RESEARCH REPORT

Sponsored by

Talent Acquisition’s
Evolution to Strategic
Business Partner
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A Guide for Strategic Talent Acquisition:

Senior leaders may periodically meet with People, Process, and Technology . . . . . . 16
talent acquisition teams, but when it comes With the right people, processes and
to important business decisions, recruiting’s technology, organizations can overcome their
input is not often sought and even more rarely talent acquisition challenges.
is it considered vital.
Brand Building Is a Critical
Recruiting Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
In the competition for talent, building an
Talent acquisition is a business priority. Yet,
attractive brand must be a key part of a
senior leadership is slow to recognize the
recruiting strategy.
importance of talent acquisition.
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Strategic Talent Acquisition . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Talent acquisition has a unique opportunity
For some companies, talent acquisition has
to play a critical role in business outcomes. It
transformed over the past decade from a
must understand what those priorities are and
back-office function to a strategic endeavor
then build a framework for people, process
and a business priority. For other companies,
and technology that will support that.
this transformation is just beginning.
Research Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Building a Case for
Strategic Talent Acquisition . . . . . . . . . . 11
Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
What’s measured matters. Making TA
more strategic will require changing the
performance measures — and a senior
management that hears its recruiting team
and acts on what they say.
What It Takes to Be Strategic . . . . . . . 14
Strategy is based on information directly
from the business leaders, not filtered down.
It takes a lot to get there.

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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A fter years of discussion about how human resources needs to more

directly support organizational goals and objectives, TLNT research
finds the most potentially strategic function in any business — talent
acquisition — still has no 'seat at the table. Performance is evaluated on
mostly quantitative metrics. Despite a talent competition so keen even
critical jobs are going unfilled, TA budgets have barely kept pace with
inflation, let alone increased.

To be sure, in some organizations — and not necessarily the largest — talent acquisition
is exerting an influence over business decisions. But by and large, at the majority of
organizations, senior management doesn’t regularly meet with TA to discuss how
recruiting can help meet business goals. And this despite meeting with TA as often as
every month or more.

Key Findings
XXOnly 28% of organizations regularly XXBudgets have a role in constraining
consult their TA teams about important whatever ambitions TA may have to
decisions. 39% rarely, if ever, do. play a more strategic role. For 36% of
XXTA has little ability to influence business organizations, their TA budget has either
strategy or goals. Only a third of all been cut or is unchanged over the last
respondents agree that business strategy four years. For 17%, the increase has
or goals are adjusted as a result of been under 6%, not even keeping pace
recruiting’s input. 41% disagree they with inflation.
exert any influence at all. XXThe most common metric by which
XX56% of respondents report their TA recruiters are evaluated is their time to
leaders and teams meet with senior fill. Only one clearly strategic measure
leaders of the business at least monthly. — quality of hire — is among the top five
Yet, not even half say that makes their performance metrics.
leaders "very informed" about talent
acquisition initiatives.

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 INTRODUCTION

T alent acquisition is a business priority. According

to research by PwC, 79% of CEOs see the Reporting the Results
availability of talent as a threat to the growth of their In this report, we analyzed
the survey results in
organization. As a result, talent acquisition leaders are a number of different
ways. Variances by
facing new pressures to align and partner more closely industry type were not
significant. Where there
with the business. In other words, to become strategic. were differences by
organization size, these
Yet, many talent acquisition functions are still tactical are noted in the text.

in nature and isolated from business priorities.

New research from TLNT shows business leaders are at least as responsible as the
recruiting function itself. According to the findings of a broad survey of HR and talent
acquisition professionals, half of business and talent leaders are meeting at least once
a month, yet talent acquisition is not playing enough of a role in influencing business
decisions.

Only a third
of companies
state that business goals
are adjusted based on
Just slightly more than input from talent acquisition. Only 38% of companies
1 in 4 companies state that business leaders
report that business leaders are regularly meeting with
communicate with TA before talent acquisition to discuss
making important decisions. overall business goals.

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What’s particularly striking about the findings of the TLNT survey is that the size of a
company doesn’t much matter. Recruiters at the largest companies — those with more
than 50,000 workers — have no more influence over business decisions than do their
counterparts at smaller companies.

Talent acquisition has hit an inflection point. In order to transform from a cost-center
model to a strategic business priority, companies need to rethink their approach
to people, process and technology. While many research reports have covered the
importance of strategic talent acquisition, this new research tells us that the evolution of
recruiting from administrative function to strategic asset is still in its infancy. This report
found that companies feel pressure to be more strategic and that talent acquisition is
meeting more frequently with business leaders, but these meetings are not driving real

?
change in the overall business direction.

8.2% Strongly agree

24.9% Business strategy Agree

or goals are
adjusted as a result
26.3% Neither agree or disagree
of input from the
recruiting team.
24.2% Disagree

16.4% Strongly Disagree

This report details the current status of talent acquisition as a business strategy, and
explains why change needs to happen and the steps that organizations need to take to
make that change.

