Talent Management: Requisitions, Performance, and Succession
Recruiting pipeline
Talent Management begins with the job requisition, which captures headcount, job profile, and recruiting status. Candidates move through job application stages (e.g., review, interview, offer) governed by stage and status configuration. Offers are created from offer templates and, once accepted, feed the Hire business process. A common trap: a requisition is not a position - it is a request to fill one, and it can be closed or canceled independently of the position record.
Performance and goals
Performance reviews are built from review templates, which define sections, ratings, and participants (self, manager, peer). Goals can be cascaded from the organization down to the individual. Calibration sessions let managers compare ratings before finalization. Understand the distinction between a review period (the timeframe evaluated) and the review process (the workflow and template). Questions often test who can see a review at each step - visibility follows the participant role and the review's security settings.
Talent and succession
Talent reviews assess worker potential and performance (often a 9-box). Succession plans identify key positions and named successors with readiness levels. Career development uses job profiles, competencies, and development plans. Know that a talent pool is a group of workers tracked for opportunity, distinct from a succession plan tied to a specific position.
Learning and skills
Learning assigns courses via campaigns and programs; skills and competencies attach to job profiles and worker profiles. Skill gaps can drive development recommendations.
Worked example
A manager asks why a worker appears in a succession plan but not in a talent pool. Rule of thumb: succession = position-anchored (who could fill this seat); talent pool = person-anchored (who we are developing). The same worker can appear in both, but the plan's readiness rating lives on the succession plan, not the pool.
Trap to watch: confusing performance rating (past) with potential rating (future) in talent review questions, and assuming calibration changes the original manager rating rather than recording an adjusted rating.