Ep 553: The Strategic Value of Talent Acquisition

The talent acquisition landscape is changing rapidly. 2024 has been difficult for many people in the profession, with many layoffs and an incredibly tough job market for recruiters. At the same time, advances in AI and automation technologies are driving types of change that we couldn't have imagined a few years ago, and post-pandemic labour shortages are still a reality in many talent markets. All this disruption is forcing employers to think differently about jobs, work, skills and recruiting, creating an incredible opportunity for talent acquisition to illustrate its long-term value to the business. So what role does TA play in the future, and how can TA leaders prove its strategic value when many of their teams are being downsized? My guest this week is Jessica Zwaan, COO at Whereby. Jessica is a cutting-edge HR thinker and has written a book detailing how People Ops should be run using product management principles. In our conversation, we talk about the future role of TA, and Jessica offers practical advice on how TA leaders can prove their strategic value. In the interview, we discuss: Talent market challenges Building a people team like a product team Work as a subscription model Output metrics and funnel thinking Why businesses cutting TA teams are getting it wrong Building tools and products for the employee subscription lifecycle The shortcoming of working in silos Closing the gaps between TA and People Ops Can existing HR functions evolve towards this model? A COO's advice to TA Leaders on proving their strategic value What TA can learn from marketing The impact of AI and what the future might look like Listen to this podcast in Apple Podcasts.