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How to Build a Talent Pipeline That Doesn’t Dry Up

How to Build a Talent Pipeline That Doesn’t Dry Up

April 25, 2025

Finding, hiring and retaining quality staff can be a headache. Particularly if your recruitment process only starts when you have a position to fill. The companies that manage to make recruitment a breeze never switch off their recruitment processes, which means their talent pipeline never dries up.

These companies aren’t necessarily investing more in recruitment or spending more resources on finding these workers. They just have the processes in place that allow them to never switch off recruitment. Want to put this to work in your organisation? Here’s what you need to do to build a talent pipeline that will never dry up.

Define your company culture

One thing that companies that are successful with recruitment all have in common is that they have a clearly defined company culture, and they share this with the outside world. This is as much a PR and communications challenge as a recruitment challenge.

What does a clearly defined company culture do for your recruitment? It makes your company a desirable place to work. It builds your brand into something that workers want to be aligned with, so if they are looking for a new challenge, they will go to you directly to check if you are hiring.

How to Build a Talent Pipeline That Doesn’t Dry Up CMD Recruitment

Establish a hiring process

Another simple way to make sure your talent pipeline never dries up is to establish a recruitment process that can be easily rolled out when a specific need arises. Time and resources can be wasted by starting the process from scratch every time you want to hire a new employee.

A clear process simplifies the recruitment process and reduces strain on HR staff. This will allow them to focus on more important tasks, such as keeping the talent pipeline flowing.

Don’t neglect existing employees

Every employee in the company should have a career development plan that maps a course for their progression. These employees might not make the most of the opportunities presented, but the best talent almost certainly will.

By allowing for internal promotion alongside new talent procurement, you’ll create a culture of meritocracy, which rewards loyalty and service through training and development opportunities.

How to Build a Talent Pipeline That Doesn’t Dry Up CMD Recruitment

Simplify the application process

Making life easier for applicants will help to attract more interest. One of the biggest complaints from applicants is when the application form asks for duplicated information that can be found in their CV. Others find that cover letters are also becoming obsolete, particularly in the age of generative AI that can produce a generic cover letter in seconds.

Rather than sticking to convention for the sake of it, ask yourself what information you really need from the applicant and then stick to that. Some employers worry about attracting spam applications when the process is too easy, but it’s far better than missing out on excellent talent because your application process is too hard.

Think about future needs

Rather than hiring for the role in front of you, look at company projections so you can see when roles might be created in the future. Recruitment is rarely a surprise, so you can stay one step ahead by taking a long-term view rather than focusing on the present.

This is not only about expansion plans but also skills gaps that may arise as technology moves forward. Being able to quickly respond to skills gaps and stay ahead of your competition is much easier when your talent pipeline never switches off.

How to Build a Talent Pipeline That Doesn’t Dry Up CMD Recruitment

Keep an eye on competitors

Speaking of your competitors, it’s also work keeping an eye on their movements. Hiring and firing decisions in other organisations should be on your radar so you can make adjustments accordingly. If a competitor is struggling and is forced to let go of critical staff, this could be an ideal opportunity to build your talent pool.

Create a circular hiring process

Lot of HR professionals will talk about creating a hiring funnel, which is a great way to think about your recruitment process, but the problem with a funnel is that you have to keep pouring things into the top in order to see results at the bottom. Instead of a funnel, think of your recruitment process as a circular motion.

In a circular hiring process, you think about how you can recycle and renew interest. This means simple things like offering an employee referral bonus for successful hires based on an employee introduction. 

You can also get back to every single applicant that you interview and keep the conversation flowing. They might not be right for this role, but with more time, experience and training, could they be ready to restart the conversation in six months or a year? 

This is how you truly make sure that the talent pipeline is never switched off. By maximising the value of every interaction and ensuring that even unsuccessful candidates have a positive view of your organisation, you can create a circular pipeline of talent that keeps on giving.

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