Practice knowledge base
Internal Talent Marketplace (ITM)
An Internal Talent Marketplace helps employees find projects, temporary assignments, and internal transitions within the company, while enabling managers to see available skills without external recruitment.
Documentation sections
What it is
It is a process or an internal platform where teams post open tasks, projects, internships, and roles, and employees can apply for them according to clear rules. The practice addresses the problem of hidden skills and unclear transitions between teams. It works better when the company is prepared to discuss employee workload and does not penalize managers for internal transfers.
When it helps
- Employees with strong skills leave because they do not see growth opportunities within the company.
- Teams search for talent externally, even though similar expertise already exists within the organization.
- Transitions between teams depend on personal agreements and appear non-transparent.
- High-performing specialists want to try new tasks, but their current role does not provide such scope.
How to start
- 1 Designate a process owner within the HR or People team to collect team requests and ensure compliance with application rules.
- 2 Define the minimum application format: task, required skills, expected time commitment, duration, owner, and selection criteria.
- 3 Publish a shared list of opportunities in an accessible channel: a spreadsheet, an HR system, or an internal portal.
- 4 Agree with managers on a rule for discussing temporary employee participation without informal agreements.
- 5 Review the initial applications and remove any wording that appears to be a closed competition for a pre-selected person.
Expected effect
The company gains a more visible skills pool and finds people for internal tasks faster. Employees find it easier to discuss growth without leaving for the external market, and managers see a clear process for temporary participation and transitions.
Common pitfalls
- The platform becomes a showcase for pre-determined assignments, and employees stop trusting the process.
- Managers block their employees' applications because the substitution and workload rules have not been agreed upon in advance.
- Applications list general requirements without a specific task, so people do not understand whether to apply.
- The process is launched without feedback to candidates, and participation begins to be perceived as a waste of time.
Further reading
- Book: Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha, Chris Yeh, The Alliance
- Report: Deloitte, Global Human Capital Trends, sections on internal mobility and talent marketplaces
- Research: Josh Bersin Company, materials on talent marketplace and internal mobility
FAQ
Who typically owns the Internal Talent Marketplace?
Most often, the HR or People team manages the process, but applications should come from actual task owners. Without manager involvement, the platform quickly becomes a list of abstract opportunities.
Can we start without a dedicated platform?
Yes. For the first step, a shared spreadsheet or page with a unified application format is sufficient. The key is not the tool, but clear rules for publishing, applying, workload agreement, and feedback.
How can you reduce manager resistance?
First, agree that participation can be temporary and with a pre-agreed workload limit. It is important for managers to see who covers the employee's current duties and how the transition decision is made.
How can you tell if the practice is working?
Look not only at the number of postings but also at applications, completed internal projects, transitions, and the quality of candidate feedback. If there are postings but no applications, check the trust in the rules.