Talent for Travel has launched Talent Marketplace, a service designed to help travel businesses discover potential hires by putting candidates before vacancies. The recruitment company says this approach gives employers a way to identify potential hires while giving candidates greater control over whether they are approached.
According to Richard Taylor, founder of Talent for Travel, the idea for Talent Marketplace grew from a desire to give talented travel professionals greater visibility and put them at the centre of the recruitment process. Taylor notes that traditional job ads can make finding the right person a matter of timing, especially for businesses without a strong profile or scale.
Taylor explains that relying on a careers page or job advertisement can be limiting, as it relies on people seeing the ad on social media or using online job platforms. These platforms can struggle to reflect the breadth and specificity of travel roles, with generalized categories that don’t narrow down the specific industry roles.
This can lead to a situation where employers may not reach the right candidates, even if they are searching for a job in the same category. Taylor says that Talent Marketplace aims to address this issue by showcasing a curated selection of travel professionals across experience levels and salary ranges.
The Talent Marketplace currently features de-identified profiles of travel professionals, who have given their consent to be included. Employers can view the available profiles and request an introduction, but candidates retain control over who receives their information. If an employer expresses interest, Taylor will first ask the candidate if they want to have a conversation.
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This approach reverses the conventional recruitment process, where candidates typically send their CV to a recruiter, who then sends it to potential employers. Taylor says that Talent for Travel is developing a searchable version of the platform, which will allow employers to identify people by skills, location, and other criteria while retaining candidate control.
Taylor believes that this candidate-first model can uncover people that traditional job ads may never reach. By putting the talent at the centre of the recruitment process, Talent for Travel aims to provide a more effective and efficient way for travel businesses to find the right candidates.
As Talent Marketplace continues to develop, it will be interesting to see how this approach plays out in practice. The platform’s focus on candidate control and consent may appeal to travel professionals who value their privacy and want to be more selective about the job opportunities they pursue.
Employer Recruitment Options and Reach Gaps
“I don’t think anything has been done like this before,” Taylor says. He explains that employers now have two routes: manage recruitment themselves or engage a recruiter. The new platform offers an alternative to both.
For a unicorn such as Intrepid Travel, daily traffic to its careers page is common, but that situation applies to only a small minority of firms. Taylor says most businesses experience a hit-or-miss outcome when trying to reach candidates.