Setting up an agency talent pool

Talent pools give you access to candidates who have already been assessed as meeting the requirements for a grade level. They help you fill vacancies quickly and attract a wide range of candidates. 

Use this guide to set up talent pools in your department or agency. 

We recommend advertising roles externally on the I work for NSW website to reach the widest audience. This allows you to offer ongoing, temporary or term roles. 

If you do not advertise externally, you can only offer temporary or term roles – without the option to convert to ongoing. 

You can also advertise on other platforms to reach candidates from diverse backgrounds. 

Under GSE rule 19, you must do a comparative assessment to set up a talent pool. GSE rule 17 explains the necessary steps. You must: 

• check essential requirements (for example, a qualification or licence) 

• review the application and resume 

• assess candidates using at least 3 capability-based assessments (one must be an interview) 

• use more than one assessor. 

You do not need referee checks to add someone to a talent pool. You can do these checks later, when a candidate is being considered for a role, so they are current and relevant. 

If the pool will fill different roles, assess all focus and complementary capabilities to give more flexibility. 

All candidates who meet the standards through the comparative assessment can be placed in the pool. Do not rank candidates. A talent pool can last for up to 18 months from the date it is approved in your agency. 

Tell candidates how their personal information will be used and disclosed before adding them to a talent pool. Get formal consent. 

Best practice is to: 

• list the data collected (for example, profile, work history, assessments, selection report) 

• say who can access the information (for example, HR and hiring managers in your agency or partner agencies) 

• only use and share personal information for the purpose it was collected (unless consent is given, or as allowed by law) 

• inform candidates of any privacy changes 

• only collect information directly from the candidate unless they agree otherwise 

• tell candidates who will store their information and how they can access or correct it 

• store information securely, keep it only as long as needed, and dispose of it properly. 

If targeting employment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or people with disability, get their consent to use demographic information for this purpose. 

See the Information and Privacy Commission’s Information Protection Principles for more detail. 

You can set up a talent pool with other NSW Public Service agencies. 

Agree on who will: 

• create the role description 

• design, manage and fund the assessment process 

You must also agree on who will manage the pool, including: 

• responding to requests for candidate information 

• communicating with candidates 

• updating candidate details (for example, employment status, withdrawal, preferences). 

Follow the same privacy steps and seek consent to share personal information between agencies. 

GSE rule 26 allows talent pools for eligible groups under rule 26(4): 

• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people 

• people with disability 

• people under 25 years 

• people on a Refugee and Humanitarian (Migrant) (Class XB) visa. 

To set up a diversity talent pool: 

• follow the standard talent pool process 

• use the modifications allowed under GSE rule 26(3) for advertising and assessment 

• assess candidates against the role standards using relevant capability-based assessments 

• choose the person with the greatest merit among eligible candidates. 

Make sure you comply with the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977. See Anti-Discrimination NSW for more information. 

Resources: 

• PSC fact sheet (PDF, 105 KB) – using GSE rule 26 to employ people with disability 

• Australian Human Rights Commission – Guidelines for the targeted recruitment of people with disability (2022) 

Keep in touch with candidates while the pool is active. This helps with engagement and retention. 

When placing a candidate in the pool, you should send a welcome email and give them a contact person.

You must also explain: 

• the pool is not a job offer and does not guarantee employment 

• referee checks will be done before any offer is made 

• HR or hiring managers may contact them about opportunities 

• they may be invited to a job-fit interview or further assessments 

• they may need to complete pre-employment checks 

• how their personal information will be stored and used 

• they can withdraw at any time. 

Confirm preferences such as location and employment type. Send regular updates (monthly or quarterly) to check they still want to be in the pool and to refresh their details.