Consolidations and tech disruption are reshaping the talent industry, prompting some HR leaders to reexamine their partnerships with recruitment/talent acquisition (TA) firms. It’s a smart move, especially since we're no longer under the strain of unnaturally high recruiting volumes. Now is the time to question the status quo, explore what’s possible and level up your talent acquisition plans.

Here are three steps you can take to ensure your talent strategy is fit for purpose and future growth.

1. Navigate the 'messy middle' where TA and technology converge.

Companies’ talent needs are evolving rapidly, and so is the continuum of services offered by recruitment and technology firms. On one end of the spectrum is the legacy branch model, offering traditional staffing and search. On the other end is a purely digital play from HR tech companies selling off-the-shelf solutions. And I’d be surprised if either endpoint fully meets your needs.

Most TA teams spend their days in the center of the continuum, trying to piece together their ideal tech-enabled solutions. In large companies, that can mean grappling with 80 to 100 different HR systems in various degrees of deployment or demise. According to Productiv's State Of SaaS Series, more than half of software-as-a-service licenses went unused in 2023.

Over the past five years, recruitment process outsourcing work has begun to require considerable tech savvy and integration expertise. Ask your talent partner to step into the tech fray alongside you. With the way this convergence is progressing, I imagine the term “tech-driven talent strategies” will be redundant and retired within two years.

2. There are advantages to thinking of capabilities, not categories.

Modern talent is increasingly blurring the lines of spend categories as they build their careers. If you start visualizing your workforce in terms of talent ecosystems, rather than strict silos, you'll see crucial gains.

Better Alignment With Next-Gen Talent

Gen-Z is swapping the corporate-defined career ladder for a self-directed approach. More than half of these professionals already work full-time hours on freelance projects, pouring their energy into careers that grow on their own terms. They know their skills are currency, and they’re designing unconventional career paths that constantly develop those skills.

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