Recruiters are equal, but some are more equal than others. Talent acquisition may sound like plain old recruitment, but it is a distinct discipline brought about by the modernisation of the human resource (HR) function.
'Recruitment is a more reactive and administrative process involving, for example, posting jobs and then waiting to see what comes in,' says Dimi Crossley, talent acquisition manager at technical and management service firm Aecom in Asia.
On the other hand, talent acquisition entails formulating human resources strategies to help companies increase the size of the talent pool from which they can hire, such as by creating policies for employee referrals.
Talent acquisition roles are typically present in organisations that are progressive in their HR practices, Crossley says. A talent acquisition co-ordinator provides support for those directly involved in the recruitment process.
This could include database entry, scheduling interviews, placing advertisements, assisting with on-campus recruitment campaigns, doing reference and background checks on potential employees, and researching potential candidates.
Talent acquisition co-ordinators typically begin their career in recruitment firms. Crossley says the ideal candidate is an administrator with at least one to two years' experience working in such an agency.
Genevieve Wong, manager at Robert Walters' HR and business support division, says those who are already in the role either progress by moving up to more senior roles in the recruitment team, or move into more general areas of HR. Professionals with more than 10 years of experience, and with good management skills, may eventually be chosen to take on the role of HR director.
