According to one report, U.S. employers are going out of their way to find and recruit top talent. In fact, around 48% are offering signing bonuses, 43% are increasing their paid time off, and 40% are offering better job titles to turn the heads of prospects. 

Do you feel like you have to search far and wide to find employees who are good fits for your open positions? If so, it might be time to think about hiring a talent acquisition professional.

This expert can help you quickly identify, attract, and onboard the best employees in your field. They know the tactics, programs, and platforms that will help your organization catch the eye of the most elite hires, so you can build stronger and more effective teams than ever before. 

Today, we’re taking a closer look at how talent acquisition services work and what you can expect when you use one to optimize your hiring processes.

An Overview of Talent Acquisition Services

When you hire a talent acquisition specialist, you’re teaming up with someone who will work closely with your hiring managers from the beginning. They’ll first work to understand your business, taking a deep dive into your immediate and long-term organizational goals. 

Then, they’ll use a variety of different strategies to find and connect with candidates who they believe will fit well within your company culture and help you reach those goals. These include:

  • Applying different candidate evaluation methods
  • Referencing their in-depth knowledge of human resource management 
  • Implementing appropriate hiring strategies

While you might be able to hire an in-house employee to fill this role, it becomes more difficult to attract new talent the bigger your company grows. As you expand and begin to globalize, you may need the assistance of an entire team of experts, led by a talent acquisition manager. 

That’s exactly what you’ll get at Bradford Jacobs. We’ll help you attract and nurture the best global talent through a variety of services, including:

  • Employer branding
  • Talent acquisition marketing
  • Talent pool marketing

Together, these approaches can help you grow your presence in the global talent market, all while fine-tuning your brand and hiring the best of the best. 

What Does a Talent Acquisition Specialist Do?

As the title of this role implies, a talent acquisition specialist is responsible for managing every step required to find, nurture, and bring talent on board an organization. This may include any of the following steps:

  • Sourcing talent
  • Attracting talent
  • Interviewing candidates
  • Hiring employees
  • Onboarding employees

At the same time, they also work to retain current talent. Most talent acquisition specialists will also ensure that existing team members are happy in their employment. They’ll look for ways to strengthen and build the company’s brand image, primarily through recruitment events and related initiatives. 

If these job roles sound general, that’s because they are. Talent acquisition jobs are all-encompassing, requiring the individual to plan for future growth while balancing real-time demands. 

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most important elements of this job. 

Create and Implement a Long-Term Staffing Strategy

This specialist will work with the organization to create a roadmap for talent acquisition. This includes implementing strategies that not only help fill short-term roles but drive the business into the future. If global expansion is an aim, this may include planning how the company will grow and scale its talent while also pursuing new markets. 

Research the Culture, Values, and Location of Top Talent

Gone are the days when the only way to read about a job opening was to check your local newspaper. Now, digital natives are hopping on the internet in droves, and they’re scrolling the job boards that way. 

Modern talent acquisition specialists realize this movement, and they’re actively engaged in it, too. They’re not just tech-savvy, but able to dive straight into the psyche of your ideal hire. They can answer what types of devices they use and platforms they engage on, as well as:

  • The kind of company culture they’re best matched to (ideally, yours)
  • The values they hold 
  • Where they’re located 

All of these elements combined make up the talent’s profile. Once they’ve created this profile, they can begin looking online for recruits who fit the bill. 

Participate in Ongoing Talent Engagement 

Talent acquisition is a long game. It’s not a one-and-done situation that begins with a social media connection and ends in a pile of onboarding documents. 

Rather, to retain talent for longer than a few days, you need someone who is invested in each new hire’s long-term growth. They should also be actively looking for ways to keep your brand relevant, visible, and attractive to prospects. 

Market the Organization to Prospective Hires

Hiring decisions are two-way streets. Yes, your company must reach out and extend an offer to a candidate. However, they must also be interested in joining your team. 

Knowing this, the talent acquisition specialist will continuously look for ways to promote your business. They’ll talk openly about the value of working with your company and help you optimize your online presence so you never miss an opportunity to connect. 

Need Help With Talent Acquisition? 

Talent acquisition might be a necessary part of growing your business, but it doesn’t have to take up all of your time. Instead of keeping this work solely in-house, consider outsourcing some or all of the services to a third-party provider.

At Bradford Jacobs, we provide a range of services from consulting partners and attracting talent to engaging new hires. If you need to find the right people for your job, we can help. Contact us today to learn more and get started.