Recruitment is NOT Talent Acquisition

In our Square, we define Talent acquisition as “a strategic approach to identifying, attracting and onboarding top talent to efficiently and effectively meet dynamic business needs.” 

The term Talent Acquisition (TA) is often used synonymously with Recruiting. However, these are two very different things. Recruiting is a subset of TA, and includes the activities of sourcing, screening, interviewing, assessing, selecting and hiring. In some organizations this extends to the early stages of onboarding, which then becomes a shared responsibility between HR and the hiring manager, with support from the learning organization.

Talent acquisition includes recruiting, but it is inclusive of other strategic elements as follows.

• Talent Acquisition Planning & Strategy – ensures business alignment, examines workforce plans, requires an understanding of the labor markets, and looks at global considerations. 
• Workforce Segmentation – requires an understanding of the different workforce segments and positions within these segments, as well as the skills, competencies, and experiences necessary for success.
• Employment Branding – includes activities that help to uncover, articulate and define a company’s image, organizational culture, key differentiators, reputation, and products and services. Employment branding can help advance the market position of organizations, attract quality candidates and depict what it is truly like to work for that organization.
• Candidate Audiences – necessitates defining and understanding the audiences in which an organization needs to source for specific roles.  Different sourcing strategies should be applied based on the understanding of the jobs and where the audiences will come from to fill them.
• Candidate Relationship Management – includes building a positive candidate experience, managing candidate communities, and maintaining relationships for those candidates not selected.
• Metrics & Analytics – is the continuous tracking and use of key metrics to drive continuous improvement and to make better recruitment decisions, to ultimately improve the quality of hire.

Within each of these core elements of TA are many other sub-activities and best practices.  And, of course, the selection of tools, technology and outsourcing partners is a key element of a company’s talent acquisition strategy. 

Recruiting is what many people want to dive into; however, that is what we call putting the cart before the horse.  The elements listed above are necessary for doing recruiting well. To use an analogy - the design and implementation of leadership programs is only a piece of a leadership development strategy, following an understanding of business goals, defining leadership competencies, and integrating with other talent management process.   In other words, a leadership program is to leadership development what recruiting is to talent acquisition.  Alone, neither will drive their highest value to the business.

Executive search (informally headhunting) is a specialised recruitment service used to source candidates for senior, executive or other highly specialised positions in organizations. The method usually involves commissioning a third-party organization, typically an executive search firm, but alternatively a stand alone consultant, to research the availability of suitable candidates working for competitor or related businesses. Having identified possible recruits that match the clients requirements, the executive search firm may act as an intermediary to investigate whether the individual might be interested in moving to a new employer and also carry out initial screening of the candidate, negotiations on remuneration and the employment contract.

The purpose of an executive search is to identify potential candidates for a senior-level position within an organization. Posting vacancies on job boards or running ads are outdated recruiting methods when it comes to recruiting for high-level executives. The project is typically carried out by a consultant or executive recruiting firm specifically authorized to do so by the hiring firm. Professional executive search firms often possess the industry connections and expertise that enable them to reach out to many potential candidates.

HR Consultants are responsible for assisting clients with strategically integrating effective HR processes, programs and practices into their daily operations. Their role is also to maximize the client's performance related to human resources by introducing or marketing "best practice" products or services as well as to provide periodic feedback to clients regarding their performance related to annual management objectives. To accomplish this, the HR Consultant may need to perform needs assessments or audits and make recommendations or proposals, coordinate the creation and implementation of an action or corrective plan, and when required, organize and coordinate cross-functional Human Resource teams to assist the client with developing and implementing performance improvement corrective plans, programs or processes.

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