What Does a Talent Acquisition Manager Do?

A talent acquisition manager handles recruitment and retention for an organization. This human resources position requires excellent communication and networking skills to be able to establish and utilize connections. As openings come up with a company, the talent acquisition manager is part of the team that identifies people to fill those positions, holds interviews, and ultimately makes a hiring decision. Once someone has been hired, training and retention efforts are also necessary to fit the employee into the organization and encourage the person to stay.

One part of the job involves maintaining detailed files on job candidates. These include not only applications for specific positions, but people who have asked to be considered for job openings in the future, along with talent the recruiter has identified as being of potential interest. Software utilities are available to help companies manage their human resources needs more efficiently, including programs geared specifically at talent acquisition managers. They can use the program to keep notes, schedule appointments, assign priorities, and start individual files on new hires.

As part of recruitment, the talent acquisition manager may be involved in the development of marketing campaigns to appeal to new employees. A hospital, for example, might want to attract new nursing talent. It could use strategic ad placement to capture the attention of nurses and encourage them to apply. These campaigns need to be planned carefully to project the right image and attract the most suitable candidates.

Talent acquisition managers travel to job fairs and similar recruitment events as part of their work. They can interview for specific job openings or establish contact with people who may be good prospects in the future. Many utilize tools like social networking to keep track of candidates and engage in outreach to keep people interested in their parent organization. Familiarity and comfort with a variety of environments can be important for identifying the best talent and helping companies set sound recruitment policies.

As candidates move through the interview process, the talent acquisition manager may help determine if more interviews should be offered, culminating in an offer of employment. This can include a session with the candidate to explain the wages, benefits, and other terms of employment. Once hired, the trainee may work with the talent acquisition manager on placement and a schedule, along with ongoing retention issues like applications for promotion. Other members of the human resources staff can also take over at this point, depending on an organization’s structure.