This research, based on data collected by TLNT and Aptitude Research in 2019, covers:
• An overview of the current state of talent acquisition: This section helps answer
what is driving strategic talent acquisition today.
• A closer look at building a case for strategic talent acquisition: This section helps
answer why companies struggle with strategic talent acquisition and why they need
to build a case for it.
• A guide for strategic talent acquisition: This section provides a guide for helping
companies transform their talent acquisition function in a strategic part of the
business through a better approach to people, process and technology.

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 STRATEGIC TALENT ACQUISITION

The Current State of Talent Acquisition

Stra•te•gic
For some companies, talent acquisition has transformed over the Re•cruit•ing
past decade from a back-office function to a strategic endeavor A strategic talent
acquisition function
and a business priority. For other companies, this transformation is one that aligns
with overall business
is just beginning as they struggle with a reactionary approach to objectives and remains
recruitment. Figure 1 shows the evolution of recruitment from a flexible to adjust to
changes in the market.
cost-center to a business-driven approach and why companies are Its success is measured
by business success.
rethinking their current strategies to adapt to today’s workforce.

Figure 1: Evolution of Recruitment

Cost-Center Tactical Strategic Talent Strategic

Recruitment Recruitment Acquisition Business-Driven
Talent Acquisition
Time to Fill Time to Fill Time to Fill
Retention
Cost per Hire Volume of Applicants Quality of Hire Candidate/Employee
Cost per Hire Candidate Experience Experience
Growth

Tactical Strategic

While recruitment is maturing, the increasing pressure to align with business goals
has made talent acquisition more complex. We found in our study that while 57% of
the respondents have worked in talent acquisition for over 10 years, many remain
disconnected from business priorities.

It would be easy to blame recruiter resistance, yet that’s not what we found. Talent
acquisition teams tell us that though they meet regularly with senior leaders of the

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business — as often as monthly for 56% — only a third report having any influence over
business strategy or goals; 41% tell us nothing changes despite providing input.

This is as true for smaller businesses as it is for the largest employers. 42% of HR and
TA professionals at companies with 1,000 to 10,000 employees say senior management
rarely or never asks for their input. That’s the same percentage at companies with more
than 10,000 workers.

However, the impact of this falls more heavily on smaller employers where TA arguably
has a more profound effect. Our survey found 62% of smaller employers have TA teams
of fewer than 10 people; 59% of the large employers have more than 50.

With fewer resources, smaller TA teams can’t respond as quickly to new hiring initiatives
or the loss of key personnel. They are more reactive than proactive in recruiting. Only a
third reach out to talent in advance of need on any regular basis. 45% proactively recruit
only once or twice a year at most.

Without being regularly consulted, important business decisions are made in a talent
vacuum. Where they affect talent acquisition, the consequences can be delayed or even
failed projects, reduced production and revenue hits. These are serious regardless of
employer size, but for smaller organizations, they can be dire.

Frequency Raises TA’s Profile

In organizations where leadership and TA
meet at least monthly, recruiting’s influence
is more profound.
In those organizations, 45% of survey
respondents agree that business strategy or
goals are adjusted as a result of TA input.
Where TA and senior management meet
twice a year at most, 60% of respondents tell
us strategy and goals rarely, if ever, change.

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 Key Pressures Driving Strategic Talent Acquisition
Companies face both internal and external pressure to transform talent acquisition today.

According to Aptitude Research’s 2019 Talent Acquisition study, 72% of

organizations use contingent workers in some capacity. Both employers and
Contingent employees are looking for greater flexibility in their workforce and having
Workforce: contingent workers can help fill talent gaps in a more immediate and effective way.
The challenge for most companies is finding solutions that can help manage both
while providing visibility into total talent needs.

Transparency is a reality for this new era of talent acquisition; social media
introduces a level of openness that was not part of recruitment 10 years ago.
Companies are expected to be transparent about their employer brand, financial
performance and engagement levels. Recruiters are expected to be transparent
about the candidate experience, career development and company culture.
Transparency:
And, candidates are expected to be transparent about their experiences and
career aspirations. Social media and job sites like Glassdoor help to foster this
transparency. As companies face a shortage of talent in today’s market, being
transparent with candidates will help build relationships and attract candidates for
current and future needs.

According to Aptitude Research, the number one pressure companies face is

Competitive competition for talent across industries. Business leaders are feeling pressure
Landscape: to compete for customers, revenue, products, and people. Ensuring that an
organization has the best talent helps to drive business results.

Most talent acquisition functions are immature in communication between

talent acquisition and various stakeholders. According to research conducted by
Aptitude Research in 2019, less than 40% of hiring managers receive the data they
Communication: need from talent acquisition to make decisions on talent. Also, less than 30% of
candidates receive information on the company to better inform their decisions. In
order to transform talent acquisition into a more strategic function, communication
needs to be a priority with candidates, hiring managers and business leaders.

