I’m seeing more and more LinkedIn posts from recruiters regarding Talent Acquisition, and specifically how they can build relationships with them. It’s easy to see Talent Acquisition as gatekeepers, and the last recruitment session I ran sparked an interesting conversation around Talent Acquisition and Inhouse recruitment teams: how do you build relationships and break down walls? Let’s dive into this using my insights from my experience working in-house.
After spending nearly 20 years within agency I stepped into the Talent Acquisition world in 2018. As a recruiter I valued partnerships, building deeper relationships and making an impact. Talent Acquisition was a natural progression in my career. Looking back now though, I was perhaps a little naïve to many of the challenges Talent Acquisition Specialists face. As a recruiter it may help your value proposition if you can understand what these challenges include:
Working every role
1 – Talent Acquisition have to work every role! That sounds really obvious, doesn’t it? But as an agency recruiter you do have the ability to veto those unicorn roles, staying close to jobs that are ‘fillable’. In Talent Acquisition the stakeholder will sit at the end of their desk asking, ‘Why haven’t I had any CV’s?’, ‘What’s happening with my role?’ They may be searching for a needle in a haystack, and this role may not sit within their existing network or specialism. That’s when a really great specialist recruiter is worth their weight in gold: you have the network and get things moving faster than Talent Acquisition teams. They might be starting this search from scratch whereas as a good recruiter you have been building a strong network and database for years!
Employer Brand
2 – Organisations may not have the strongest employer brand in a specific area. This is a vital tool for Talent Acquisition and lack of a strong employer brand can limit accessibility to passive candidates. A company’s employer brand may not be an attractive proposition for a multitude of reasons; often the perception doesn’t match the reality and all it takes is an open and honest conversation to win hearts and minds. However, when Talent Acquisition make a direct approach to passive candidates the candidate knows exactly who they are representing as they work for the company! This may close doors for Talent Acquisition which are incredibly difficult to break open; however, a recruiter can make those approaches in stealth mode. A true recruitment partner will open conversations with a range of candidates that may never have been accessible to Talent Acquisition.
Work with the Talent Acquisition process, not against it
3 – Talent Acquisition teams do have a process; it is there for a reason. They must ensure that every CV coming into the business is tracked and the recruitment process is controlled. A good recruiter will work with them on this – they will ensure they are partnering. If you can build a strong working relationship with Talent Acquisition they will support your engagement with the hiring manager. Remember, they want to get this role filled. If you can demonstrate that you are working together and the benefits of speaking to the key stakeholders, then they will facilitate this.
Knowing when External Support is valued
4 – Talent Acquisition Specialists are driven and targeted. They want to secure as many direct placements as they can. A good recruiter acknowledges that not every role will be offered out to external support, and that’s OK! As a recruiter you need to work out the gaps and challenges your Talent Acquisition are finding – is it they are swamped with high volumes and just don’t have the capacity, is it employer branding, is it a niche role which demands specialist knowledge and access to networks? If you ask the right questions you will start to understand how you can bridge the gaps, showing the Talent Acquisition team that you are an ally and not a threat.
After three years working in-house I decided to set up my own recruitment business – the insight I had from my time in Talent Acquisition became something of a super power. Understanding where I could add value to the recruitment process and understanding what the Talent Acquisition team needed from me as an external partner opened doors. Being able to work with the in-house teams allowed me to complement their strengths. When I operated in-house I built relationships with several recruiters who gave me perspective on the market, could be tasked to support on challenging roles, and were trusted, reliable and had immense integrity.
Those recruiters represented the company values. I measured their success not just on placements but how they managed their candidates through the process, their communication with the Talent Acquisition team, hiring manager and candidate. In essence, they were an extension of our team.
As a recruiter see Talent Acquisition as your partner. They will be your biggest champion if you get it right.
