkthroughs for employees and managers during the pilot phase, demystifying how to use the platform and what's in it for them.

Step 4: Choose the Right Technology Partner

The market for internal talent marketplace platforms is growing rapidly. Whether you build in-house or partner with a vendor, ensure alignment with your talent strategy.

Selection Criteria:

AI-powered matching based on skills, career goals, and preferences
Interoperability with HCM/HRIS, LMS, and performance systems
Robust employee profiles capturing experience, interests, development goals
Support for multiple opportunity types (e.g., gigs, roles, mentoring, learning)
Built-in analytics and dashboards for HR and business users

Leading Vendors Include:

Gloat, Fuel50, Eightfold.ai, Hitch, Workday (Opportunity Marketplace), Oracle Dynamic Skills

Example:
A large retailer integrated Gloat’s platform into Workday and Cornerstone to create a unified skills-based experience across mobility, learning, and succession.

Step 5: Build the Skills Infrastructure to Power Matching

The ITM will only be as good as its underlying skills taxonomy and job architecture. If these aren’t in place, matching quality and trust will suffer.

Key Foundations:

Company-wide skills taxonomy aligned to current and future roles
Skills tagging of employees, roles, and gigs
Skills self-assessment and manager validation workflows
Role architecture integrated with skills and levels (see earlier guides)

Tip:
Start by mapping skills for high-volume roles or priority functions (e.g., Engineering, Digital, Customer Experience), then scale iteratively.

Step 6: Curate and Seed the Marketplace with Opportunities

No one will return to an empty marketplace. Seed the platform with enough quality, variety, and volume to make it valuable from day one.

Types of Opportunities to Include:

Short-term stretch assignments or gigs (4–12 weeks)
Open roles and internal postings
Mentorship opportunities or knowledge exchanges
Cross-functional projects tied to innovation or transformation
Learning pathways linked to upskilling or promotion tracks

Example:
A consumer goods company required each business unit to contribute at least 5 gigs, 5 mentors, and 3 rotational roles during the launch phase to create critical mass.

Step 7: Drive Culture, Communication, and Behavior Change

The ITM is not just a system—it’s a mindset shift. Employees must see that mobility is welcomed. Managers must see that talent sharing is rewarded.

Key Tactics:

Launch campaign positioning the ITM as a career growth engine, not just a job board
Manager enablement on how to post gigs, release talent, and coach for growth
Leadership storytelling to model the behavior (e.g., “I found my next challenge through the platform…”)
Recognition mechanisms for mobility champions and successful moves

Tip:
Use employee spotlight stories, internal podcasts, or all-hands moments to highlight positive outcomes and early adopters.

Step 8: Pilot, Learn, and Scale

Rather than aiming for a perfect enterprise rollout, start small and agile. Pilot in select business areas or regions and refine through real-time feedback.

Pilot Best Practices:

Choose business units with a growth mindset and strong HR support
Measure adoption, satisfaction, opportunity fill rates, and feedback
Iterate the experience: improve skills tagging, tweak matching rules, evolve content
Share lessons across the enterprise to build excitement and credibility

Example:
A telco piloted the ITM within its Digital and Strategy teams before scaling across customer operations and sales, achieving 45% platform engagement in 3 months.

Step 9: Measure and Communicate Impact

The talent marketplace should deliver visible impact for the employee, the business, and HR. Make it measurable—and tell the story.

Metrics to Track:

Internal mobility rate (vs. external hiring)
Opportunity fill rate and time-to-match
Employee engagement and retention among users
Diversity of opportunity access (e.g., gender, location, level)
Skills visibility and deployment trends

Impact Communication:

Monthly reports to HRLT and business unit heads
Dashboards for leaders to see talent flows
Success stories shared in town halls and intranet

Conclusion: From Transactions to Transformation

An internal talent marketplace is more than a system—it’s a strategic enabler of resilience, equity, and retention. When well-designed, it brings transparency to development, flexibility to deployment, and motivation to growth.

For HR leaders, it offers a way to:

Unlock hidden capacity
Align skill development with real business needs
Shift from succession planning to succession activation

Done right, it creates a dynamic, inclusive career ecosystem—where talent moves by merit, not by proximity or politics.