The unemployment rate is under 4% and the number of American workers in the
labor force has shrunk, leaving companies struggling to fill positions. For example,
Shortage Aptitude Research found over 60% of companies in all industries are competing for
of Talent: engineer talent and cited that as the hardest to fill roles. The competition for talent
has never been greater and talent acquisition leaders need a clear strategy for
attracting and recruiting talent.

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Despite these pressures for more strategic talent acquisition, companies still lag behind
when executing a more business-driven approach. According to the TLNT research, half
of business and talent leaders are meeting at least once a month, yet talent acquisition is
not playing enough of a role in business decisions.

• Only 1 in 4 companies state that business leaders communicate with TA before

making important decisions.
• Only 32% of companies state that business goals are adjusted based on input
from talent acquisition
• Only 38% of companies state that business leaders are meeting with talent
acquisition to discuss overall business goals

Talent acquisition has a tremendous opportunity to influence the direction of the

business yet, communication falls short. In order for talent acquisition leaders to play
a role in business decisions, they must address some of the challenges they face and
change the conversation around how talent acquisition delivers value.

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 BUILDING A CASE FOR
STRATEGIC TALENT ACQUISITION

G iven all the external and internal pressures, organizations can

no longer ignore talent acquisition or try to include it under a
broader talent management strategy. Talent acquisition has a separate
audience, separate processes and separate technology solutions. It
requires a new conversation. Rethinking processes and technology
can be difficult when talent acquisition faces numerous obstacles that
impact its ability to attract, recruit and retain talent, not the least of
which, as our survey found, are budgets that aren’t even keeping pace
with inflation.

Unfortunately, talent acquisition professionals

still face many of the same tactical Figure 2: Top Challenges
challenges they have faced in the past, in Talent Acquisition
such as scheduling interviews and calls
Competing for talent
and meeting hiring managers’ expectations 67% across industries
(Figure 2). These
administrative Scheduling interviews in
26% a more effective way
Decisions around areas take up
valuable time for
talent are often 24%
Developing a total
talent strategy
talent acquisition
made without professionals Meeting hiring managers'
22%
accessing data. often preventing expectations
them from
focusing on more 22% Measuring quality of hire
strategic initiatives such as competing across
Improving the candidate
industries, tackling total talent, and improving 20% experience
quality of hire. As a result, decisions around
Source: Aptitude Research, 2019 Talent Acquisition Survey
talent are often made without accessing data.

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Budget Changes
One important reason for talent acquisition’s slow strategic evolution is that for over
half the companies in the TLNT survey, budgets have barely improved over the past few
years. In fact, one in five respondents tell us their budget hasn’t increased since 2015;
15% say it’s gone down (Figure 3).

One striking difference

Figure 3: Talent Acquisition Budgets (2015-2019) between the mid-sized and
large organizations in our
study is the investment
It has gone down
14.8% 18.4% smaller companies are
No change making in their recruiting
1-5% increase teams. 48% of companies
20.7% 12.3% 6-10% increase with 1,000 to 10,000
employees have increased
11-20% increase
16.8% their recruiting budgets
More than
by more than 5% since
20.5% 20% increase
2015. Only 39% of larger
companies report that
Source: TLNT Survey
much of an increase.

In order for talent acquisition to build a case for being more influential with the business,
understanding how these budgets are being used and what value the spending brings is a
critical first step. In many cases, talent acquisition is investing in services and technology
that do not deliver results. According to Aptitude Research, over 50% of companies are
using more than 2 ATS providers and over 60% are using more than 3 primary sourcing
tools. By clearly defining what solutions and services deliver value can help talent
acquisition build a case for a more strategic partnership.

Metrics for Success

41% of respondents to the TLNT survey stated that nothing changes in the business
when talent acquisition gives input. One reason is that talent acquisition is not providing
business leaders with the talent data needed to drive decisions. According to Aptitude
Research, nearly 40% of hiring managers do not receive the data they need to make
decisions. Talent acquisition needs to change the tone of the conversation and discuss
metrics that matter to the business.

Currently, the metrics that talent acquisition uses to determine success has not changed
much over the years and plays little role in how business leaders think about success.

