Six Stages of Talent Acquisition
The primary goal of talent acquisition is to ensure that the organization has stable, long-term access to the human resources that are necessary for it to carry out its operations. The process of talent acquisition can be summarized in six stages.
Stage One: Sourcing and Lead Generation
The first step to effective talent acquisition is candidate sourcing and lead generation. Talent acquisition specialists most generate a flow of qualified candidates that may be interested in applying for roles within the organization. The goal is to find, qualify and maintain contact with a network of exceptional candidates, some of whom may wish to apply for a vacant role at the organization in the future.
Talent can be sourced through many different channels and the most skilled talent acquisition professionals understand the benefits of leveraging a multi-channel search for candidates. Popular channels include:
- Social platforms (LinkedIn)
- Job posting websites
- Internal referrals
- Industry networking events
- Colleges and universities
- Online communities
- Professional associations
Talent sourcing is an opportunity to get creative and track down your ideal candidate wherever they are most likely to be found.
Stage Two: Recruitment
Recruitment describes the process of turning a prospective candidate into a job applicant. For a professional recruiter, the end goal is to get the applicant hired at the target organization and set them up for success so they stay for as long as possible. The need for recruitment begins when a job role becomes available and a talent manager reaches out to their contacts in search of a suitable applicant.
Stage Three: Interview and Assessment
Following the successful recruitment of new job applicants for a given role, the next step in the talent acquisition process is to interview and assess each candidate to determine their suitability for the given role. Organizations employ a range of tactics for job interviews, including straight-forward get-to-know-you questioning, behavior-response questions, logic puzzles or reasoning tests, hypothetical questions and a range of other techniques to learn more about applicants and how they think.
The ultimate goal of the interview process is to determine whether a candidate would perform well in a given role and to anticipate any risks or negative outcomes that could result from hiring them.
Stage Four: Reference Verification
Following the completion of the interview phase, talent acquisition managers may conduct reference verification. This entails placing calls to previous workplaces and professional contacts of each candidate to verify their identity and experience.
Stage Five: Selection and Hiring
After all of the candidates have been interviewed and the field has been narrowed through reference verification, the next step is to select the best candidate for the role and make a job offer.
Stage Six: Onboarding and Training
The final stage of talent acquisition happens after an applicant accepts the job offer and is hired by the organization. Employee onboarding can range in length from a couple of weeks to the first six months. The purpose of employee on-boarding and training is to help new employees integrate into the company culture, improve new employee retention and to get new staff members to start being productive and contributing to projects.
