12 of March, 2025

Workers do not have a linear career. It has its ups and downs after the initial selection of staff, as well as an evolution as the years go by. Experience is gained, new skills are added and the worker changes. The human talent cycle is key to providing the appropriate response at each moment.

What is the human talent cycle

The human talent cycle corresponds to the worker’s journey in the organization. It is a concept similar to the employee life cycle.

In fact, in English, it is known as the employee lifecycle. Each worker has their own talent cycle, and the company must be aware of it.

Like any cycle, it consists of different phases depending on the stage in which the worker is found. It is a succession of phases that end up configuring the life cycle.

Everything begins with the selection or recruitment process, and the employee lifecycle ends with their departure from the organization.

Knowing the human talent management cycle and its stages is key to managing the workforce in the organization.

If it is not well defined, we will have difficulties to face human talent management. In fact, the fact of not taking into account each stage can make the results contrary to what was expected.

Stages of the human talent cycle

We can divide the human talent cycle into five different stages or phases. When we analyze each of them, you will understand the importance of knowing the employee lifecycle.

It is also important to note that all are equally important; we cannot prioritize one over the rest.

Recruitment

It is the first stage of the employee lifecycle. It corresponds to finding the right person for each position in the organization.

In this phase, the company must do everything possible to attract the best talent and select it. It is one of the most complex and important tasks of the human resources team.

Induction

This stage of the human talent management cycle corresponds to onboarding, the new employee’s adaptation to the position and the company.

It serves to involve the worker in the corporate culture, while we make clear what we expect from them. Expectations both professionally and personally.

Development

The third stage of the human talent cycle begins parallel to the second. The employee’s development starts when they start working, and it includes training and learning, challenges, or opportunities.

The company must invest in the worker’s development from all possible angles. An investment reflected in the career plan.

Retention

This is a critical point in the human talent cycle. This begins by going back to the initial phase, as the first step to retain an employee is to give them the right job.

We must also boost internal communication and offer good feedback. We must take into account what is happening in the company and how we can help them.

Keep in mind that retaining talent is also important to improve the organization’s job performance.

Issues such as job satisfaction and the work environment also play a crucial role in talent retention.

Separation

Sooner or later comes the moment to separate paths. Separation can have all kinds of reasons: end of contract, retirement, dismissal, resignation…

In any case, the separation must be properly managed. The transition must be as least traumatic as possible for both parties.

Importance of the human talent cycle

Now that you know what the human talent cycle is, you will have got an idea of its importance.

We need to adapt management techniques and strategies to the needs of each phase.

If we do it successfully, the company will be able to enjoy excellent advantages, starting with increased competitiveness:

Attraction of the best talent: each time the company opens a vacancy, it will fill it with the right talent. In this way, we reduce the employee turnover rate, also improving the following stages.
Talent retention: career plans run parallel to the employee lifecycle. The stages of that plan must agree with the moment of the talent cycle where the employee is.
Worker training: it must be linked to the career plan and the human talent cycle. Depending on the stage in which it is, it will have a different orientation and objectives.
Commitment to the brand: proper talent management will make workers show more commitment to us. And not only that, it will help us attract the best human talent.

It is very easy to identify the phase of the human talent cycle in which the worker is.

Also, each company can develop its employee lifecycle strategy. We can adapt it to the work cycle, and take advantage of our HR software for it.

How to manage the human talent management cycle

An HR software like Sesame HR will be of great help to manage the human talent cycle.

Starting with the first phase, the onboarding will be much more efficient if we rely on the checklist or the document manager. Something similar happens with offboarding at the end of the cycle.

In the intermediate phases, resources like the job performance evaluation allow us to know in which aspects we must insist to strengthen our workforce.

Also, job climate surveys offer us very relevant information about day-to-day life in the company. Information that otherwise, we cannot always obtain.

These are just some examples. But if you want to know more about the human talent cycle, we recommend discovering related content on the Sesame HR blog.

Professional with over 20 years of extensive experience in various areas of Human Resources (Recruitment, Training, Occupational Risk Prevention, and Personnel Management). Experience in the Management Department: Broad understanding of the company and HR.

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cristinamartin

HR Content Specialist

What is the talent cycle of an employee and why should you know it?