When it comes to bringing on new hires, the process may look a little different than ever before. Video and phone conversations are taking over in-person interviews as the new norm. Now more than ever it is important to stay up to date with your current recruiting practices.
With many individuals currently looking for new opportunities, understanding the difference between talent acquisition and recruiting could make a difference in who you bring on to fill current vacancies. In this week’s blog, we will uncover the difference between talent acquisition and recruitment so that you can determine which best fits your company’s hiring needs.
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Defining Talent Acquisition
Talent Acquisition is a continuous and proactive process that is geared toward focused competencies (i.e. knowledge, skills, and behaviors) for a long-term fit, broad systems, and networking. The process is cyclical and revolves around building relationships, anticipating your future hiring needs, and creating a pool of candidates from those relationships.
This approach involves planning and strategy since you need to establish a solid understanding on what your workplace will need now and in the future. Looking at your company through a wider lens will allow you to understand the inner workings of your company and the skills and experiences that each position requires for success.
What is Recruitment?
While Talent Acquisition is an ongoing approach, recruitment is more of a reactive, linear process. Recruitment is often seen as reactive because a position is vacant and someone must be recruited to fill it; typically, very quickly. The process is usually streamlined by the human resources or management team and it primarily involves searching for, evaluating and hiring experienced people to fill the vacancy.
But What is the Difference?
Recruitment focuses more on a tactical process for an immediate problem whereas talent acquisition is a holistic strategy that a company uses to find specialists, leaders and other future top talent based on the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed within your company. Recruitment focuses on the now and talent acquisition focuses on the long term.
Which Should Your Company Use?
When deciding between talent acquisition and recruitment, you obviously will need both from time to time based on the urgency and position. Yet, for most roles, there should be a clear strategy, network, and targeted system in place to ensure you are adding the “right person to the bus” vs. just filling a role.