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Recruiters are still being measured Figure 4: Metrics Used to Evaluate Recruiters
by traditional metrics such as time
to fill and total new hires (Figure 4). 69.6% Time to fill

57.9% Total new hires

To paraphrase Peter Drucker, what’s 47.9% Quality of hire
measured is what counts. With
39.2% Offer acceptance ratio
recruiter evaluations based — by
34.3% Diversity hires
far — on quantitative metrics, that’s
33.3% New hire retention
where they and TA managers will
31.4% Qualified candidates/opening
focus. More strategic metrics such
27.5% Qualified candidates in pipeline
as hiring from target firms, retention
24.6% Hiring manager evaluations
and pipeline building fall far down
20.7% Reqs to fill ratio
the list. Only quality of hire is
12.3% Time to present
among the top five performance
4.9% Hire from target firms
metrics, and it was mentioned by
less than a majority of respondents.
Source: TLNT Survey

Talent acquisition needs to think beyond these traditional metrics and consider business
metrics. When building a business case for strategic talent acquisition, companies
will need to look at the value and impact to the entire organization. According to the
TLNT research, talent acquisition plays a critical role in helping organizations improve
the following metrics: revenue growth, employee retention, and brand awareness and
reputation (Figure 5). These are metrics that matter to the business. These metrics
require talent acquisition to leverage data that it collects throughout the process to help
inform decisions.

Talent acquisition needs to consider these metrics when investing in a team, building out
processes and investing in technology.

Figure 5: Business Metrics Impacted by Talent Acquisition (% saying TA plays a “critical role”)

49.2% 42.7% 30.4% 28.2% 21.4% 13.9%

Brand Awareness Revenue Employee Employee Business Product
and Reputation Growth Retention Engagement Development Development
Source: TLNT Survey

Measuring business success and changing the conversation around traditional metrics is
not something that can happen overnight. Changing the measures on which recruiters
are evaluated to emphasize more strategic objectives such as retention, target firm hiring
and pipeline and hiring quality is a key first step. Companies need a solid framework
for strategic talent acquisition where people, process and technology are more closely
aligned to business needs.

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 What does it mean to be strategic?

What It
There are different levels to being strategic. First, we
as talent acquisition are going to help the business
execute against their goals. For example, what does

Takes it mean in terms of hiring if we’re moving into a new

geographic location? Then comes the recruiting

to Be strategy. How are we going to fill those positions?

People don’t always see talent acquisition being

Strategic strategic. They think you’re just going to execute

against a plan. But we take the business plan, use it to
By Casey Kelly-Barton create a people plan, and then create a recruiting plan.

How do you get to that place where you

are strategic?
First you need to get the organization ready. Make
sure that you have the right HR people in the right HR
positions. Not everybody wants to do the strategic
piece. Some people just want to execute or they’re not
ready for the strategic piece yet. Identify those people
and don’t force them into a strategy role.

Ideally, you’ll then build your HR strategy based

on information you get directly from the business
leaders, not filtered down to you. It can take a lot to
get there. You may hear, “You don’t really need to be
a part of that conversation” or “I’ll just give you the
information, you don’t need to come with me.” But it
can take you a long time to get to the strategic piece
that way, because you have to be able to ask follow-up
questions and really get to know the business so that
you can be strategic.

When senior management regularly

Interview with: consults talent acquisition about important
Nikole Ricciardi business decisions at fewer than 30% of the
is the head of Talent organizations, how do you see recruiting
Acquisition Strategy, influencing business strategy?
Transformation and Programs
at Bristol-Myers Squibb
What gets you there is asking those questions about
the business. Eventually they realize, “Oh wait a

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minute, this person does know what they’re talking about
and I’ll give them more information.” When your
Then you have to be able to execute against what you say
business
your plan is. You have to get the buy-in from whomever partners value
you’re supporting in that client group. You have to bring your opinion
them along and show them what you’re trying to do.
about business
You also need to really understand the business. How do
decisions,
I understand what these people do when it’s something I
have never done myself? You can ask for explanations. You you’re strategic.
can also ask them to show you what they do.

For example, I am not a scientist. When I started at Bristol

Myers Squibb, despite my background in the pharma
industry, I would look at a job description and it was
completely foreign to me. Luckily, I had a business partner
who said, “Are you OK if we show you what we do?” So,
every time this heavily biology-focused group had a new Business Leaders
position, they would say, “OK, when are you going to come Don’t Often
see us?” Consult With TA

Then I was able to connect with candidates. They saw it as,

“She really does understand what she’s talking about and 7.8%
she knows our business.” And as I got to know the group Always

more through watching them in the lab, I could better see

who was going to fit with them and who had the right
skills and experience. My understanding of how the team
19.9%
Ususally
worked allowed the hiring managers to focus on their work
in the labs versus, “I have to interview all 15 candidates
because I don’t trust you to screen them out.” 22.5%
Sometimes
How do you know when you’ve made the
transition to strategic talent acquisition?
When you’re not invited to a meeting and they ask where 25.7%
Rarely
you are, or if you can’t make the meeting and they say,
“Well then, we’ll have to push that meeting out, we need
you at the meeting.” When your business partners value
13.2%
your opinion about business decisions, you know they see Never
you as a true strategic partner. Source: TLNT Survey

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 A GUIDE FOR STRATEGIC TALENT ACQUISITION:
PEOPLE, PROCESS, AND TECHNOLOGY

T he good news is that organizations can overcome their talent

acquisition challenges with the right people, processes and
technology. Organizations need this infrastructure in order to support
the transformation to more strategic talent acquisition and it needs
to be directly aligned to business objectives. People, process and
technology in a modern talent acquisition function are a framework
that involves and supports the business.

