Choosing between two metros
Land, power and tax analysis is done. Nobody has checked whether the workforce exists.
Services
Plan the hire before you fund the search.
A Talent Intelligence Sprint answers whether a role is fillable, where the people are, and what they cost, as a written brief your team keeps. No placement obligation attached.
What talent intelligence is
It is research, not sourcing. We map the named universe of people who could do the work, size it by metro, record what they expect to be paid, translate the titles they use, and identify adjacent industries that produce transferable candidates. The output is a decision document for your hiring plan.
What it changes
Most sprints change something material: the comp band, the location, the shift pattern, the seniority split, or the decision to hire two mid-level engineers rather than one unicorn. That is better to learn in research than after a stalled search.
Triggers
When intelligence comes first.
A comp band needs defending
You need market evidence to get an exception approved before the search stalls again.
A role won't close
Sourcing has produced nothing useful. The research will tell you which constraint is the real one.
Planning next year's headcount
You need supply reality by discipline before the plan becomes a commitment.
Sample output
What a market map looks like.
Rendered here in the same structure as the delivered brief, with client-identifying detail removed.
Sample market map summary
Illustrative reporting format. Sample data shown for demonstration only.
| Signal | Week 3 | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Discipline in scope | Commissioning | CxA, controls, startup |
| Named universe | 268 | Across 34 employers |
| Primary metro density | 41 | Within 60 miles of site |
| Secondary metros | 3 | Relocation-viable within 500 miles |
| Observed comp range | Band A-C | Directional, from live conversations |
| Adjacent pools | 4 | Pharma utilities, fabs, marine power, utilities |
| Constraint flagged | Travel | Most candidates capped at 40% travel |
Deliverables
Written, reviewed, yours to keep.
- Named target universe by company and discipline
- Supply density by metro and relocation radius
- Observed compensation ranges with context
- Title translation guide for your ATS and job posts
- Adjacent talent pools ranked by transferability
- Competitor organizational structure where observable
- Sequencing recommendation for the hiring plan
- A working session to review findings with your team
What the engagement requires from you
- A named sponsor to review the brief
- Access to your current role definitions and any prior sourcing history
- Agreement on the metros and disciplines in scope before research starts
- One 60-minute review session at delivery
We commit to delivery standards, research depth, outreach volume, reporting cadence and response times. Outcomes depend on market conditions, scope, compensation and process speed.
Commercials
What the sprint costs and what completion means.
- Time box
- Scoped by the disciplines and metros included.
- Commercial structure
- Defined research scope, paid on engagement. No placement obligation.
- Investment
- See homepage engagement scopes.
- Complete when
- Complete when the written market brief, target universe, compensation read and hiring recommendation have been delivered and reviewed with your team.
FAQ
Buyer questions.
- What is a talent market map?
- A written, named view of the people who could do a role: which companies employ them, how many exist in each metro, what they are paid, what titles they use, and which adjacent industries produce transferable candidates. It is research you keep, not a candidate list attached to a fee.
- When should we buy intelligence instead of a search?
- Before signing a lease in a new metro, before approving a comp band, when a role is stalled, or when leadership disagrees about whether a hire is even possible. Intelligence resolves those questions before the search plan hardens.
- Where does the comp data come from?
- Expectations stated by candidates in live conversations during research, plus offer outcomes observed in the same market. It is directional market evidence rather than an audited survey, and it is labeled that way in the brief.
- What do we actually receive?
- A written brief with the target universe, density by metro, comp ranges, title translations, adjacent pools, and a recommendation on sequencing, plus a working session to review it with your hiring team.
- Do we have to run a search with you afterward?
- No. The sprint is a fixed-fee research engagement with no placement obligation. Some clients take the brief and hire internally, which is a legitimate outcome.
- How long does it take?
- Timing depends on the number of disciplines and metros in scope.
Need the market read first?
Tell us the disciplines and the metros. You'll get a scope and sequencing recommendation for the sprint.