Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition
What the domain tests
Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition covers how HR forecasts needs, defines jobs, attracts candidates, selects validly, and onboards. PHRi favors practical scenarios with international labor markets and local hiring constraints.
Core rules
- Job analysis produces the job description (tasks, duties) and person specification (knowledge, skills, abilities). Validate both with incumbents and managers.
- Forecast demand from strategy and supply from internal talent, attrition, and local market data. Close gaps with build, buy, borrow, bridge, or bounce strategies.
- Recruitment sources differ by market: job boards, agencies, referrals, campus, social media. Track source yield and cost per hire.
- Selection should be reliable and valid. Structured interviews, work samples, and assessment centers predict better than unstructured chats. Check right-to-work and local anti-discrimination rules.
- Onboarding starts before day one and includes role clarity, compliance, and social integration.
Worked example
A shared services center needs 40 analysts. HR receives 400 applications; 80 pass screening; 32 pass interviews; 28 accept; 24 remain after probation. The yield ratio from application to hire is 24/400 = 6%. HR compares cost per hire by source: referrals cost less per retained hire than agencies, so it shifts spend to referrals while keeping agency coverage for scarce skills. The reasoning uses funnel data, not intuition.
Traps
Confusing job description with person specification; using unstructured interviews; ignoring adverse impact; counting offers rather than retained hires; skipping local right-to-work checks.