The following review was contributed by: ROGER E. HERMAN

Outstanding! Awesome!

My title for this book review may seem a bit out of the ordinary, but so is this book. If you’re thinking about buying it, you’re probably hesitant because of the unusually high price. Forget the high price issue. If you are an executive, a company owner, or a human resource professional, this book has more value-per-page than practically any other book you’ll read this year.

The whole concept of talent management is undergoing major change. The whole field is in a state of evolution as a result of the economy, technology, new approaches to employment, outsourcing, the increasing use of metrics, the emerging strategic partnership of the CEO and CHRO, legal and ethical issues, diversity, and more. Talent management has turned into a jungle that seems to get thicker with every step we take.

With the increasing complication, this field becomes more difficult to understand—at the same time that more people and more companies are entering the arena. Somebody who knows what it’s all about needs to write a guidebook that will explain the terms, dig into the issues, and make sense of all this. “Talent Management Systems” is that book. And Allan Schweyer, Executive Director of the Human Capital Institute, the leading comprehensive not-for-profit organization in the field, is the ideal author.

This book covers just about every topic you want to learn about in the talent management arena. The depth is appropriate for the reader who wants a solid overview with enough detail to “get” the picture…and be able to relate all the parts. My problem in reading it was overcoming my habit of turning down page corners. When you turn down almost every page, you eventually give up and realize that you’ll probably use the index for reference and re-read at least parts of the book over and over.

In these pages, you’ll find lots of best practices. That resource makes this book a valuable asset. Even more valuable, however, is the clarity of presentation as the author explains the terms, the processes, the benefits, and the interrelationships. It’s all here. I was a bit concerned when I thumbed through the book and found precious few graphics. As I got into the text, I discovered I didn’t need graphics. The illustrative nature of the words is quite sufficient to convey the messages.

The book is current, state-of-the-art. If you’re in this field, it should be on your shelf—or better: on your desk. If you’re considering any aspect of workforce recruitment, management, development, or retention as a career, read the book now. In fact, suggest that your university professor add it to the class reading list. Read the book before you talk with the prof, and you’ll probably discover you know a lot more than the academic does! I’ve been in this field—and its predecessor fields—for over two decades. Remember, I’m the one who was turning pages down.

“Talent Management Systems” is highly recommended for practitioners, aspirants, and the teachers and mentors—who want to help their protégés, but also keep a step ahead of them.