Why Employers Should Keep Filling Their Talent Pools

You’ve probably been there: a key team member leaves on short notice, and suddenly you’re in firefighting mode. Advertising, screening, interviewing, all while the rest of the team picks up the slack. In a perfect world, you’d already have someone in the wings: a promising candidate you’ve nurtured, who already understands your business.

That’s the value of a talent pool.

While overall vacancies have declined slightly since their pandemic peak, hiring remains a significant challenge in frontline and mid-skill roles, particularly in care, logistics, hospitality, and retail. Yet many employers continue to hire reactively, missing opportunities to plan or engage with overlooked groups.

One such group is prison leavers, who often leave custody with job-ready skills and a strong desire to work, but struggle to access fair opportunities. By building and maintaining inclusive talent pools, employers can stay ahead of demand and uncover talent that others may miss.

Why Talent Pools Are Worth Investing In

A talent pool isn’t just a list of names. Done well, it’s a curated, engaged group of potential candidates who’ve already shown interest in working with your organisation, even if the right role isn’t available yet.

That might include:

• Silver-medallist candidates from previous campaigns, those who made it to the final interview stages but narrowly missed out on the role, are often highly qualified and still interested in future opportunities

• Passive applicants from open days or employer branding events

• Previous employees or seasonal workers are open to returning

• Individuals from community partnerships or training programmes

• Employment-ready prison leavers, particularly those who’ve completed industry training or qualifications while in custody and are motivated to find stable work

  
  

Keeping these relationships warm has measurable benefits. Candidates who’ve had a positive experience, even if they weren’t hired, are more likely to apply again or refer others. Glassdoor reports that 83% of job seekers review employer reviews before applying, and a single negative experience can deter hundreds of potential candidates.

On the other hand, organisations that neglect their pipelines often experience more extended vacancy periods, inflated salary demands, and rushed hiring decisions that don’t last. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) estimates that a bad hire at the mid-manager level costs UK businesses over £132,000 in lost productivity, resourcing, and onboarding costs.

Building Broader, More Inclusive Talent Pools

The best talent pipelines don’t just mirror who’s actively applying; they reflect the full potential of the workforce. This includes candidates who may not currently see themselves in your industry, or who face barriers getting through traditional recruitment filters.

People with criminal convictions

Roughly one in four working-age adults in the UK has a criminal record. Yet research from the Ministry of Justice shows that employment reduces reoffending by up to 9 percentage points, making it one of the most effective routes to rehabilitation and safer communities.

Many leave prison having completed vocational qualifications in fields such as construction, logistics, or catering, yet struggle to secure fair access to employment. Employers who proactively include this group in their talent pipelines can access a motivated and often highly skilled workforce.

For example, Greggs has developed a dedicated Fresh Start programme to support prison leavers into employment, combining training, in-work mentoring, and inclusive onboarding. The result? Strong retention and loyalty from individuals who may have been overlooked elsewhere. 

You can explore this further in our guide to fair chance hiring.

Career changers and sector switchers

Post-pandemic, more people are open to reskilling, but don’t always know how to enter a new field. By engaging with adult learners, bootcamp graduates or upskilling platforms, employers can tap into a motivated pool of workers who bring fresh perspectives.

Returners to work

Whether it’s parents after childcare, older workers post-retirement, or carers returning after time away, returners bring experience and loyalty. Demos and Anchor reports that over 800,000 over-50s want to return to work but face barriers like age bias or inflexible hours.

Apprentices and early-career talent

Building relationships with colleges and training providers means you can engage early and shape future hires. T-Levels, Skills Bootcamps, and Local Skills Improvement Plans all offer routes to connect with this group. The Department for Education found that 86% of employers using apprenticeships said they helped develop skills relevant to their organisation.

Keeping Talent Pools Engaged (and Ready)

Talent pools only work when people feel seen, valued, and informed. If the only time you contact someone is when there’s a vacancy, you risk losing their interest, or worse, their trust.

Here are a few simple ways employers are keeping their pools warm:

• Job alerts and updates tailored to skill areas or interests

• Branded content, behind-the-scenes stories, employee testimonials, Q&As with hiring managers

• Early access to roles or feedback loops that show candidate voice matters

• Upskilling and mentoring links, especially for those facing barriers or exploring a new sector

And this doesn’t have to be manual. Tools like applicant tracking systems (ATS), CRM-style recruitment software, or even email marketing platforms can automate regular check-ins and keep data GDPR-compliant.

The goal is to turn passive interest into active intent, so when the right role does arise, you’re not just advertising into the void, you’re tapping into a community.

Your Talent Pipeline Is Your Power

In today’s job market, filling roles quickly and confidently is a real competitive advantage. But that’s only possible when you stop hiring reactively and start thinking ahead.

An active, inclusive talent pool helps reduce time-to-hire, improves candidate quality, supports workforce diversity, and strengthens your reputation as an employer of choice. It also builds resilience, especially in high-churn or hard-to-fill roles, where every unfilled vacancy has a significant impact.

Here at Offploy, we partner with employers to support the recruitment of people with criminal convictions, offering practical tools, training, and ongoing guidance. Our mission is to make fair chance employment a standard part of workforce planning, helping organisations build inclusive teams that contribute to stronger communities.

Join our free employer webinar to learn how inclusive talent pools can transform your recruitment strategy and keep your business moving forward.