What Does a Recruiter Do? Talent Acquisition Explained
The job, the hiring funnel and the measures recruiters are judged on.
The recruiter's job
A recruiter, often called a talent acquisition executive, finds and hires people for open roles. They work with hiring managers to define the role, find candidates, screen them, coordinate interviews, manage offers and help new joiners start well. Recruiters are the first impression of a company for every candidate, so the role mixes sales skills, organisation and care for people.
The hiring funnel
Hiring works like a funnel. Many people see a job, fewer apply or respond, fewer pass screening, fewer interview, and one joins. Recruiters track how many candidates move from each stage to the next, and where they drop out. A healthy funnel shows where to improve: better sourcing, clearer job descriptions or faster interviews.
- Sourced or applied
- Screened
- Interviewed
- Offered
- Joined
How recruiters are measured
Common measures include time to fill a role, the quality of hires as judged by managers after a few months, candidate experience, and whether offers are accepted. Good recruiters balance speed with quality; a fast wrong hire costs more than a slower right one.
Worked example: one role from start to finish
A software company needs a business development associate. The recruiter meets the sales manager to agree what the role needs, writes the job description, posts it and searches LinkedIn. She screens thirty candidates by phone, sends eight to interviews, coordinates a role play round and manages the offer for the chosen candidate, then checks in during the first week.
Common beginner mistakes
New recruiters often rush to send many profiles. Managers value a few strong, well-explained candidates more.
- Not understanding the role before sourcing
- Sending profiles without notes
- Slow replies to candidates
- Treating candidates as numbers
- Recruiters define, find, screen, coordinate and close hires.
- Track the funnel to find where candidates drop.
- Balance speed with quality of hire.
- Candidate experience reflects on the company.
Pick a job posting you find online. Draw its likely hiring funnel and write one idea to improve each stage.
Check your understanding
1. What does a talent acquisition executive do?
2. Why track the hiring funnel?
3. Why balance speed with quality?
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