Tactical vs. Strategic Talent Acquisition

Tactical TA Strategic TA
General recruiters that are A mature talent acquisition function that includes
responsible for filling positions general recruiters, specialists and business
as quickly and as cost-effectively partners. This team communicates regularly with
People as possible. business leaders and key stakeholders.

A fixed process around certain areas

A flexible process that provides insight and
of talent acquisition that provide
data to business leaders on strategic areas
little visibility, data, or transparency
from recruitment marketing to onboarding.
Process to candidates or hiring managers.

Technology solutions that are Technology that empowers recruiting teams to

cumbersome to use and only better engage with candidates and provides the
support the recruiters. data they need to share with business leaders.
Technology

People
As talent acquisition becomes more complex so does the role of the
recruiter and the talent acquisition function. Recruiters must juggle
multiple hats in order to be successful. No longer focused solely on
relationship-building or administrative tasks, the modern recruiting function requires
a new set of skills and competencies that often seem contradictory.

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Talent acquisition professionals have to be able to build long-term relationships with
business leaders, adjusting their recruiting efforts to support operating goals and
initiatives while advising senior management on talent availability, workforce trends and
developments. In addition, recruiting leaders must interpret data, sell and market their
employer brand, and consider a more flexible workforce, which are all responsibilities
that did not exist a decade ago.

While this presents new opportunities for talent acquisition departments to align with
business goals, it makes the process feel overwhelming. According to the TLNT survey,
44% of all companies report their recruiting resources have increased by more than 10%
since 2015; almost a quarter have seen an increase greater than 25%. However, most of
the increase in recruiting comes from the companies with the largest budget increases.

These resources include recruiters, talent acquisition leaders, operations, and specialists,
all influencing talent acquisition decisions. But, they also need to have ongoing dialogue
and communication with the business. When transforming the talent acquisition
function, it is important to involve these stakeholders in the process through committees
and focus groups.

Currently, 64% of organizations have a central recruiting function (Aptitude Research

2019). The talent acquisition structure can differ greatly from organization to
organization: talent acquisition is either part of HR, part of a Center of Excellence model,
or reports directly to business leaders. It is important to understand what the model is
and how it can support the business.

Process
In order for the process to be successful at aligning with the business,
it needs to be consistent. Organizations are often confused about what
processes and strategies should be included in a modern talent acquisition
model. At the most basic level, talent acquisition is categorized in three main categories:
Attract, Recruit and Hire. These areas are the trifecta of any talent acquisition function
and without any one — it is incredibly difficult for an organization to execute on business
results or a strategic vision for improving efficiencies, identifying quality talent and
providing a consistent candidate experience.
Attract: Engage and communicate with future candidates through various channels.
Recruit: Identify, recruit, screen and select the best fit for your organization.
Hire: Hire, transition and onboard candidates into new employees.

When combined, these processes can deliver more consistent results and the right data
to the business to drive better decisions around talent.

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Attract
With a strong and consistent strategy for attracting, engaging and connecting with talent,
recruiters can build relationships and better understand the audience they are targeting
with recruitment marketing efforts. Organizations can also bring awareness to their
brand in a more authentic way. When individuals feel connected and engaged with an
organization, they are more receptive to messages about the brand and curious about
employment opportunities.

• Recruitment Marketing: Recruitment marketing involves all the activities

that connect a brand to the right person at the right time and with the right
communication and messaging.
Tactical Strategic
Segment messages to candidates and post the
Targeting the same message to everyone. right content to the right candidates through
different stages of the candidate journey.
Candidate communication only when a job
Engage with individuals consistently.
is open.
Generic email campaigns. Create personal campaigns and messages.
A sourcing strategy that involves simply Consider an internal sourcing function and
posting jobs on job boards or blasting jobs technology that supports a strategy rather than
on social media. isolated activities.

• Employer Brand: Although it is now part of the recruitment marketing

process, employer branding is an area that was once owned by marketing and
communication departments. The employer brand is the reason that someone wants
to work for an organization. It encompasses the culture and the employee value
proposition.
Tactical Strategic
Employer branding should be transparent and communicated
Keeping the employer brand with employees and other departments. Marketing and
isolated from the organization. communication departments responsible for the corporate
brand should have knowledge and input to the employer brand.
Using the same employer brand
Employer branding should not be static and must be tailored to
messages for all geographies,
different geographies and job roles.
job roles and candidates.
Sticking with the same employer
Employer branding needs to be re-evaluated as organizations
brand messaging throughout
go through change and as the corporate brand evolves.
the year.
The employer brand should extend throughout the entire talent
Using employer branding just for acquisition lifecycle and should be transparent to employees.
the pre-application process. Employees that are familiar with the brand can serve as brand
ambassadors and connect with candidates and provide referrals.

