Breaking Silos: Why Talent Acquisition Belongs in the Business

Talent Acquisition Works Best When It Reports Into the Business

This may sound controversial, but it’s a reality more companies are waking up to: Talent Acquisition delivers far greater impact when it reports into the business rather than being buried under HR.

I’ve had the unique experience of managing both HR and Recruiting under one roof and later seeing them split. The difference was eye-opening. When Talent Acquisition is aligned directly with business leadership, the organization not only hires faster but also hires better.

HR and Recruiting Are Wired Differently

HR exists to protect, support, and develop employees while ensuring compliance with labor laws and organizational policies. Their strength lies in nurturing culture, designing benefits, and managing change.

Recruiting, however, is closer to sales. It’s about market intelligence, positioning the company, generating leads (candidates), and closing the deal (offers). Recruiters thrive on risk-taking, persuasion, and speed. These are traits that don’t typically define HR leaders.

Both functions are vital, but they require different skill sets, mindsets, and success metrics. Treating them as one dilutes their impact.

Why Reporting Into the Business Matters

Talent Acquisition decisions directly affect growth. Every unfilled sales or billable role impacts revenue. Every delay in hiring operations staff strains delivery and affects customer service. Every bad hire affects margins.

When recruiters report into the business, hiring is naturally aligned with organizational priorities. Business leaders understand the urgency, set clear expectations, and hold recruiting teams accountable to outcomes, not just process.

Conversely, when recruiting sits under HR, hiring often becomes reactive, policy-heavy, and detached from business urgency.

The Paradigm Shift in Today’s Market

The hiring landscape has changed dramatically in recent years:

• Candidates drive the market. Salaries are set by competition and transparency, not HR policy.

• Recruiters now sell the company. Benefits, culture, and flexibility are positioned as competitive differentiators long before HR engages.

• Employer reputation matters. Sites like Glassdoor, Teamblind and Reddit measure not just employee experience but also candidate experience, something only recruiters can authentically manage.

Recruiting today isn’t just “filling positions.” It’s building a talent brand, running a pipeline like a sales funnel, and directly fueling growth.

The Risks of Mixing HR and Recruiting

Some organizations try to balance by hiring HR generalists who also manage recruiting. In practice, this rarely works. The result is diluted focus, mediocre hiring outcomes, and frustrated business leaders.

Recruiting is too critical to be a side responsibility. If growth is a top priority, Talent Acquisition needs specialists with the autonomy to act fast and the mandate to deliver measurable impact.

5 Steps to Elevate Your Talent Acquisition Function

1. Build a team of specialists. Recruiters should be marketers, networkers, and closers, not administrators.

2. Have recruiters report into business leadership. For smaller firms, that could be the CEO, Sales Head, or Operations Leader.

3. Keep recruiters focused on sourcing and selling. Don’t let them devolve into coordinators between agencies and managers or spending hours on sifting applications.

4. Set measurable targets. Just like sales, track performance and incentivize results.

5. Don’t blend HR and Recruiting. Both deserve dedicated focus and expertise.

Rethinking the Future of Hiring

The companies that separate HR and Talent Acquisition and position recruiting as a business function are the ones gaining a competitive edge in today’s super-competitive market.

Old structures won’t deliver new results. If you want to consistently attract and close the best talent, it’s time to rethink where Talent Acquisition belongs: at the core of the business.