Want to help HRForecast team members from Ukraine? Follow this link
HRForcast
×
  • Why HRForecast Customers stories Learn more about our customer success stories HRForecast advantages Find out what makes us unique Trust & security See how we ensure security and data integrity bg

    Find out how Siemens has benefited from our services

    Know more

    bg50%

    of the DAX 30 companies work with us​​

    Know more

  • Solutions Cases IMG Use cases Answer to your HR questions. icon Know the future People Analytics Services We use labor market data to tune your business and HR​. icon Plan the future Strategic Workforce Planning Design your future workforce & create accurate headcount​. icon Build the future Talent Marketplace Platform Discover and develop the skills of your employees.
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Podcast, interviews
    • Webinars
    • Downloads
    • Events
    • Quiz
    • HR Glossary
    information technology skills in demand Eight in-demand IT skills you should gain in 2023 Trends in human resource management Top 5 HR trends for 2023 and beyond HRForecast - future-oriented skills A guide to future-oriented skills: skills in demand to watch in the next five years Img Post What is digitalization? Img Post Talk with Partha Neog Img Post Business restructuring in time of COVID-19 Img Post How to transform the HR with future workforce insights Img Post Building a future-proof workforce: what you need to know Img Post Plan the future of HR: your future workforce and talent demands Future of HR report Insights and trends shaping the future of HR Cover Succession planning Succession planning: current state and future trends Women in HR Leadership Women in HR leadership Img Post SWP Conference Img Post HRcoreBarcelona Img Post Invite us to your event!
  • Company About us Know who stands for the most innovative approach. Press They talk about us, find out what exactly. Team Because our people are our true power. Speaker's corner Discover the hottest HR tech topics that we cover as speakers Career Hop aboard, maybe this is what suits you. bg

    See why 100+ companies choose HRForecast​.

    Know more

    • English
    • Deutsch
  • Search
  • Contact us
  • Get started
Back to Blog

What are the parallels between Cerebro from X-Men and a talent marketplace?

X-Men: what do skills management platforms and Cerebro have in common?
Oksana Lavri
Oksana LavriFuture work expert17. August 20227 min read

Table of contents

  1. What is Cerebro for the X-Men?
    1. How does Cerebro work?
  2. What’s the connection between a talent marketplace and Cerebro for HR leaders?
  3. How does Cerebro relate to talent marketplace platforms?
  4. Examples of when companies used a Cerebro-like talent marketplace to search for candidates
    1. Personalized learning experience through AI 
    2. AI-driven learning journeys for employee development 
    3. Better recruiting and talent development strategy 
  5. Summing up

Charles Xavier, also known as Professor X, is probably the strongest mutant in the Marvel Universe. However, even he needs a tool or skill management instrument for finding new talent, which does it faster and in a broader range.

If such a tool is critical for Professor X, imagine how much easier it will be for HR managers to find candidates using a talent marketplace platform.

We will talk about this below. Dive in!

What is Cerebro for the X-Men?

Throughout his tenure as leader of the X-Men, Professor Charles Xavier has had many loyal partners. However, no more iconic companion exists than his Cerebro device, which enhances Charles abilities and detects mutants. Over the years, Cerebro has assisted Professor X and the rest of the X-Men in all significant Marvel events.

What is this device about?

Cerebro is an advanced computer appearing in Marvel’s X-Men comic books. Professor X and his companions use the device to detect humans, specifically mutants. It’s a sort of talent marketplace.

“Empowerment is the intentional absence of negativity.” — Stephanie Lennox, author, speaker, and founder of The Authorship Program

Charles Xavier wants to use Cerebro to find young mutants and enroll them in his School for Gifted Youth, using his ancestor’s house as a base to teach students how to use their powers and give them a regular education for the benefit of humanity.

Besides tracking and locating mutants worldwide, Cerebro’s primary function is to act as a soul jar that catalogs the thought patterns of all mutants it detects.

Professor X knew that he had to think globally and act locally. Thus, he started with small steps, including looking for local talents.

