EP147: Mercer Talent Enterprise - How to Spot High Potentials

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Lydia: Welcome to the All In Recruitment podcast by Manatal, where we explore best practices, learnings, and trends with leaders in the recruitment space. If you like our content, please subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify to stay tuned for our weekly episodes.

I'm your host, Lydia, and this week we have Tom Verboven, Senior Director at The [Mercer] Talent Enterprise. Thank you for joining us, Tom.

Tom: Thank you for having me, Lydia.

Strategic Selection: Blending Tech, Data, and Psychology

Lydia: So, introduce us to The [Mercer] Talent Enterprise, Tom. What makes your approach to assessments unique in the industry?

Tom: Yes. Mercer Talent Enterprise is a boutique consultancy specialized in assessments, but part of a broader HR consultancy organization.

We are specialized in assessments—in behavioral assessment and technical assessments—basically profiling people. That is our core business. That is what we do day in and day out here in the region, and at the global level as well.

What makes us unique is that we are at the crossroads of technology, data, and psychology. It is very interesting, especially these days. It is really that combination of strengths that makes us unique. We are not only psychologists; we have a team of data scientists and a team of technology people, and that combination makes it very powerful.

Lydia: Now, strategic selection is one of those factors that make it unique, right? How would you define strategic selection, and how does this differ from traditional recruitment approaches?

Tom: Strategic selection basically refers to a very methodological approach to assessment. That can be in the hiring space, in defining high potentials, in succession planning, or in an M&A context. There are different use cases, but it starts with having a strong point of view and a strong methodology. I think that is the strategic part of it.

It is not that a client gives us a job description and we just go ahead and assess. We need a thorough understanding of what we are looking at and what success means. We assess people, but we also consider the development part.

Lydia: And in terms of the process itself—really identifying that strategy behind the selection—is there a specific method that you use to do this?

Tom: It depends. It is a client-by-client approach, but we always start our assessment from the strategic mission and vision of our client. What do they want to achieve? What is missing? What are the critical roles in the company? What are the success profiles?

That work is very important because if you do not have that right, then you are assessing the wrong things. That is why it is so important to be strategic in your selection and assessment. The pre-work is extremely important before you go into the actual assessment.

Lydia: So, how does this add value, or how does it differ from a traditional approach to assessments in recruitment?

Tom: It depends on what you understand about the traditional approach, of course, because there is a lot of variety in how companies hire. You have the “let’s have a chat and a coffee” approach, and you also have the “three-day assessment” approach. There is a lot in between.

I think we cover both ends. We are strategic but also efficient. We do not want to spend too much time. It is focused—talking to the right people, doing our pre-work, and then conducting the assessment.

What is different for us is definitely our state-of-the-art assessment platform, where we collect all the data using truly state-of-the-art technology. The whole recruitment process goes through that assessment platform. That makes us very unique, very flexible, and very customized.

Spotting Hidden Talent and Building High-Potential Pipelines

Lydia: Now, what might be the biggest blind spots you have seen in conventional recruitment methods that this unique approach to assessment might help address?

Tom: Discovering the hidden talents in the company. In typical selection and hiring, you often see the people who are extroverted, who know how to speak, and who have a strong presence. But you also have a lot of very strong high potentials who are less visible in the company. The goal is to spot those people because they can be your hidden gems, which are often not identified with traditional methods.

Lydia: So, how can organizations shift from competency-based hiring or selection to potential-based selection strategies?

Tom: That is a very good question. It is a mix of a client-specific approach and research-based insights. There is a lot of research on what defines high potential, but it also needs to be very company-specific.

‍Someone can be a high potential in Company X but not in another company, and vice versa. It is about understanding what makes people thrive within a specific company culture. You need to do the research and the homework: what makes a high potential in your company? What are the elements that make them positive outliers? That research and pre-work need to be done before you go into the assessment.

Lydia: Referring to that pre-work, who might be the primary stakeholders in ensuring that it is done thoroughly?

