How do you create global talent surveys?

1 Define your goals and scope

Before you design your survey, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and what you want to measure. What are the key questions or hypotheses that you want to test or explore? What are the main objectives or outcomes that you want to support or improve? How do you align your survey goals with your business strategy and priorities? And how do you define the scope of your survey, such as the target population, the geographic coverage, the time frame, and the frequency?

2 Choose your survey method and platform

Once you have your goals and scope defined, you need to decide how you will conduct your survey and what platform you will use. There are different methods and platforms available, such as online, phone, email, paper, or a combination of these. You need to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each method, such as the cost, the response rate, the data quality, the accessibility, and the security. You also need to choose a platform that can handle the complexity and diversity of your global talent survey, such as the language, the currency, the culture, and the legal requirements.

3 Design your survey questions and format

The next step is to design your survey questions and format. You need to make sure that your questions are relevant, clear, concise, unbiased, and consistent. You also need to avoid asking too many or too few questions, or using too many or too few options. You need to balance the types of questions, such as open-ended, closed-ended, rating, ranking, or multiple choice. And you need to format your survey in a way that is easy to read, follow, and complete.

4 Test and refine your survey

Before you launch your survey, you need to test and refine it. You need to check for any errors, inconsistencies, or ambiguities in your survey design, questions, and format. You also need to pilot your survey with a small sample of your target population, preferably from different regions and backgrounds. You need to collect feedback from the pilot participants, such as their understanding, satisfaction, and suggestions. And you need to analyze the pilot data, such as the response rate, the completion time, and the reliability.

5 Distribute and promote your survey

The final step is to distribute and promote your survey. You need to decide how you will deliver your survey to your target population, such as by email, by link, by QR code, or by other means. You also need to decide when you will send your survey, such as the date, the time, and the frequency. You need to communicate clearly and effectively with your potential respondents, such as by explaining the purpose, the benefits, the confidentiality, and the incentives of your survey. And you need to motivate and encourage your respondents to participate and complete your survey, such as by sending reminders, acknowledgments, and thank-you notes.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?