“Talent Acquisition” is an absurd term

Words have meaning. At least they should.

Ever stop to think how “Talent Acquisition” is an absolutely absurd term?

“I acquire talent for a living” said no one ever.

“I recruit software developers for my company” is how people *actually* talk.

Apparently “Recruiter” sounded too straightforward and easy-to-understand for some people. Our forefathers in the field decided stuffy and official-sounding titles would get more butts in seats.

(Before you start, yes I can Google. “Talent Acquisition” is supposed to indicate a long-term, strategic function. But I think we can all agree that industry wide: strategy falls a weeeee bit short in our industry. Even if Talent Acquisition has a unique purpose, it’s thrown around a tad too loosely, to say the least.)

Where did this unnecessarily official sounding shift spawn from? My money is on the equally ridiculous “Human Resources.”

“I provide resources for humans.” I mean come on…

Both have been used so many times no one even questions them. Corporate-speak is nothing new. At the end of the day, if you want to move the needle and shift the paradigm you gotta think outside the box and be proactive about picking up the low-hanging fruit. It is what it is.

👉Words have meaning. The way you talk is a choice. And that choice has consequences.

We’re an industry plagued with making things as un-relatable and difficult to understand as possible.

Job ads are a word salad of check-the-box terms.

Career sites are a bland copy-and-paste of what every other company says.

Value statements are a mashup of what everyone thinks they should say. Even when it isn’t based in reality.

All because we’re obsessed with sounding official and proper. For reasons we’ve long forgotten.

You’re a recruiter. And that’s ok.

James Hornick

Partner at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn.