What Is Talent Acquisition?

What is talent acquisition?

Talent acquisition is the process used by companies to find, hire and onboard employees. Rather than considering the hiring process as unique events tied to individual positions, the talent acquisition process takes a broader view, recognizing that talent acquisition is a multi-faceted process that requires developing and maintaining a strong employer brand and maintaining awareness through a variety of communication channels.

Talent acquisition and the employer brand

Just as companies and products have brands, so do employers. The employer brand reflects how potential candidates—and employees—view the company. Strong brands lead to more, and more qualified, candidates as part of the talent acquisition process. The employer brand is reflected both through tangible communications (e.g., the company website and jobs page, social media channels, job postings, online reviews on sites like Glassdoor, etc.) and candidate and employee experiences (e.g., how well the company communicates during the hiring process, how employees are treated, etc.). 

Communication activities during talent acquisition

Companies and their HR teams use a variety of different communication means during talent acquisition from job postings and ads, to job fairs and college visits, robust job pages on websites, social media activities on sites like LinkedIn, and more.

Managing the interview process during talent acquisition

The interview process is an important piece of talent acquisition as it introduces employees to the company and its culture. It’s important that those involved in this process—e.g., hiring managers and others who participate in interviews—are trained to do this effectively and to ensure they are supporting the employer brand.

Streamlining the talent acquisition process

Employers are generally competing with other employees during the talent acquisition process. The more quickly they can move candidates through the process to make an offer, the better their chances of landing top candidates before they accept a job elsewhere. It’s important to streamline the talent acquisition process to ensure it is as efficient as possible at every stage—from reviewing applications, to setting up and conducting interviews, evaluating candidates and making an offer. 

Analytics in talent acquisition

Using analytics during the talent acquisition process can help HR organizations monitor applicant flow, streamline their talent acquisition processes, identify the best sources of talent and identify best practices and opportunities for improvement. Understanding where the best candidates are coming from and points at which you may be losing people during the hiring process can help better manage the costs of recruitment while improving recruitment outcomes.