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 • Sourcing: Organizations are unable to recruit top talent until they have sourced top
talent. Yet, with competition for talent and a shortage of critical skills, companies
need to think differently about traditional sourcing methods.

Tactical Strategic
Many companies are bringing their sourcing function in-
Requiring in-house recruiters house instead of relying solely on third-party recruiters
to source or using third-party or generalists. By hiring sourcers or including a dedicated
recruiters for all sourcing efforts. sourcing team in the recruitment function, organizations can
have greater control and visibility into the way they source.
Today, sourcing requires unique tools and strategies to be
Using only job boards. successful. Technology and enhancements give organizations
a lot of options for sourcing talent.
Isolating sourcing from recruiting. Sourcing needs to be integrated with recruiting.

Recruit
Recruit involves activities that help identify the right fit and hire the right fit. What sets
successful companies apart from their competitors is their ability to create consistency
in the way they approach each of these processes including screening, assessment,
interviewing and onboarding.

• Screening: Although it’s considered a tactical area of recruitment, background

screening can have a dramatic impact on a company’s overall recruitment strategy.
Organizations make a strategic investment in these solutions to strengthen the
quality of hires. Background screening includes employment verification, drug
testing, credit reports, education verification and criminal background checks.
Tactical Strategic
Screening should be done consistently for every position
Screening only for certain positions.
in the organization.
Screening candidates only when they Screening can serve as an effective way to help narrow
are far down in the funnel. down your candidate pool early in the process.

• Assessment: Pre-hire assessments encompass the tools and technology that enable
organizations to evaluate if a candidate has the right skills and behaviors to perform
a job. These assessments are often a combination of subjective and objective tests.
Tactical Strategic
Assessments that are multifaceted insights looking at skill, fit and
Time consuming, manual
potential. More candidate-friendly tests through gamed-based
tests that feel punitive.
assessments and the use of AI.
Using different assessment at different points in the hiring process,
One size fits all approach.
and for different roles, based on the needs of the organization.
One and done “disposable” Carrying over pre-hire assessments into the onboarding process to
test scores. help guide training and teambuilding.

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 • Interviewing: Interviewing is a staple of any talent acquisition process and often
the deciding factor for hiring a candidate. Surprisingly, few recruiters and managers
are trained on how to conduct a good interview. Additionally, few organizations
have a standard approach for how interviewing is conducted. When recruiters and
managers have the right tools and best practices, interviewing can be a powerful
process that determines the best fit for the organization.

Tactical Strategic
Standardizing interviews across the organization.
Ad hoc interviews. Leveraging interview guides that use reference call data
from former colleagues.
Going with a “gut feeling.” Including assessments in the interview process.
Leveraging digital interviewing platforms where
Multiple one-on-one interviews.
multiple interviewers can participate.

• Hiring: Once an organization decides on a candidate, offer letter management and

negotiation begins. Hiring can bring frustration since an organization may lose a
candidate during this process. Organizations must continue to provide a positive
candidate experience and communicate with candidates throughout this process.

Tactical Strategic
Stopping communication with a Continuing the dialogue with a candidate in the window
candidate once the offer is accepted. between offer acceptance and first day.
Staying connected and communicating with candidates
Ignoring the candidates that did not
who did not get the job. Providing transparency to
get the job.
everyone that participated.
Waiting to tell a candidate they have
Defining a communication plan for candidates.
been accepted.

• Onboarding: When new hires have a positive onboarding experience, they are
more productive on their first day and they are more likely to stay with their
new employer. Unfortunately, too many companies invest heavily in the connect
and recruit stages, then ignore their candidates once they are onboard. When
onboarding goes well, the benefits directly impact organizational success.

Tactical Strategic
Having onboarding last for one week Onboarding begins with offer acceptance and is integrated
or one month. with development planning and goal setting.
Having managers responsible for Involving peers with team building, mentor programs and
onboarding. the buddy system.

These processes together comprise a complete picture of what talent acquisition

involves. Organizations should evaluate what strategies they currently have, what
they need to develop and finally, the role technology can play in helping to provide a
consistent approach to every aspect of talent acquisition.

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 Technology
As talent acquisition transforms into a strategic function, navigating the
complex technology landscape can be a full-time job. Ten years ago, the
talent acquisition technology market was comprised of multiple providers
offering very clear products in very clear categories such as background screening, job
boards, applicant tracking systems, assessments and onboarding. Today, the market has
exploded with hundreds more providers and new ones entering almost every month.
Additionally, the lines have blurred. Many of these providers offer several solutions in
talent acquisition or have created new categories of technology, making the buyer’s
decision much more complicated. According to Aptitude Research, the top areas of
technology investment in 2019 include automation, recruitment marketing, assessments
and campus recruiting.

