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Talent matching / Guide

Internal talent marketplaces: turn an opportunity into a feasible move

Connect opportunity discovery with employee interest, evidence, availability and source-team cover.

An internal talent marketplace makes opportunities easier to discover and people easier to consider. Turning that discovery into a move requires another set of questions: does the person want it, can they do it, and can both teams make the timing work?

01

Describe the opportunity in terms of work

An opportunity may be a permanent role, a project, a short assignment or a development experience. State the expected contribution, duration, location constraints and required capability. A title alone makes it difficult for employees to judge relevance or for managers to compare options.

Keep essential conditions separate from preferences. An opportunity designed to develop someone should not quietly demand that they already have every capability it is meant to build.

02

Let interest and evidence meet

Employees can express aspirations and provide examples of relevant work. Matching can help surface relationships between those records and the opportunity. Neither a recommendation nor an expression of interest constitutes an agreed move.

A useful opportunity review shows the reasons for a potential match, missing evidence and any development needed. Give employees and reviewers a clear way to clarify the record, rather than presenting a ranking as a complete judgement of potential.

03

Make feasibility visible

Confirm availability, manager release, transition timing and the effect on the source team. A strong match may be unavailable during the required period. A move may close one team's gap while opening another, so planning needs to consider both sides.

Keep those constraints distinct from capability. If an assignment cannot proceed because of timing, retain that reason. The person's profile should not appear less capable simply because the organisation could not release them.

04

Complete the move through an agreed workflow

The client defines the steps from interest through review to assignment, including who can see individual assessments and who can authorise changes. Some steps may run automatically; others may require a specified review. The process should record what actually completed.

EVA connects Talent Matching with Workforce Planning and configured workflows. Start with the opportunity and the decision the teams need to make, then agree the profile evidence, access and system connections required.

Explore the example

A match becomes a move only when the constraints fit

Illustrative opportunity: a three-month regional project beginning in October.

What we know

Relevant experience · interest not yet confirmed

How to read it

There is a reason to start a conversation, not an agreed assignment.

The next useful action

Invite the employee to discuss the opportunity and timing.

Compare all 3 cases
All example cases and next actions
CaseKnown informationNext action
ExploreRelevant experience · interest not yet confirmedInvite the employee to discuss the opportunity and timing.
Resolve coverEmployee interested · source team needs the same capacityCompare backfill, phased involvement or a later start with both managers.
Ready for assignmentEvidence reviewed · interest and release confirmedRun the configured assignment workflow and verify the receiving system update.

Illustrative example. These controls explain the method; they do not access client records or execute workforce actions.

Put it into practice

A useful marketplace connects discovery to a move that works for the person and both teams.

Explore the relevant EVA capabilities

Sources & further reading

This guide explains EVA's approach and illustrative methods. Follow the current offering and methodology pages for scope and examples.