Differences Between Talent Acquisition and Recruitment

Very simply, recruitment is about filling vacancies and getting some people for the job. And talent acquisition is about getting skilled people, usually high-performers, who can help the organization succeed. 

Now, that is the short answer. 

Here’s a more detailed take on how the two concepts are different. 

Understanding the two concepts

Talent acquisition: This is a strategic effort. It caters to the long-term vision and plans of the company.  When a company is hiring talented people they pay a lot of attention to the candidates’ abilities to deliver high-performance, to fit into the culture of the company and to be able to be a long-distance player. This is a proactive process.

Recruitment: This is more about fulfilling immediate needs. It involves understanding what the role requires and hiring the candidate with the best qualifications and work experience for the role. This is a reactive process. 

The key differences

• Overall, talent acquisition must be the focus. Recruitment only forms a part of the talent acquisition process.
• Recruitment is reactive; talent acquisition is all about planning and forecasting long-term human resource (HR) needs.
• Recruitment is process-driven, it is led largely by how a recruiter looks at a candidate’s resume. Talent acquisition looks beyond the resume; the candidate’s attitude, their values and their aspirations are considered more than just work experience and academic qualifications. 
• Recruitment delivers numbers, it adds to the organization’s headcount. Talent acquisition onboards team players who are actually winners. 
• Recruitment is more immediate. Talent acquisition is strategic and looks at the long term. 
• During times of organizational changes and upheavals, recruitment may be frozen. People may even be laid off. But talent acquisition is an ongoing effort. It aids the process of transforming a company into an organization, and eventually leads it to become an institution.

Why focus on talent acquisition?

Organizations ultimately want to win in the marketplace. They want to make profits, have delighted customers and reward their shareholders. Now, all this is possible only when an organization can make winning products or offer great service. This, in turn, is only possible when the people in the organization are highly skilled and passionate. These people are not just employees. They co-own the organization’s vision and its gameplan. They are winners and leaders. When an organization hires such high-quality people, it is actually growing its talent pool. 

This is why talent acquisition is important. In fact, it holds the key to an organization’s success, performance, growth and profitability.

Recruitment is process-driven while talent acquisition is a strategy

In the digital age, most organizations run their recruitment operations using software and tech-enabled tools. These include tools that employ artificial intelligence (AI) to sift through thousands of resumes quickly. Only short-listed candidates make it to the next stage of the recruitment process – the interview. AI can again look at the list of interviewed candidates and group them according to skills, work experience and their scores in the recruitment process. This enables quick decision-making and hiring is done faster. 

Talent acquisition, on the other hand, cannot be dependent on technology. Here the identification of a potential candidate assumes huge significance. Knowing the person, understanding what drives them, what they have achieved in their career and knowing if they will fit the organization’s culture – all these parameters cannot be evaluated by AI. These cannot even be defined by a set process. Only an experienced business leader, with a strong sense of intuition and a deep understanding of people, can lead the talent acquisition function. Which is why this is a strategic initiative. 

Building a strong, winning, team

Almost always, when an organization onboards high-quality talent, they are building a high-performing team. They are setting their vision on long-term goals. And they are moving in the direction of being successful in the future. The talent acquisition strategy of a company is therefore part of its gameplan to be a world-beater, champion of sorts. 

Now, while recruitment helps immediately fill positions that have fallen vacant for various reasons, talent acquisition is an ongoing activity. It is often led by the company’s CEO directly. There is really no good time to bring good talent on board. As long as the talent is available and willing, and is the right fit for the organization, most companies immediately hire them. 

Preparing the HR team to hire efficiently

Over the years, HR systems and processes have become very efficient with meeting the organization’s recruitment needs. They rely on technology in a big way these days. And they follow set guidelines and processes.

However, when leading the talent acquisition mandate, every candidate needs to be approached in a unique manner. The effort has to be personalized. Also, the organization’s goodness must be projected well to get the candidate interested in the offer. Therefore, business leaders must train and prepare the members of their HR team to handle this function of talent acquisition efficiently – with care, focus and empathy.

Conclusion

Ultimately, both recruitment and talent acquisition are integral to an organization’s growth. While both are different,  they still require very good handling to deliver results for the organization. 

While recruitment meets an organization’s immediate HR needs, talent acquisition helps build the team in a sustained manner, over a period of time.  

People also ask:

1. What is the role of a talent acquisition recruiter?

A talent acquisition specialist is responsible for sourcing, attracting, interviewing, hiring and onboarding employees, all while factoring in the long-term goals of an organization.

2. Why choose talent acquisition?

Talent acquisition is the process of identifying, attracting, selecting, and retaining highly qualified people. It involves a key part of the employee journey and is arguably one of the most important drivers of organizational success.

3. What are the stages of talent acquisition?

The principal stages of talent acquisition are sourcing, attracting, interviewing, recruiting, and conducting employee onboarding.