What is Cerebro for the X-Men

Source: Marvel Fandom

How does Cerebro work?

For the casual fan, there can be a lot of confusion surrounding how Cerebro does what it does. In short, it’s designed to enhance the abilities of telepaths by amplifying their brain waves. Cerebro is an ideal skill management tool that finds talents and shows the possibilities of developing these talents professionally.

While wearing Cerebro, the brain works much better than normal because the neurons function faster. Most versions of Cerebro will stun anyone without telepathy or similar skill, as it amplifies the wearer’s existing powers. It’s 100% an excellent example of a talent marketplace tool.

Cerebro is also responsible for the proper functioning of Professor Xavier’s school. It’s the artificial intelligence Xavier trusts to keep the school running smoothly. Cerebro is so reliable that it was even installed on X-Plane and Xavier’s wheelchair.

The same happens with a talent marketplace for HR leaders.

What’s the connection between a talent marketplace and Cerebro for HR leaders?

An organization’s talent marketplace is an internal system aimed at talent development. It allows employees to advance their skills and fulfill their aspirations. In addition, a talent marketplace brings information to organizations when they want to post projects, gigs, new roles, or even mentoring opportunities.

The idea of practicing people analytics based on behavioral data appeared when Frederick Winslow Taylor published his book The Principles of Scientific Management in 1911. It attempted to apply engineering methods to skills management at work.

However, only through advances in computing power, statistical methods, and especially AI skill management can specialists start learning how to use tools and platforms for HR. By automating the collection and analysis of large data sets, artificial intelligence and other analytics tools promise to improve every aspect of HR, from hiring and compensation to promotion, training, and evaluation.

Talent marketplace platforms usually enable internal talent mobility, employee upskilling, and strategic workforce planning. An AI algorithm matches people to open opportunities, unveils skills gaps in your workforce architecture, and proposes individual learning journeys to employees to close their competency gaps. For example, smartPeople works similarly to Cerebro. The platform is connected to external market data, providing insights on labor trends, job roles, and skills. smartPeople enables organizations to future-proof their workforce and aligns employee development with a company’s strategy and market trends.

Talent marketplace platforms monitor labor market trends and help companies adapt their business and workforce strategies and build future skills.

Similarities between Cerebro and talent marketplace platforms

How does Cerebro relate to talent marketplace platforms?

Thanks to talent marketplace tools, companies can meet their needs with employees who are eager to develop and learn. Employees benefit as they can pursue their passions, upgrade their skills, and grow as professionals. When the company’s opportunities and employees’ needs coincide, both sides win.

“I believe the talent marketplace as a platform, is really the future of talent management. Everything we do to manage people eventually falls into this system.” — Josh Bersin, HR industry leader and BetterUp Science Board Advisor

The talent market can function in several ways depending on several factors:

  • The tools and software your company uses. In addition, your managers and their philosophy on talent development and management may be a factor.
  • Your company’s size, number of employees, and growth opportunities. A talent marketplace offers training and professional development to help managers approach attrition and personal development.

All of this affects how a talent marketplace can function in an organization. But at its core, a talent marketplace matches workers’ skills and passions with learning opportunities.

Take a moment to consider your company’s opportunities and potential. How can you unlock opportunities and develop your workforce? How can a talent marketplace platform help you close your skills gaps?

Get a guide to upskilling, reskilling, and cross-skilling practices

Find your Cerebro to help your employees realize their career ambitions with continuous learning and development.

Download the guide
A man working by the laptop

Examples of when companies used a Cerebro-like talent marketplace to search for candidates

Following the example of the X-Men, companies are increasingly considering integrating technology solutions that enable internal talent mobility, employee development, and workforce planning. Some main goals of these HR technologies are:

  • Uncovering current skills and identifying skills gaps in the workforce architecture
  • Addressing skills gaps through targeted upskilling
  • Encouraging employee engagement through transparent career opportunities and flexible career progression
  • Facilitating HR and business operations with HR analytics and workforce planning.

Let’s review real-world examples from a few companies.

