Talent Acquisition, Recruitment and Associated Tech. (T.A.R.T.S): Where are we now?

There’s an ever increasing library of content and speculation about the subject of Talent Acquisition, Recruitment and associated HR tech. The noise rooted from a combination of a massive skills shortage and ongoing change taking place in the sector, much of which is related to Tech and Strategy. For ~the last 10 years we've been watchful, listening and objectively analyzing the current state of T-alent A-cquisition & R-ecruitment & T-ech. We've  coined a new acronym: (T.A.R.T.S) in the vain hope of unity.  The fruity variety of course, for our visual thinkers!

So, T.A.R.T.S! My quest has been to understand as best the sector’s future. Conceited? Maybe, but there's few better to act as a sector analyst than I:

25 years  a T.A.R.T!   But more importantly, an analytical mind and a focus on listening to what the industry is doing and saying.  Mix in a raft of T.A.R.T friends and partners combining 1000's of years of subject matter expertise. Finally, my clients: Senior Executives  in the Pre-Ipo Tech Sector.

So,  T.A.R.T.S! Where are we now?

1. Divided 

We see a continued unhealthy rift between the 3 camps, created by circumstance more than natural design.  

The  objectives of external agency recruitment and internal talent acquisition clash, and the friction hinders  harmony and is often counter-productive to the process of both recruitment and talent acquisition.

Just step back a few years, our research shows that the majority of us come from a common denomination; T.A.R.T.S!  are intrinsically linked, toothless without each other.

 This unhealthy division is born of:

 i) Agency frustration due to the rate of which their services are being replaced by Internal Talent Acquisition. 

 ii) For internal Talent Acquisition it's the constant attempts by External recruiters to  clog up  their inbox and voice mail with speculative resumes and designs to lure them. Add this to the often dismissive and dim view of their recruiting cousins. Yet ironically  the majority of Internal recruiters were once agency recruiters.  There are functional differences  between Agency and Internal  but ultimately they are objectively aligned.  One is more strategic, one is more tactical, but the subjects conflate!

The outcome is divisive and merely adds to the somewhat indifferent perception of T.A.R.T.S by all of the other stakeholders in the business.  If you step outside of our domain and consider the perception by other departments and peers, they often fail to see any major difference between us.

 iii) Further unhealthy division is propagated by the Tech sector and its insatiable obsession to automate. In doing so, as part of their ROI they will claim a reduced need for both Internal and external Recruitment resources. They will have strength added to their arms by the T.A.R divisions above and the grass roots below.

2 A Prisoner of our Grass Roots

We've done the research to prove it, but we knew! The majority of T.A.R.TS  originate from either an external recruitment background or otherwise known as:

a) Absolutely no bar to entry. No recognized professional body,

b) No clear career path.

c) The most vulnerable function to economic downturn.

d) Terrible reputation as a result of a-c.

e) Lower or lowest paid function as a result of a-d.

Most T.A.R.Ts stumbled on or were lured into recruitment with the $ carrot, by having little alternative options, by not being qualified to do anything else or just not knowing what to do.  Alternatively the Internal Talent Acquisition born from the HR root, whose background and culture diametrically opposed to the above, creating more division.  

Ask yourself this question, what smart top University graduate considering their future has Recruiting  at the top of their list…?  None!  And this a result of a,b,c,d,e,  so why does anyone do it? Normally, the lack of options.

3 Homeless

Pure Inside T.A folk will know they have been aligned with HR for some time. Agency recruiters will have been trained to avoid HR wherever possible.  It’s another divider and the uncertainty as to who owns T.A.R.Ts remains.  Add 1+2 above the outcome is a reduction in the capability for T.A.R.TS to have a true category or functional home.  Internal recruiters may report to HR these days, but change is afoot, predicated by what we believe is a far more complex and demanding skill set required by the function to perform and gain the respect it deserves. 

4) Victims of Broken Perceptions

So not much change here from our past.  Google “hate and recruiters” and you’re in for a long night of angst, but you knew that right?

Psychometrics tells us, we are very different to what we think we are and how we are perceived.  Our reputation is shocking and it stretches back a long way. We are nowhere near shaking it off. The inability to manage Image and Candidate Experience will never help.

5) Disconnected to the C Suite and Board.

The combination of 1-4 above creates a major industry dichotomy. Given the issues above, how can anyone expect stakeholders and execs to treat T.A.R.T.S with the respect and belief they so desire. 

Yet:

Consistently fast growth tech organizations quote their critical commercial issues are: hiring, recruiting and retaining staff, it’s not surprising CEO’s are left with a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty.  Deloitte's latest research shows that the ability to attract talent (the right people, not just anyone) is now one of the biggest differentiating factors in a business.

 T.A.R.T.S are here to combat that #1 commercial issue by tactically and strategically hiring, recruiting and battling for Talent. Question is: how suitable are these soldiers for the war? CEO’s are looking to combat their greatest challenge often though their lowest paid most unqualified staff.

Research shows the length of tenure for employees to continue to shorten, so we can anticipate greater demand for ...T.A.R.T.S 

6) TECH (HR)   1-5 helped fuel the endless associated hiring Tech solutions, all suggesting your talent woes are over. They aren’t.  In some cases the Tech will add to them!  

T.A industry Gurus and thought leaders are all universal in their stance, It’s not just me, every authority and subject matter expert knows and writes regular on the fact that we all need to work together and often rely on each other. We know through research and being at the coalface of both employer and employee that total reliance on Tech in such a people-centric discipline is damaging. I see huge value in HR Tech to support the Art and Science of relationship recruitment.  CEO’s are hopeful that TECH and Social will save them from (1-5), industry experts suggest otherwise. 

 So where are we know?

The answer is truly:  In the majority of cases it couldn't be good: it was broken before it had even started, it's largely disconnected, divided and siloed and further confused  by the dramatic onset of the widest range of disparate tech solutions it has ever seen.  1-6 equals a vicious circle - These days the platforms, social media and strategies to accomplish what is needed are way more complex and sophisticated than before. All of the this requires a far more skilled animal than the grass roots have left us with.  These days the nature of talent attraction, delivery and execution requires skills best inherent in great strategists, career driven, strong creative minds, strong gravitational and ambassadorial leadership, with the capacity to learn more and faster, and ultimately, rooted by better qualified, high achieving graduates.  We don’t have this here.  We have: A Gap!  Research and empirical experience suggests that it should have its own defining category function reporting to C’ Level. But 1-6 above means that is a long way off.

Can this change?

We think so, and that’s where our focus of attention has been.  We know that change can only happen at grass roots level, and that can only happen during the grass roots or the birth of young fast growth businesses. Businesses that understand 1-5, and commit to a change and a new model.

We see change through what we have named ‘HybridTA’ at early stage.

And we will be writing more on this soon, however if you wish to know more please connect via [email protected] 

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