11 Reasons Why Recruitment is NOT the Same as Talent Acquisition

The terms Recruitment and Talent Acquisition are often used interchangeably but industry thought leaders understand that there is a distinct difference. Understanding this difference and adapting your internal processes accordingly will help your company evolve its hiring procedures and help you attract the top talent available on the market.
First let’s define each term. Then we can examine the gap between the two as they relate to the overall human capital life cycle.
Recruitment can be defined as a process of identifying, attracting, and onboarding a candidate to a specific position and meeting a dynamic business need. Talent Acquisition is an approach that is geared towards building relationships, anticipating future hiring needs, and creating a sustainable pool of candidates beyond the present business requirements. Recruitment can function as an independent process. However, Talent Acquisition has Recruitment as one of its many components.
It is also important to note that while Recruitment and Talent Acquisition are different, that one is not better than the other. Both practices have applications and can serve your business needs.
Now that we have defined the terms, here are the elements that differentiate Recruitment from Talent Acquisition:
After reviewing the 11 differences one might question their own internal process and approach to recruitment and talent acquisition. Refinement and constant development of all components will result in turning applicants into candidates and candidates into contributing team members. Keep in mind that just as Recruitment can function as a component of Talent Acquisition that Talent Acquisition is itself a segment of the much broader field of Talent Management and Development.
Image: Shutterstock

This article first appeared on CongnITek blog on the 28th February, 2017.

If you’re keen to find out more about recruitment vs. talent acquisition, be sure to check out the Australasian Talent Conference, starting 21st June. Early bird tickets available here.