The challenge most companies face is that they are either relying solely on their ERP for
talent acquisition or they are using a myriad of disparate solutions without integrating
data or the user experience. This can create issues not only with efficiency but also
cost and compliance. When evaluating technology providers, companies must be more
strategic ensuring that solutions will give them the data they need to make decisions
around talent. They should start by looking at what they need and then begin to
consider partners.

Technology solutions need to enable talent acquisition

Technology solutions professionals to be more strategic today and need to align
with current processes. Organizations need to consider
need to enable TA
solutions that will help them use data to drive decisions.
professionals to be One way to do this is by improving quality of hire and
more strategic today. providing the right data to hiring managers and business
leaders to make decisions.

Companies that do improve quality of hire have three common characteristics: They
invest in technology, use data to make hiring decisions and gather ongoing feedback.

The number one strategy for improving quality of hire, according to the Aptitude
Research Hiring Study, is investing in technology providers for over 60% of organizations
across all industries. And the top areas where organizations want to see innovation are:

44% 42% 40%

Recruitment Employer Sourcing
Marketing Branding

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Companies need to take a more complete picture of talent acquisition and consider
solutions that extend beyond the application that can also improve quality of hire and
provide data to better inform hiring managers.

Strategic talent acquisition requires a strategic relationship with a technology provider;

one that centers around a shared partnership instead of transactional deliverables.
Companies looking to become more strategic will consider providers that understand
their unique business challenges and will partner with them to help achieve both talent
and business success.

Brand Building Is a Critical Recruiting Strategy

By Casey Kelly-Barton

How do you define strategic talent acquisition?

It’s about “How do we brand our organization better, in
order to attract the high-quality talent that we think we
need and deserve?”

Especially if you’re talking about the small and medium

business marketplace, they’re trying to compete against
larger organizations for the same caliber of talent. They’re
not going to win unless they’re very proactive in how they
approach talent acquisition. SMB firms need to get their
brand awareness out there.

What is a brand awareness strategy? Interview with:

It’s multi-pronged. It includes things like campus recruiting,
which traditionally only large firms would do. And it
Aram Lulla
is the general manager of
includes social media, with an employment branding HR recruiting for Lucas
campaign. It also includes looking internally to see how to Group, a Forbes Top 10
utilize your talent to become the best recruiters for the executive recruiting firm.
organization. Talented people know talented people, so He's a frequent
contributor to the Forbes
maybe you encourage them to contribute to a social media
HR Leadership Council
campaign, not in a contrived way but organically. That can and other media outlets.
lead to your people becoming brand ambassadors that start
to draw talent into the organization.

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Employees become brand ambassadors organically, but it happens because of the culture
and environment that you’ve established. That starts with what I call the employee
experience. The employee experience includes every touchpoint from the first time they
see your ad to the interview process, then the offer process, through onboarding and
throughout the rest of their tenure in the organization.

All those touchpoints have to be strategically thought out. If all of that is positive — and
believe it or not, some people come back to us and say “Hey, that was just an incredible
onboarding process, training was great” — then I don’t have to do much to get them to
post about their experience. They haven’t had that kind of experience anywhere they’ve
been employed before, so now they feel strongly about the organization and they want
other people to join them.

At the very top level, you need to make sure you’re sharing posts about what it’s like in
your organization. Any time you have a cool thing going on in your branch or with your
team, post it under the hashtags you’ve chosen for your employer brand. Then everyone
starts to see that and like it and share it, and it becomes a community event to brand
the organization.

What’s the biggest challenge for HR leaders who want to become

more strategic?
Embracing strategic HR has to start at the top. If the CEO isn’t brought in it’s not going
to permeate throughout the organization. You have to show the value proposition to
the CEO and explain how you’re going to dynamically impact growth through talent
acquisition and retention.

When you have support from the CEO, but maybe not buy-in from everyone, you have to
have resiliency as you move from tactical to strategic HR. You’re going to face challenges,
maybe some “agree to disagree” conversations. But you have to stay steadfast because
you know you’re doing the right thing for the organization — and because you’ve got
backing from the top.

Small Businesses Recruit Less Strategically

40.5% Small Businesses

1,000-5,000 Employees
33.3%
26.0%
21.8% 24.1% 18.8% 21.5%
Large Organizations
Over 10,000 Employees
13.9%

At least At least Once or Never

monthly quarterly twice a year

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 CONCLUSION

T alent acquisition can directly impact business decisions at the

organization if it has the right framework and a data-driven
approach to talent acquisition. With over 50% of talent acquisition
leaders meeting with business leaders at least once a month, these
meetings need to be more than routine updates. TA should use these
sessions to influence both talent and business priorities.

