I’m not a headhunter.
Written by: Bobby Ducharme
So, what’s your job?
“I’m in Human Resources.”
Oh, what do you do in Human Resources?
“I’m in talent acquisition”
?
“I’m a recruiter.”
Oh! Like a headhunter?
“No, not exactly…”
You know damn right you’ve already had that conversation with someone if you are in the Talent Acquisition domain. Not everyone knows what we do, and many people are still under the impression that we are all headhunters … creeping on potential candidates to sell their souls and profit from them. That may have been the case many years ago, but things have changed. The human is now the centrepiece of all interactions. And we’ve earned it!
Anyway, what’s my real job if I’m not a headhunter?
“I hire people for different clients as a consultant in the creative industries; video games, visual effects, marketing agencies, communications, PR, entertainment. Anything creative and innovative!”
On top of that, hiring is only one part of our job. Talent acquisition includes much more than hiring people - or stealing employees from companies like some might think - it covers everything from when a need is identified to the employee’s onboarding. Here’s the official definition so we can all align;
📖 "Talent acquisition refers to the process of identifying, attracting, and acquiring skilled individuals to fill job vacancies within an organization. It encompasses activities such as recruiting, sourcing, interviewing, and onboarding candidates, with the goal of building a talented and diverse workforce that meets the needs of the organization."
Attraction, recruitment, sourcing, interviewing and onboarding are all part of our day-to-day. Much more complete than what some may be thinking, right?
It’s also important to note that we are the window into your company’s culture for potential employees. We set the tone for the candidate experience. We are the first person they talk to. First impressions are impactful in such an important decision in someone’s life. They want to ensure their potential employer reflects their values and ways of working, and we are there to make them feel valued and respected throughout the entire recruitment process.
Pro tip:
Personalized communication, timely feedback and transparent processes are gonna take you a long way 🌟
Every day, we get the chance to showcase and enhance the employer brand of our clients. Each client is unique, and it’s our job to embody the company’s culture and translate it to potential candidates. Attracting top talent is our priority, and it’s smooth sailing when the employer brand is aligned with our recruitment efforts - that’s how the natural good fits come along.
I could go on and on about how closely we work with hiring managers and internal teams to understand their needs and preferences, how we provide consultation on building a strong EDI strategy that is woven throughout the hiring process, and all the metrics and analytics we use. But that’s for another day. I think you’ve now got the idea that we are doing way more than hunting talents to make some money off them.
So this is what we do, and most importantly how we do it. Our concept at rhum is completely different from the usual recruiting agency. We charge by the hour. We are an extension of your teams. We collaborate. We don’t care about closing the deal to cash in a %. What’s important to us is the candidate experience, representing your company at its best, understanding who you are and showcasing that accordingly, keeping EDI strategies top priority and at the end of the day, finding the perfect match not only for the company but also for the candidate.
There’s no magic here, no unicorns, no ninjas, no rare gems (la perle rare for my French peeps out there). It’s all about building meaningful connections and finding the perfect match for both the company and the candidate to thennnn create the magic everyone is looking for. 🪄
So, what’s your job?
“I’m a TalentAcquisition Specialist”
Oh wow, that’s awesome, I recently read an article about that. Very nice and impactful job you got there boo. 😘