Ever Heard of a Single Source of Truth? Here’s Why It Matters in Talent Management

Years ago, I interviewed a the head office of a well-known hotel group for a project manager role at one of their hotels. The interview went great—or so I thought. After two weeks of silence, I called them. Their response? “We’re so glad you called—sorry, we lost your CV!” Classic.

I later shared this story with an industry colleague who by then managed that same hotel group. He laughed and said, “Yeah, that sounds like us,” referring not just to his company but to the industry as a whole.

Another time, a friend in Bangkok was approached by a leading hotel group for a senior position in Hong Kong. The role didn’t work out, but they promised to keep them in their “talent file” for future opportunities. Two years later, the same group reached out—for the same role. The person contacting my friend didn’t even realize they’d spoken before. So much for that “talent file.”

As a headhunter, I’d often get hired to find managers for hotel groups, and sometimes I’d get paid simply for presenting a long list of possible candidates. Why? Because existing legacy systems operate in isolation and are always out of date.

That’s the problem: hospitality, with its high staff turnover, leaves companies with outdated data. No one updates their CV after getting hired, so companies are left with a mess of stale information.

This is where a single source of truth comes in.

No more misplaced CVs or forgotten talent. Profiles stay updated even when people change jobs. Within companies, everyone works from the same playbook, armed with relevant, current data.

It’s about more than keeping track of people—it’s about making sure opportunities don’t slip through the cracks. And most importantly, it’s about ensuring no one is left waiting for a call that never comes.

Oh, and by the way, we’ve already solved this with Holedo, where everything you need is in one place.