HR and talent acquisition leaders also must reassess the emphasis they place on
measuring recruiting team performance. If time to fill and number of hires made and
other quantitative metrics are how success is determined, then that’s where recruiting
teams will place their greatest effort. Focusing more on quality of hire, pipeline building,
hiring from competitors and diversity hires will begin moving talent acquisition on the
path to strategic significance.

Talent acquisition has

a unique opportunity
to play a critical role in
business outcomes. It
must understand what
those priorities are and
then build a framework
for people, process and
technology that will
support that.

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 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

From mid-August through early September 2019 TLNT conducted a survey of human
resources and talent acquisition professionals to determine the current state of progress
of the transformation of the recruiting function from operational and administrative to
strategic. The findings in this report come from the survey responses.

Responses: 451 qualified responses 2.0% 7.5% Company Size

3.5%
were collected during the survey 1 employee (or owner)
period from mid-August through Sept. 17.7% 2-99 employees
14.6% 100-999 employees
3. The bulk of the responses (78%)
1,000-4,999 employees
came from North America, with small 24.3%
9.9% 5,000-9,999 employees
percentages from the UK and Ireland, 10,000-49,999 employees
20.5% 50,000-99,999 employees
Western Europe, India and Asia
100,000+ employees
Pacific. A broad range of industries
and company size is represented in the 4.7% Job Title
sample. Technology, manufacturing 6.4% 12.1% Chief Human Resources
Officer, Chief People
and heavy industry, financial services, Officer or similar
employment services, healthcare and 21.2%
Vice President / SVP / EVP
31.8% Director
construction and related services Manager
cumulatively accounted for 63% of 23.9%
Individual Contributor
Other
the total.

Qualitative research: Interviews were 1.7% 1.0% Years of Experience

conducted with talent acquisition and 7.4%
Less than 1 year
HR leaders. These added context and 1-2 years
13.3% 25.9%
perspective to the survey. The case 3-5 years

studies and examples of strategic 19.2%

6-10 years
11-20 years
recruiting in this report come from
31.5% More than 20 years
those interviews. I do not recruit

The data in this report is original and proprietary to TLNT.com and its parent, ERE Media. Additional data was provided
by Aptitude Research from its independently conducted surveys.

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 CONTRIBUTORS

This report was produced by TLNT.com, a news and information site for HR professionals. It
was published by ERE Media, Inc. Madeline Laurano and John Zappe authored the report, with
additional material provided by Casey Kelly-Barton. Jennifer Shick created the graphics and
designed the report. Proofred by Alexandra Lipski.

AUTHOR – Madeline Laurano

Madeline is founder and principal analyst at Aptitude Research, a research-based analyst and
advisory firm focused on talent management and including talent acquisition.
Madeline’s work helps companies both validate and reevaluate their strategies and understand the
role technology can play in driving business outcomes. She has watched HCM transform from a
back-office function to a strategic company initiative with a focus on partnerships, experience and efficiency.
Before Aptitude Research, Madeline held key research roles at Aberdeen, Bersin by Deloitte, ERE Media and Brandon
Hall Group. She is co-author of Best Practices in Leading a Global Workforce and has been quoted in the Wall Street
Journal, The Boston Globe, Yahoo News, and The Financial Times. She is a frequent presenter at industry conferences
including the HR Technology Conference and Exposition, SHRM, IHRIM, HCI’s Strategic Talent Acquisition conference,
GDS International’s HCM Summit, and HRO Today.
Madeline has a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in International Relations from Boston University.

EDITOR – John Zappe

John Zappe is the editor of TLNT.com and a contributing editor of ERE.net.
Before joining ERE Media in 2006, John was a senior consultant and analyst with Advanced
Interactive Media, focusing on the employment sector.
In 1998 he was named to head a new media division for Belo newspapers that included a 10,000
subscriber internet service provider.
He later joined the Los Angeles Newspaper Group as Vice President of Digital Media, building it into a multi-million
dollar operation with a dozen online sites and winning several awards.
During his career as a newspaper reporter and editor John won multiple national and state reporting awards, including
the prestigious National Headliner award.
John is a graduate of Marist College and Syracuse University School of Law.

CONTRIBUTOR – Casey Kelly-Barton

Casey Kelly-Barton is an Austin-based freelance B2B content marketing writer. Her specialty areas
include HR, data security, IIoT, fraud prevention and SMB growth and marketing.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER – Jennifer Shick

Jen Shick is a freelance graphic designer and has been working with ERE since 2014.
Jen started her own graphic design business over 12 years after working with a marketing and
advertising agency for 3 years after college. Jen graduated from Moravian College in Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Marketing Management focused on graphic design.
Jen lives in PA with her husband, two kids and dog. In her free time, Jen likes to read, hike, DIY
projects and vacationing with her family.

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