Today (4th September) is Global Talent Acquisition Day, a day that celebrates part of the HR industry, in light of this, HRreview asked individuals who work in the area, what they make of the day.
Lauren Smith, vice president of Gartner’s HR practice believes as talent acquisition is becoming more important than ever, it is perfect timing to pay homage to recruiters.
Ms Smith said:
As organisations compete in hypercompetitive labor markets, and talent is fundamental to organisational success, talent acquisition functions are more important than ever. Within that, the role of the recruiter is at the forefront of accelerating and improving the organisation’s ability to source and attract the best talent. To attract and retain world-class recruiters, HR functions are focused on looking for ways to recognise their talent acquisition professionals contributions to the organization. Global Talent Acquisition Day is one such opportunity to take a moment to say thank you for their contributions to our organisations.
Ketan Dattani, CEO of Buckingham Futures, a specialist recruiter believes as talent acquisition is an “incomparable” profession it is a day to be honored.
Mr Dattani said:
We are not only skilled in sourcing candidates, undertaking assessments, and adhering to standards but we also build employment brand standards for our clients to work off of.
For these reasons every year, all of the staff at Buckingham Futures celebrate Global Talent Acquisition Day. This year we will be closing the office an hour early and going for a few drinks followed by dinner.
Not doubt my colleagues will sharing photos from the night through social media using the hashtag #GlobalTADay to let everyone know that we recognize and appreciate the hard work HR professionals worldwide put in.
Helen Matthews, chief people officer at Ogilvy, a marketing and public relations agency thinks that companies should celebrate the traits of talent acquisition everyday as it makes “companies, brands and individuals focus on their people agenda.”
Ms Matthews explained how she thinks talent acquisition has become broader and said:
In today’s business landscape, I think talent management/HR teams focus on much more than solely bringing talent into an organisation. It’s about bringing in different voices, but then also working with everyone across the business to foster an inclusive culture where diverse talent are set up for success.
Steve Shutts, chairman of ASTRiiD, a charity recruiter which helps those with long term, chronic illness find work explained how he wants to use the day to unleash the potential of the “invisible talent pool”.
Mr Shutts said:
On Talent Acquisition Day we want to encourage employers to expand their traditional recruitment networks and unleash the potential of the ‘invisible talent pool’ – millions of skilled people affected by long-term health conditions, but with a thirst to work. We want to make the invisible, visible. This remarkable community of people has been hidden in the shadows for too long, confined by traditional recruitment practices blocking their access to employment. We want to create a ‘new normal’ by helping company owners, directors and entrepreneurs realise the value of tapping into existing talent – both to their bottom line and to the wellbeing of those employed.
Chris Gray, brand leader at ManpowerGroup, the third-largest staffing firm in the world says how the day is a good time to take note of how HR is embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Mr Gray said:
The role of HR is changing, giving professionals in the space more opportunity than ever before to bring value to their organisations. As HR embraces AI and other technological innovations, we can expect to see simple tasks – such as CV screening and scanning databases for candidates – becoming increasingly automated. But this is not to say that HR and recruitment teams will become obsolete in the future. Quite the opposite, in fact. In the years ahead, we expect to see technology taking over routine hiring tasks so that HR professionals can focus their attention on more complex responsibilities, which, in turn, will give them more time to build deeper relationships with both hiring managers and candidates.
Technology is both augmenting HR professionals’ roles and challenging them to deliver more efficient, streamlined hiring services. In this context of emerging tech innovation and disruption to the sector, it is great to be celebrating the HR profession today with Global Talent Acquisition Day.
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.
