Talent Acquisition
Build the pipeline from work, not from resumes
Talent acquisition starts with workforce planning: translating the strategic plan into demand (how many, what skills, where) and supply options (build, buy, borrow, bot, redeploy). Job analysis produces the job description (tasks, duties, responsibilities) and the job specification (knowledge, skills, abilities, other characteristics) - a frequent distractor swap on exams.
Selection tools are judged on five criteria: reliability (consistency), validity (does it predict performance), generalizability (does it hold across groups and settings), utility (is it worth the cost), and legality. Structured interviews - same questions, anchored rating scales, trained panels - predict performance far better than casual conversation; behavioral questions (past behavior) and situational questions (hypothetical) both work when scored consistently. Work samples and job knowledge tests have strong validity; graphology and unstructured reference checks do not.
Know the metric definitions: time-to-fill runs from requisition approval to offer acceptance; cost-per-hire includes advertising, agency fees, recruiter time, and referral bonuses divided by hires; quality-of-hire is a composite of performance, ramp time, and retention. Adverse impact is judged by the four-fifths rule - the protected group's selection rate divided by the highest group rate should be at least 0.80.
Worked example
A process advances 40 of 200 majority applicants (20%) and 12 of 150 minority applicants (8%). Impact ratio = 0.08 / 0.20 = 0.40, well below 0.80, signaling adverse impact that must be justified by validity evidence or the step must be redesigned.
Traps
- Assuming a realistic job preview lowers acceptance; it raises retention.
- Treating onboarding as paperwork; social integration in the first 90 days drives early turnover.