Recruiting is a complex function that often gets oversimplified in organizations. From a process perspective, the two most common recruiting models are:
- Advertising Model: This involves advertising job openings, processing incoming CVs, managing the recruitment process, and utilizing the Talent Acquisition (TA) system.
- Executive Search Model: This focuses on market mapping and directly approaching targeted candidates.
Different Models, Different Skill Sets, Different Expectations
These two models require distinct skill sets and cater to different stakeholder expectations. However, many companies, especially with a high requisition portfolio, use both (and more) models within their internal recruiting functions without adapting to these differences or even recognizing them.
For example, recruiters who are used to purely administering a large portfolio of requisitions are often expected to switch into executive search mode with the corresponding consultative mindset (without training), while senior TA partners who were often hired from search firms find themselves in an admin function, setting up appointments, “maintaining data integrity” and similar. Also, hiring managers who take a “static view” on the TA function are frequently unclear about what to expect from recruiters let alone their own role in the process. All this leads to chaos, frustration and inefficiencies. A few examples:
- Senior leadership candidates being contacted by administrators (with recruiting titles, of course) unable to conduct meaningful conversations or “prescreen” (more often than not a completely wasteful task) them effectively – let alone impress and engage them.
- (Even inexperienced) Hiring managers being caught off guard, often becoming even defensive when senior recruiters – whose CVs they never saw and whom they consider to be mere administrators – attempt to advise them not only on the recruiting but even on selection practices, warning them about predictable threats, suggesting a change of course, etc.
- HR and TA managers focusing on the wrong KPIs, missing the real issues…you can’t manage everything you can measure!
- Unnecessarily slow process, roles don’t get filled, blame game, silos get fortified, etc.
A Path to Improvement
Addressing these challenges requires an organizational development approach – including taking a fresh look at current TA roles – paired with AI tech stack planning. By aligning recruiting models with the right processes, skills and expectations, companies can unlock significant short-term benefits. While fixing an underperforming TA function involves many more elements, tackling these process-related issues is a critical first step toward building a more effective and cohesive recruitment strategy. Some of the short term benefits include:
- Clearer role definitions and expectations for recruiters and hiring managers
- Improved candidate experience across the board
- More relevant and actionable KPIs that drive meaningful improvements.
Final Thoughts
Recruiting is a dynamic function that must constantly adapt to changing market dynamics – a cookie-cutter approach won’t cut it. Recognizing the distinct nature of different recruiting models and adjusting organizational roles, expectations, and technology accordingly can transform your talent acquisition outcomes. If your company is struggling with recruiting chaos and frustration, starting with such a fix can be a game-changer.
PRAKHSIS 