Personalized learning experience through AI

The HR team at the leading Austrian telecommunications company A1 started identifying the right talent with the right skills, ensuring effective workforce planning focused on future demands and challenges at an early stage of its workforce planning strategy.

A1 recognized the need to empower team members to take care of development through efficient and cutting-edge technology. This approach and the support of artificial intelligence tools helped business units. As a result, the entire company focused on employee development and career growth steps. A1 gained:

  • Insights into the future orientation of the workforce
  • The ability to check organizational readiness
  • A foundation for an agile and networked workforce.

AI-driven learning journeys for employee development

Deutsche Telekom AG was looking for new opportunities to develop its workforce in selected future-proof skills supported by a practical data-driven approach. The idea was to automate employee learning journeys, covering future skills and trends.

The company was able to automatically and efficiently identify required skill profiles and training recommendations with a data-driven talent marketplace strategy.

Thanks to automated market screening of changes in work requirements, Deutsche Telekom AG received:

  • Forward-looking job profiles that served as target job profiles for employee development practices.
  • Screening for the most appropriate content from different learning platforms for defined learning journeys.
  • A clear vision of what skills the company will need for target job roles and an understanding of the investment required.

Better recruiting and talent development strategy

An HR strategy needs to be dynamically adjusted so the right talent can support technological advancements in the business. Guided by these considerations, HanseWerk wanted to optimize its recruitment and talent acquisition strategy.

After analyzing the talent market, HanseWerk received:

  • Insights about the labor market for companies in the energy and similar sectors
  • Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of company job postings
  • Profiles of future vacancies that reflect a view of the market and future trends.

Summing up

A talent marketplace like Cerebro can be customized to suit your organization’s needs. Drawing conclusions from actions taken by other companies and how Cerebro helped Professor X, the following steps will help you use your talent marketplace effectively:

  • Define your purpose and goals. Whenever a new strategy is introduced, it should be clear what problem it’s trying to solve.
  • Choose a technological solution carefully. An important consideration is how the talent marketplace software will integrate with your other systems.
  • Promote the perception of the talent marketplace. The marketplace will only work if people participate. Your employees need to know how they can benefit from the platform’s ability to provide training and career development.
  • Assess how the market works. The market will catch on and develop over time. Then you’ll have more tangible results you can attribute to it, such as skills acquired and post-opportunity productivity.
  • Make internal mobility part of your culture. A culture of internal mobility starts with leaders being transparent about their participation in the talent market. Fostering continuous learning and development builds trust and cultivates a growth mindset among employees.

Follow these tips and you will become the Professor X of HR.

become the Professor X of HR

Source: Pinterest

Stay up to date with our newsletter

Every month, we’ll send you a curated newsletter with our updates and the latest industry news.

Subscribe now

More stories we think you will like

Incentive compensation plan

How to create an incentive compensation plan

Learn how an incentive compensation plan can boost employee performance in 2022
23. December 2021/by Zahara Sayed
Benefits of data-driven people analytics

Why your business needs data-driven people analytics

Find out top 8 benefits of data-driven people analytics and why you should implement its best practices in your HR department.
10. February 2021/by Iryna Chorna

Hr Glossary

hr-glossary
HRForecast

Reach out

icon info@hrforecast.de

Not a customer yet?
Contact us

icon +49 89 215384810 icon +1 929 2495168 icon Contact sales icon Contact us

Career at HRForecast

icon recruiting@hrforecast.de

Why HRForecast

  • Customer stories
  • Trust and security
  • Data analytics approach

Solutions

  • Use cases
  • Market intelligence
  • smartPlan
  • smartPeople

Resources

  • Blog
  • Vlog
  • Webinars
  • Downloads
  • Events
  • Quiz
  • HR Glossary

Company

  • About us
  • Team
  • Press
  • Career
Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon

2022 © Copyright - HRForecast | Imprint | Privacy policy | Terms and conditions (MSA)

What is talent mobility? A guide with best practices and examples career mobility definition Employee career pathing A guide to career pathing: Key benefits for employees and companies
Scroll to top
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}