Tom: Typically leadership, but you also need a bottom-up perspective. It is a top-down and bottom-up approach. Ideally, you also take an outside-in perspective. Sometimes you need to talk to the clients to understand how they perceive people. The more 360-degree input you have when gathering that data, the better.

Lydia: And in terms of high potential, relative to the way a business is growing, I would imagine that the criteria would evolve together with the business needs. To ensure that it is up to date and still relevant, is this an ongoing process? How often do you review it?

Tom: It is an ongoing process. The world is changing at a very fast pace, so you have to iterate. Sometimes I see competency frameworks from two years ago that already feel outdated. They need an update.

I have been in the business for more than 20 years, and I see that things are getting outdated faster and faster. It is a very iterative process that constantly needs to be redefined.

Lydia: For those who might be looking to begin a process like this within their organizations—perhaps starting a framework to define what high potential looks like for succession planning—what might be a reasonable or average amount of time to spend on the pre-work and defining these criteria?

Tom: It is actually pretty efficient. It might sound complicated, but we can make it happen in a short time because we do some surveys.

Typically, for succession planning, the first step is to define your critical roles. Where do you need succession? That can be in the minus-one positions, but it can also be lower in the organization, positions you do not want to lose.

‍First, you need a clear view of the critical roles, which we typically determine based on a survey with the leaders. Once that is clear, the next step is defining what success looks like in each position. Then we conduct interviews with people, basing our work on the extensive research we have done within Mercer Talent Enterprise.

It is a mix of methods, but it is efficient. It does not take three months to get everything in place.

Breaking Misconceptions: Assessments as Growth Tools

Lydia: Now, in your experience, what common misconceptions do organizations typically have about talent assessments?

Tom: The main misconception is that “assessment” has a negative connotation. People think, “I will be drilled,” but in our opinion, assessment always has a development dimension to it, which is actually even more important.

That is the main misconception. We notice that when we run assessments—whether for succession planning or high potential identification—we need to do a lot of change management to help people understand that they can be themselves. It is an open discussion, not a police interrogation. It is an exchange that helps a candidate or participant gain more self-awareness, more self-reflection, and a starting point for further development.

Lydia: What may be some key predictors of future success that recruiters could unknowingly overlook during the selection process?

Tom: From my point of view, a couple of things are very important. The starting point is self-awareness. If you are not self-aware and not self-reflective, it is hard to grow, adapt, and gradually become a better version of yourself.

The second is having a growth mindset. You need to believe that you can become better and continuously improve. For me, those are probably the two main dimensions to look for when hiring or selecting people.

From Data to Development: Preparing for the Future Workforce

Lydia: In terms of assessment data, as you mentioned earlier, it keeps evolving. How can assessment data help organizations prepare for future workforce needs? What would the impact look like?

Tom: In the projects we do—not just individual hiring, but larger projects like succession planning and high-potential programs—you gather a lot of data. You collect data from individuals and also on a demographic level: differences between geographies, teams, functions, age groups, and gender.

It is such a rich amount of data, and it is needed to better understand your company and your culture. You can then use it, just like at the individual level, to help the team and organization develop, grow, and become better.

Lydia: And finally, Tom, what advice would you give to someone who is looking to start a career in this space today?

Tom: It is a privilege. I think we are very privileged because it is such a fun space to be in.

If you are interested in psychology and also eager to understand technology and data, you can be very successful in this space. But it is not only technology. It is not only psychology. It is the combination of all of these dimensions.

If you are interested in behavior, high performance, and combining those aspects, this is a great space to be in.

Lydia: Well, thank you very much, Tom, for your time and these insights today. For anyone listening who wants to understand how to apply their knowledge and develop their career in the space you just defined, where can they connect with you?

Tom: You can drop me an email at tom@mercer.com. You can also check my LinkedIn profile. Just reach out—I am happy to reply and have a conversation.

Lydia: Thank you very much, Tom. It has been a pleasure to have you on the show.

We have been in conversation with Tom Vin, Senior Director at Mercer Talent Enterprise. Thank you for joining us, and remember to subscribe for more weekly episodes from All In Recruitment on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

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