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Talent acquisition has changed dramatically since the pandemic prompted companies to migrate to remote work. This has not only presented interesting challenges for employees, but it has also created new approaches to recruiting, hiring, and retaining talent. In order to adapt to this digital landscape, talent acquisition teams must acquire a very particular set of skills to assess the company’s current and future hiring needs.
In this article, you will learn what talent acquisition is, how it differs from recruitment, and five skills you should nurture to recruit exceptional talent, strengthen your teams, and ensure long-term employee retention.
Talent acquisition vs. recruiting
Talent acquisition is the process of locating and identifying qualified candidates for specific positions. This may sound a lot like recruiting, but talent acquisition teams are also responsible for hiring and creating employee development opportunities once those candidates join the company.
Talent acquisition teams handle different processes, such as:
- Design strategies to locate talent based on each department’s needs and market trends[MB1] .
- Develop procedures to properly integrate new talent.
- Source candidates to not only fill current openings, but also conceive the employee’s potential career path within the company.
On the other hand, recruitment teams focus on the following tasks:
- Identify and evaluate candidates to fulfill immediate hiring needs.
- Strategize marketing and advertising efforts on different platforms to ensure the job posting’s visibility.
- Manage and collect necessary documentation for each new hire.
Five skills your talent acquisition team needs
With the changes brought on by remote work, every department within your company has had to reinvent itself and adapt to these new times — clearly, your talent acquisition team is no exception.
Gone are the days of face-to-face interviews and in-person meetings — now, companies are no longer limited to local talent pools. Technology allows us to optimize resources and find the best talent, breaking down all geographic barriers.
However, your teams need a specific skill set to leverage this in a way that is efficient, organized, and adds value to your company. Here are five skills your talent acquisition team needs to succeed in this rapidly changing environment:
1. Empathy
A study carried out by SHRM in 2021 shows that nine out of 10 employees look for empathy in their workplace. Employees believe that it’s a key pillar of a positive company culture. Therefore, it is vital that your talent acquisition team has this emotional skill deeply ingrained.
Remember that for a prospective employee, the talent acquisition team is the first contact they have with your company. You need to make a good first impression, so candidates feel confident to express doubts and provide feedback regarding the overall hiring process.
Practicing empathy at the workplace can translate into better hires, since it is estimated that 92 percent of job seekers want to work at companies that value this emotional skill.
2. Communication skills
Talking is easy, but can you really communicate? Communication breaches can deeply affect your company — especially in remote teams.
It is estimated that 41 percent of company leaders are unable to gather information effectively — this goes to show how critical communication is for team collaboration and timely decision-making.
Talent acquisition teams need to know how to communicate, to not only find and hire the best candidate for a vacancy, but to also improve employee engagement, provide competent solutions, and positively motivate both new hires and tenured employees.
3. Talent expertise
The central, and most important, skill talent acquisition teams must have is the ability to know each department in depth — their needs, goals, and the type of employee that would add value to the company.
Educating your talent acquisition team on the organizational structure of your company gives them the necessary information to assess the type of talent that’s needed to contribute to each team.
4. Organizational skills
Organizational skills allow companies to allocate resources effectively. This term not only refers to budgeting, but also to time management and prioritizing company needs.
Organizational skills help talent acquisition teams to focus on each applicant and pay attention to the details that separate an average candidate from a great one. Keep in mind that today’s talent acquisition teams have a global talent pool to choose from. Therefore, being organized helps teams evaluate talent hubs, categorize candidates, and make well-informed decisions based on the role at hand.
5. Remote work knowledge
Hiring talent to join a traditional company that works face-to-face entails different processes than a company that has completely migrated to remote work.
According to a Growmotely survey, 74 percent of respondents believe that remote work will be the way to work from here on out. This study also confirms that job seekers want to join companies that allow them to work remotely. This new-found priority sets the tone for talent acquisition teams who must be attentive to variations in the global market and understand what talent is looking for in an employer.
How a global employment platform can improve talent acquisition efforts
It is one thing to attract, onboard, and hire local talent; however, doing this on a global scale is a different scenario. If your hires have a negative onboarding experience, or don´t feel that you are truly invested, your company will have a very hard time attracting and retaining global talent.
For this reason, having a properly organized and structured talent acquisition team is vital to succeed in today’s dynamic global market. Taking a strategic approach to talent acquisition will help reduce employee turnover, save time and resources, and, ultimately, build a competitive workforce to ensure long-term success.
Let Globalization Partners be your source for expert advice and support — our global employment platform can help you find, hire, onboard, and create a positive experience for your international teams.
We can take your company to the next level. Contact us or request a proposal today.
