How to Move from a Career in Recruitment to Talent Acquisition

Recruitment and talent acquisition (sometimes referred to as talent procurement) share some similarities and crossovers, so it’s common to see movement between the two roles. For instance, recruitment consultants often move into talent acquisition teams to progress their careers. It is a popular transition because the role requires similar skills, experience, and qualifications. Learn more about these skills, qualifications, certifications that can help you transition, and other roles you can pursue. 

What is talent acquisition? 

Talent acquisition is the process and strategy of identifying, acquiring, and retaining talent to meet a company’s needs. A business might have a whole team of talent acquisition professionals or be part of a human resources (HR) team, working on sourcing, assessing candidates to fill open positions, establishing a future candidate pipeline, and nurturing talent. 

Talent acquisition teams implement strategies to attract candidates that align with the organisation they work for. They do this partly through branding, communication, and producing messages. Once identified, the talent acquisition team monitors the talent acquisition process—from application to a job offer—with continual responsibility for retaining and developing the recruited person.

How does talent acquisition differ from recruitment?

Recruitment is a subset of talent acquisition. While you'll notice some crossovers between talent acquisition and recruitment, the two also have some vital differences. Recruitment is an immediate, linear process involving sourcing candidates for a particular role. Conversely, talent acquisition takes a long-term, more cyclical approach known as the talent acquisition process. It involves building an ongoing strategy to attract and source talent, recruit, hire, and onboard, creating a process that you can utilise repeatedly.   

 How does a person qualify to work in talent acquisition?

The skills, experience, and qualifications you need to work in talent acquisition vary depending on the job role and how senior the position is. Generally, you need a bachelor’s degree, ideally in human resources, and relevant recruitment experience. However, degrees may not always be necessary, depending on your role. For example, recruiters rarely need formal degrees to get started. Skills required to succeed in these positions include excellent communication, leadership, decision-making ability, and being up-to-date with industry standards and trends. 

What are the roles within a talent acquisition team?

Some companies have dedicated talent acquisition teams, while others are part of larger HR teams within an organisation. A single person may be responsible for the talent acquisition cycle in smaller companies. In cases where a team exists, it will vary according to the organisation's size. In general, you may find the following  roles:

*All average annual base salary is sourced from Glassdoor as of September 2024.

Talent acquisition manager

Average annual base salary (UK): £54,108 [1] 

The talent acquisition manager builds, implements, and manages a company's recruitment and talent acquisition strategies. In larger organisations, this role may be at the director level, with various management positions below it. However, talent acquisition managers are generally in charge of the process. 

As a talent acquisition manager, you’ll determine the company's recruitment needs and oversee employer branding activities. You’ll also collaborate with employees to understand their needs and work on retaining staff and recruiting. 

Sourcers

Average annual base salary (UK): £33,627 [2] 

Sourcers, or talent sourcers, provide the talent acquisition team with new candidates. These may be internal candidates you already nurtured and trained, new graduates, or candidates from external sources. As a sourcer, you provide the recruiter with a talent pool to recruit. 

Recruiters

Average annual base salary (UK): £28,917 [3] 

This could be a single recruiter or team comprising a recruitment manager, coordinators, and consultants. As a recruiter, you will work to select potential interview candidates by assessing whether they have the right skills and are a good fit for the company ethos. You may also guide candidates through the recruitment process, offering feedback and support with any questions they may have. 

Is it easy to move from a recruitment role into talent acquisition?

Given the close relationship between talent acquisition and recruitment, especially in smaller organisations, it's not uncommon for a recruitment professional to transition into a talent acquisition role. You must have the relevant experience and qualifications.

Recruitment experience

If you work in recruitment, you will already have experience in the field. Talent acquisition managers must have experience in HR or on a recruitment team, so you can check this box. 

Entry-level recruitment experience is usually sufficient. However, if you have experience in a more senior role—such as managing a team of recruiters and taking on more strategic responsibility—you will likely increase your marketability. It can be advantageous if your recruitment experience is in the same field as the talent acquisition role you apply for since you’ll have prior industry knowledge.

Qualifications

The qualifications companies look for are primarily the same in both professions.  A bachelor’s degree is not typically a requirement to enter into recruitment. Still, some employers may prefer a degree in human resources, business, or a subject relevant to your recruiting field. You may take a postgraduate course in HR management if your degree doesn’t directly relate to talent acquisition. If you are looking to advance to a senior level, a master’s degree can prove helpful. 

Certifications

Certifications aren’t required for a talent acquisition role, but they can boost your credentials, demonstrate your experience, and enhance your CV. If you have a certificate from your time in recruitment, consider adding it to your CV. Certifications to consider include:

Salary for talent acquisition manager 

Salaries for talent acquisition managers vary depending on the organisation and the rate of bonuses. This also applies to recruitment salaries; base salaries don’t always reflect total earnings, given that commission is earned by the number of candidates you place. 

The average base salary (before bonuses) for a talent acquisition manager in the UK is £54,105 per year [4]. This is generally higher than a recruitment manager, who earns an average base salary (before bonuses) of £41,841 per year [5]. 

Build skills and knowledge to advance your career on Coursera

If you’re working in recruitment and looking to switch to talent acquisition, you have excellent prospects with the qualifications and experience you may already have. 

Building your credentials with an additional course or certification will enhance your chances of landing a role. For a good starting point, consider the University of Michigan's online course in Managing Talent, available on Coursera.

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