Developing Talent Acquisition Leaders: Essential Skills and Competency
- Andrew Stahl
- Oct 3
- 3 min read
Every company needs a strong acquisition strategy, and a strong leader must uphold that strategy. The organization must ensure the leader understands the company brand and develops a plan to identify the best candidates. The right person will help the company find talent that supports growth and establishes them as a leader in their industry.
What Does a Talent Acquisition Leader Do?
A talent acquisition leader typically holds the following responsibilities:
Company Advocacy: The leader should deeply understand the employer brand and promote it through talent acquisition materials such as job ads and career pages.
Network Identification: They should be familiar with the best channels to network through to find the best candidates.
Technology Recommendations: The leader should work with the IT team to identify the best tools for talent acquisition.
Hiring Strategy: They should develop a hiring strategy that enhances candidate experience and efficiently identifies the best applicant for the role.
Retention Enhancement: The leader should oversee the onboarding process, ensuring the new candidate feels comfortable in their new role. They should also continue monitoring the retention rates of new candidates to measure their hiring success.
What to Look for in a Talent Acquisition Leader
An organization will work to develop a talent acquisition leader, ensuring they are suited to the role. However, they will be more successful if they find someone with the following innate skills:
A Good Listener: Good listening skills go beyond hearing a person's words. They require asking questions and paying attention to body language. A leader with good listening skills will find the right talent and ensure a positive hiring experience.
A Knowledge of Technology: The leader does not need to be a technology expert but should have a solid knowledge of talent acquisition software.
Networking Skills: The leader should have access to networks that allow them to connect with the right talent. They should also have the skills to network through conferences, emails, and social media.
Confidence: Confidence means the leader will make wise hiring decisions quickly.
Adaptability: Hiring needs change within an organization, as do the methods used to find the best talent. A talent acquisition leader should be ready to roll with the changes and adapt quickly to new strategies.
How to Develop Talent Acquisition Leaders
Once leaders are identified, organizations can further develop their skills by:
Mentoring: The company may partner the leader with someone with experience in the talent acquisition field so they can learn more about effective leadership.
Creating a Plan: Organizations should work with talent acquisition leaders to develop a hiring process that supports company goals.
Brand Familiarity: Companies should work with leaders to ensure they are familiar with the employer culture and brand and to further develop it to find the best candidates.
Identify Channels of Communication: Talent acquisition leaders should have access to various channels to ensure they can effectively communicate with leaders in other departments to determine hiring needs and how new talent is adjusting to their position.
Feedback: Executives should provide feedback to identify strengths and weaknesses in the hiring process and ensure the company moves forward on a positive trajectory.
Stahl Recruiting is Your Talent Acquisition Leader
Finding the right talent acquisition leader isn't easy. Companies can spend time and money finding and training the best leaders for their organization or they can hire an expert like Stahl Recruiting.
Stahl Recruiting has years of experience finding executives for rail industry positions. We can hit the ground running, helping you find the best talent for your organization and filling roles quickly.
Contact us the next time you need to hire your industry leaders.
Stahl Recruiting Executive Search
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877-557-8245
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