Three Talent Tech Tools to Help You with Your Career



Contributed by Lewis Garrad on Mon, Dec 19, 2016

This article originally appeared at Sirota.com.

While so much media has been focused on how technology is going to automate jobs and replace us all with robots, much less attention is being given to the emerging Talent Tech industry.

In fact, there is a good argument that using technology to help us understand our talent and potential is really the most noble and humanitarian of causes; to help us find out how we can continue to learn, grow and stay relevant in the midst of substantial change.

Sirota has been studying people at work for more than 40 years and huge amounts of our research tell us that when we find a job that we believe in; one that stretches us and makes good use of our skills and abilities, we tend to be more motivated, committed and engaged – which works out well for everyone. In our most recent research with The Engagement Institute, we’ve found that each individual employee’s own approach to their career and their work makes a big difference too – leading to more effective job crafting and growth behaviours.

So with that context in mind, here are some tools that you can try out in the emerging TalentTech space. Most of these are in their earliest releases so it’s worth keeping an eye on how they develop.

  1. Mercer Match – Mercer have been one of the earliest movers in the Talent Tech space, releasing their game-ified career app last year. The technology allows the user to play various games on their mobile device and build a skills and talent profile which can be quickly matched with employer needs. Making use of your fragment time (sitting on the bus or in the bath), you can explore the various games and activities that will keep your brain occupied but also help you figure out your unique talent profile. Get more info about the app here: https://mercermatch.com/.
  2. Hogan-X – There are very few attributes as valuable as self awareness, and as the psychs at Hogan will tell you, “reputation is everything”. Hogan’s newest experimental tools are light and easy to use. Built to help us understand our strengths AND weaknesses at work, the ideas is that we can learn how to get along, while also getting ahead. You can explore feedback on various aspects of your personality and find out what motivates you. Most importantly though you can find out about your dark side – the biggest risks for career derailment. Check it out here: https://me.hogan-x.com/.
  3. Crystal Knows – You might not know this, but Crystal has been getting to know you. With the vast amount of public information about us online these days (think social media profiles and company websites), Crystal is scanning and aggregating your public online profiles to build a tool that helps others get to know (the online) you better and interact with you more effectively. The plug-in tools for LinkedIn, Gmail and other communications tools are particularly useful as they make specific suggestions about what language to use with someone and when. Check it out here: http://crystalknows.com/.

The idea behind these tools is that they empower individuals to take more ownership for their career and talent data. There are many other technology solutions emerging that are also helping companies understand talent in a more sophisticated way (e.g. digital interviews, unstructured data analytics, etc.) and together they are starting to reshape the career landscape.

Lewis Garrad focuses on growth markets for Mercer-Sirota, and has an extensive background in employee feedback and engagement. He has worked across a broad range of industries with companies such as Shell, Rolls-Royce, Skype, Solvay, Tullow Oil, National Grid, Westfield, Royal Ahold, and TNT. Chartered by the British Psychological Society as an Occupational Psychologist, Lewis graduated from the University of Nottingham with an MSc in Occupational Psychology and a First Class Honours BSc in Psychology & Cognitive Neuroscience.