As talent acquisition becomes more complex, the role of the recruiter and the recruiting function must evolve. Recruiters must juggle multiple hats to be successful. No longer just focused on relationship-building or administrative tasks, the modern recruiting function requires a new set of skills and competencies that often seem contradictory. Just take data analysis and relationship-building as one example. Talent acquisition professionals need to build long-term relationships with candidates, interpret data, sell and market their employer brand, and consider a more flexible workforce- all responsibilities that did not exist a decade. While these responsibilities present new opportunities for talent acquisition departments to align with business goals, it can also create confusion around what roles are critical for a modern talent acquisition department.
Aptitude’s latest research looks at the evolution of the global talent acquisition function and identifies several roles that are helping to influence strategies, technology decisions, and the candidate experience. Below are some of these roles and how they are shaping talent acquisition decision-making.
Candidate Experience Manager: The Candidate Experience Manager role is influencing decisions around recruitment marketing solutions and candidate communication tools. This role helps companies such as Thermo Fischer Scientific, Wayfair and Qualtrics create a candidate-centric talent acquisition strategy. Aptitude research found that 30% of companies in APAC have a Candidate Experience Manager role compared to 21% of companies in EMEA and 18% of companies in North America.
Digital Specialists: Some companies are adding digital specialists to support their digital transformation such as Delta Airlines and Verizon. This role can help with evaluating and adopting digital solutions that can improve efficiencies and the overall experience using mobile solutions, AI, automation and video. Aptitude research found that 6% of companies in APAC have a Digital Specialist role compared to 12% in EMEA and 8% in North America.
Data Scientists: Industries such as financial services are hiring data scientists to join their talent acquisition teams and help them leverage analytics. Data scientists can help to evaluate AI solutions and predictive analytics solutions. These roles at companies like Warner Brothers and Morgan Stanley can help talent acquisition use data to drive decisions and create more consistency between disparate solutions. Aptitude research found that 10% of companies in APAC have Data Scientists on their TA team compared to 13% in EMEA and 12% in North America.
There is no one size fits all for the modern talent acquisition department. Companies will have to decide what roles will help to drive efficiency on meet new expectations of the business and the candidates. We are covering this evolution in our upcoming digital transformation report.
