What is the difference between Recruitment and Talent Acquisition by Hemant

Kumaarr, Assistant Manager - HRBP at Confidential

Talent Acquisition means a view of not only filling positions, but also utilization of the candidates
and their skills that come out of a rigorous recruiting process as a means to fill similar positions in
the future also.
These future positions can be identified today by looking at the succession management plan, or
by analyzing the history of attrition for certain positions. This makes it easy to predict that specific
openings will occur at a pre-determined period in time.
In few cases of Strategic Talent Acquisition, clients will recruit today for positions that do not even
exist today but are expected to become available in the future.
Taking the long term strategic approach to talent acquisition has a huge impact on how an
approach is made to a candidate.
Recruitment In this rsums are invited for a vacancy
Selection - Screening of only relevant or best matching candidates.
Hiring process - Time frame from the period of requisition of man power being made till the
person actually joining.
Talent Acquisition - Acquiring of talent
Here we focus on talent that the person possess and not just the educational background or the
experience / working years one has.
To be simple, it is about attracting, recruiting, inducting and making use of right talent.
Such as if one have a talent for content writing but do not possess any certification or degree in
this field. A person who is recruiting might not be interested in my profile. But a talent Acquisition
person who is looking for talent might want to try my skills. Recruitment invite the eligible
candidates for the existing vacancies available in the organization.
Talent acquisition is an ongoing cycle of process related to attracting, sourcing, recruiting and
hiring employees within an organization.
This includes elements of employment branding, outreach, networking and relationship building
with potential candidate communities to continually build and enhance the talent pool for an
organization.
Talent Acquisition professionals understand that each talent has something of value to offer. They
also build relationships with the best of the talent that lead to more successful networking, more
referrals, more business and an amazing give and take of expertise, knowledge and information.
Recruiting takes tremendous effort. Talent acquisition takes efficient and productive processes
that are easy to use and candidate centric.
The identification, relationship building and selection of people who possess special,
creative/technical skills and who can influence, contribute to and/or drive revenue to our business
by exerting extraordinary effort, exercising strong relationship management in present or in future
could be considered as TA.
Recruitment is a linear process, where employers source candidates for the existing vacancies
currently available. This approach is reactive in its nature, thus leads to increased time-to-hire

and cost-to-hire. At times organizations compromise even on quality in order to manage cost and
time.
As specified above Talent Acquisition is ongoing cycle of process that start by building Employer
Brand, communication of Employee Value Proposition and ongoing relationship with targeted
Talent segments. This approach leads to the development of talent pools and talent pipelines
eventually creating sustainable talent supply chain. This leads to more strategic nature of the
approach and significant improvements across all Recruitment KPIs.
The term Talent Acquisition (TA) is often used synonymously with Recruiting. However, these are
two very different things. Recruiting is a subset of TA, and includes the activities of sourcing,
screening, interviewing, assessing, selecting and hiring. In some organizations this extends to
the early stages of onboarding, which then becomes a shared responsibility between HR and the
hiring manager, with support from the learning organization.
Talent acquisition includes recruiting, but it is inclusive of other strategic elements as follows.
Talent Acquisition Planning & Strategy This ensures business alignment, examines workforce
plans, requires an understanding of the labor markets, and looks at global considerations.
Workforce Segmentation It requires an understanding of the different workforce segments and
positions within these segments, as well as the skills, competencies, and experiences necessary
for success.
Employment Branding This includes activities that help to uncover, articulate and define a
companys image, organizational culture, key differentiators, reputation, and products and
services. Employment branding can help advance the market position of organizations, attract
quality candidates and depict what it is truly like to work for that organization.
Candidate Relationship Management This includes building a positive candidate experience,
managing candidate communities, and maintaining relationships for those candidates who are
not selected at present against a particular skill set, but have few more skills.
Metrics & Analytics It is the continuous tracking and use of key metrics to drive continuous
improvement and to make better recruitment decisions, to ultimately improve the quality of hire.
Within each of these core elements of TA there are many other sub-activities and best practices.
And, of course, the selection of tools, technology and outsourcing partners is a key element of a
companys talent acquisition strategy.
In other words, a leadership program is to leadership development what recruiting is to talent
acquisition. Alone, neither will drive their highest value to the business.

Goal Setting & Beyond - Six Steps to Success

Step 1 by Ashok Grover
Whenever you are making any improvement plan, whether it is a business plan, professional plan
or personal plan, there are six steps involving some fundamental principles that ensure success
or otherwise of your efforts.
Let us have a look at the first step, i.e. SETTING GOALS
While working out your Improvement plan, the first step is setting definite goals. This may sound
to be too obvious; but is not that simple. Since this is like foundation of the building you want to
raise, any carelessness or short cuts at this stage will adversely affect the later stages.
Therefore, following need to be kept in mind to set effective goals:
Analyze what you want: Before deciding on any goal, ask yourself whether you really want to
achieve it. This should not only be something that others want you to do or just because, it
sounds good. All goals, even if organizational in nature, must be personalized in order that you
achieve them.
Write your goals: Many a times, you feel that all your goals are clear in your head. However, it is
only when you put it in writing, you realize how clear or otherwise you were about them.
Express all your goals in a positive manner: Goals should be stated positively Be punctual in
the meetings is more effective than Don't get late in the meetings. For the subconscious mind,
it is easier to follow a direction than delve into analysis that a negative statement demands.
Be specific: Avoid being vague when setting goals. The tracking becomes meaningless if the
goal is not very specific. Earning a lot and Getting rich are ambiguous expressions, because
they do not have a finishing line.
Start small: When you are starting with your action plan, begin with small goals, which can be
achieved with small effort. If a goal is really large, then break it can into smaller ones so that the
progress is visible and you have a reason to reward yourself and get encouragement to move
ahead faster.
Set performance goals, not outcome goals: While you can have a reasonable control on your
personal performance, the same may not be true for the outcome. To score 90% in a competitive
examination is a better goal as compared to be top in your class. Even if topping in the class is
your real goal, and your competitor is at 88%, you can target 90 or 91% considering what he or
she can achieve and what your capabilities are. Performance goals are more specific and while
motivating you to have a more specific plan, do not put you down, when you are not able to
achieve them for reasons beyond your control.
Goals should be realistic: While fantasy and imagination are a desirable part of life, goal-setting
has to be on the ground. Having a goal of working with an MNC in Mumbai, and another one of
living in a mansion in a hill station contradict each other and hence are far removed from reality.
Most efforts made to simultaneously achieve both these goals will go waste and be a source of
disappointment.
Make it measurable: You must have some yardstick to know how much you have progressed
towards your goal and whether you have achieved it - a clear cut way to know that it is the time
and reason to celebrate!

Have achievable goals: Just wanting to achieve something is not enough. You have to work
towards it. Therefore, it is very important to set goals that are aspirational, or what you may term
as stretch goals, but achievable. Very often parents, employers tend to set unrealistic goals for
you without realizing your desires, ambitions and capabilities. You yourself may be tempted to set
goals that are too distant, either because you may not appreciate the obstacles likely to come in
the way, or you may underestimate the level of skills you need to develop to achieve the targeted
performance.
Set priorities: Starting with many goals at the same time is something that can not and should not
be avoided. However, to facilitate the achievement of these various goals, you need to prioritize
them. This helps to avoid confusion due to occasional too much to handle and enables to focus
your attention on the more important aspects.