How do you build a strong talent acquisition team?

Where should companies start if they want to be successful in hiring and building a team for long-term growth? First, they need to get the right people in place to form a strong talent acquisition team.

To help you find and engage with top talent acquisition professionals, we asked HR Leaders and business owners this question for their top insights. From prioritizing communication skills and industry knowledge to presenting a clear company vision and vision, here's how to build a solid talent acquisition team for your organization.

1. Make The Vision and Culture of The Company Clear

Make sure you have a clear vision for your company and what type of employees you want to bring on board. When building a talent acquisition team, you want the team to understand your company's vision, culture, and values. They should also be able to communicate these things to potential candidates. Additionally, a strong team is well-equipped to assess candidates and understands how to identify the best ones for your hiring needs and fit your company's culture.

Gloria Chow - Founder, Venturer

2. Build a Team Devoid of Ego

Build a team of equals. Let everyone know that there isn’t a hierarchy at your company. Develop a culture where everyone works together toward the same goal with the same mission. Creating such a team has to start in the job interview. If you succeed in hiring a staff that reflects these values, a staff that checks their egos at the door for the sake of their fellow coworkers, you'll attract strong talent, acquisition team included.

Michael Van - CEO, Furnishr

3. Find People Who Are Curious

Personally, my best tip for putting together a Talent Acquisitions Team is to find the people who are curious because they will do the research and be interested. Great recruiters need to know everything about their organization so they can hire effectively and when a recruiter is curious, they’re going to be motivated to do that research and put the work in.

Great recruiters also need to know how to listen and ask effective questions of candidates and when a recruiter is curious, they’re going to be genuinely interested in learning who the candidates are and what makes them unique. You will build a great Talent Acquisition Team by finding naturally curious people who will be motivated to do the work and be genuinely interested in others and what they have to offer.

Staci Brinkman - Founder & CEO, Sips by

4. Give Them the Tools They Need to Succeed

One of the most frustrating experiences a high-functioning talent team can have is cobbled together tools that slow them down and cause a poor candidate experience. Are you using an Applicant Tracking System that is easy to use but has powerful dashboards and reporting capability? Do you have a sourcing tool that can automate sending follow-up messages to sourced candidates? Do you have a way to use technology to allow candidates to self-schedule on your recruiting team's calendar?

If your answer is no to any of these questions, you need to look at your tech stack and reevaluate what it's like to be a recruiter in your organization. The best talent-finders can find companies who are willing to invest in tools that eliminate thrash and time wasted.

Steph McDonald - Senior Technical Recruiter, Hubspot

5. Get People With Deep Industry and Business Knowledge

Even if you can build a team of strong employees, who are very skilled at talent acquisition, there is one major factor which can make or break any recruitment process. That is - having enough knowledge of the positions that need to be filled, and how that person will fit into the business.

There is an advantage with hiring people to your recruitment team who already work in the industry and/or hire people from that sector already. They may already know the various nuances that come along with the role involved, and in situations where they can't find a perfect candidate with the right experience - they can pick out those rough diamonds in the talent pool that have a transferable skill.

Ben Richardson - Managing Director, Acuity Training

Recruiters can be among the hardest candidates to recruit! Check out our guide to finding and engaging top recruiters that will help you grow your team.

6. Aim to Instill Humility and Hunger in Your Smart Team

TA at its best is a team sport. Focus on assembling a team of recruiters that are Humble: open to feedback, listen and respond rather than react. Hungry: internally motivated to achieve their goals and always looking to be better. Smart: naturally able to read the room, and can tailor their communication style to their audience.

In focusing on these three attributes above all others, you will have a team of recruiters who support each other, work well with hiring managers and adapt to the ever-changing talent market.

Venesa Klein - Head of Talent Acquisition, Mixbook

7. Search Your Social Media for Ready Talent

My top tip for building a strong talent acquisition team is to dig into your social media. LinkedIn is a great place to start. You’ll find many talented people just waiting to be hired by the right company. So, make sure to expand your network and watch your talent acquisition team grow. It’s also important to foster strong relationships.

Once you’re done going through social media sites, make sure your team gets to know each other. Only if your talent acquisition team has a good relationship among themselves will they be able to hire the right talent for the company.

Will Donnelly - Founder & CEO, Lottie

8. Prioritize Strong Communication Skills

My one tip is to prioritize communication skills. Communication is crucial for building a strong talent acquisition team and enabling them to work at maximum efficiency. Strong communication skills are essential for recruiters, especially as they need the ability to adapt their communications depending on the context. They are responsible for forging links with HR, as well as potential candidates, and even stakeholders, and must be able to adjust their interactions accordingly.

It’s also vital that they are excellent listeners. This will enable them to collaborate successfully and cooperate with colleagues and other departments. Communication reduces the risk of errors; the majority of mistakes occur due to miscommunication. It also allows any issues to be rectified swiftly and effectively. A talent acquisition team that focuses on communicating confidently, clearly, and consistently, is a critical component of any successful company.

Mario Cacciottolo - PR & Branding Manager, SBO

9. Use Behavioral Based Assessment to Aid Your Team Selection

We’ve all heard about the Great Resignation, which has caused many companies to struggle with finding qualified candidates to fill their open roles. Because of this, it is critical for organizations to build a strong talent acquisition team to support these efforts. One way to do this is to drill down to those core qualities needed for team members to be successful.

Once identified by leadership, the use of behavioral-based assessments is an effective way for organizations to compare their core values with those candidates seeking to join your TA team. The focus on past experiences during this process allows the TA candidate to tie their experience to specific job specifications and for leaders to gain insight into potential future performance. Overall, this creates a more robust and thorough selection process.

Christine Zapata - Human Resources Director, CRC Evans

Looking for talent acquisition tools that can help you hire recruiters? Fetcher identifies and engage top recruiting talent -- and once they are hired, we can help them save time (and stress!) with sourcing and outreach. Schedule your demo with our team to learn more.