What is Talent Acquisition - Key Roles, Responsibilities, and Requirements

Talent Acquisition is the approach of sourcing, attracting, and hiring the right talents based on company requirements. However, the duties and responsibilities may vary depending on each position's requirements.

Are you interested in learning more about Talent Acquisition and how it works? Aniday is here to help you through this guide!

What Is Talent Acquisition?

Talent acquisition is finding the right people to do the job well for your company. Thus, this team is responsible for finding and bringing on board the best talent with adequate skills based on the requirements.

In general, the HR department, team managers, or key staff members handle the entire process, from sourcing and interviewing to onboarding new talent.

What Does A Talent Acquisition Specialist Do?

A Talent Acquisition Specialist plays a vital role in managing the entire recruitment process, from interviews to onboarding. They work closely with teams and colleagues to identify the ideal candidate based on specific job requirements, skills, and cultural fit.

What Are The Talent Acquisition Specialist Roles?

Based on the job role, responsibility, experience, and seniority, there is a wide range of talent acquisition specialist roles. Here are they:

• Employer Branding Ambassador: As the Employer Branding Ambassador, the employee acts as the selling point to attract new talent by promoting the company.
• Talent Sourcing Expert: The Talent Sourcing Expert proactively reaches candidates based on industry events, networks, etc. This employee will use advanced sourcing techniques to find the right talents.
• Candidate assessment and selection: In this role, the employee will arrange the interviews, and assessments, coordinate them, and find the right talent for the position.

Sample Talent Acquisition Specialist Job Description

The job role of a Talent Acquisition Specialist differs based on the organization, industry, and workplace culture. However, here are the critical responsibilities of a Talent Acquisition Specialist that Aniday observed in the market:

• Identify and implement ideal recruitment strategies.
• Knowledgeable in sourcing methods, such as job boards, networking platforms, social media, etc.
• Manage and perform candidate screenings, and interviews and distribute the assessments accordingly.
• Identify ideal talents based on the required skills and qualifications.

What Are The Essential Skills of a Talent Acquisition Specialist?

If you want to be a talent acquisition specialist, there are specific skills you need to possess. Identifying these skills will help you improve your current skills and obtain job interviews. Therefore, Aniday has collected certain skills for a talent acquisitions specialist position:

• Analytical skills
• Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) tools
• Critical thinking abilities
• Effective interpersonal skills
• Familiar with social media platforms and online job boards to find talents
• Goal-oriented mindset
• Strong organizational skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Time management skills

What Is The Talent Acquisition Process?

Talent acquisition is a long and responsible process; they attract and sift to find the right candidate based on the company's requirements. The following is the step-by-step process of talent acquisition:

• Employer branding: Employer branding is where the employer showcases their brand and message to the other candidates. It primarily helps to attract talented candidates.
• Sourcing: Sourcing is the process by which interested candidates contact the company when the position is available.
• Candidate experience: The candidate experience plays a crucial role in helping talent acquisition find the right people, process the application, interview, and negotiate the process accordingly. Thus, the candidate's experience plays a crucial role in streamlining this step effectively.
• Selecting candidates: Identifying the right candidate is essential, but it is not limited to the job application and resume. Nowadays, candidates can add their projects and social media profiles to showcase their expertise in the field. These help recruiters find the right candidate.
• Advancements: Improvements to streamline talent acquisition are made based on the candidate's experience and talent management process. These improvements are identified based on candidate surveys, career website traffic, the number of applications received, and more factors.

How To Improve Your Talent Acquisition Process? 

The talent acquisition process is overwhelming, and you must implement the right strategies for a smooth experience for candidates and employees. So, here are some strategies Aniday suggests you with:

• Effective communication: Effective communication between the HR department, candidate requirement team members, and top leaders should be implemented to identify recruitment needs.
• Employer branding: Employer branding is not just a marketing tool to retain, attract, and keep current employers long-term. Two key strategies for employer branding are innovation and talent-centricity.
• Onboarding: Just like making a first impression, warmly onboarding the new employee is also important. It would help the new employee get a positive vibe and continue working long-term.
• Recruiting candidates: Recruiting candidates is time-consuming, according to the Reinvent Talent Strategies report, which indicates that hiring an employer took an average of 72 days in 2018, compared to only 61 days in 2015. Thus, effective company strategies should be implemented to reduce the number of days and hire the right talent.
• Modern technology: Nowadays, recruiters can use recruiting technology to identify applications for specific positions, sift, screen, interview, and keep track of candidates. Thus, this can play a considerable role based on the efficiency of the technology and how well the employee handles it accordingly. 
• Strategic planning: Strategic planning should be implemented, including identifying the recruitment needs and position requirements.
• Workforce strategic planning: You can effectively plan by identifying workforce trends, company requirements, objectives, budgetary forecasts, etc. Since workforce costing plays a key role, it should also be given great attention!

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Talent Acquisition specialists or teams in every company play a key role in attracting suitable candidates for the required position.

If you are looking for top-tier Executive Search Services, Aniday is your go-to partner for finding exceptional talent. Reach out to us directly or connect with our expert headhunters today!

We hope this guide helped you learn about talent acquisition and how it works.