Job description template
Talent Acquisition Specialist Job Description
Talent acquisition specialist job description: sourcing, screening and offer duties, recruiting skills, qualifications and FAQs to copy and adapt.
The role in brief
A talent acquisition specialist finds, screens and hires people for an organisation. The job covers the whole funnel: agreeing the brief with the hiring manager, writing and posting the job, sourcing candidates who did not apply, screening applications, running or coordinating interviews, checking references and extending offers. The title is often used interchangeably with recruiter, though talent acquisition roles tend to carry more weight on workforce planning, employer brand and the quality of the hiring process itself. Most employers ask for a bachelor's degree in HR, business, communications or a related field, or equivalent recruiting experience. In a fast-growing company, say how many open roles the person will carry and which teams they will hire for, because volume and role type decide who can do the job.
- Run intake meetings with hiring managers to agree the role, the must-have skills, the interview plan and the timeline
- Write and post job descriptions on the careers site, job boards and social channels, and keep listings current
- Source passive candidates through LinkedIn, referrals, communities, events and talent pools, and write outreach that gets replies
- Screen applications and run first-round phone or video screens against agreed criteria
Paste the description into Cohesyve to find, contact and test Talent Acquisition Specialist candidates on the real work. Ten candidates free, no card.
Applying for a role like this? Practise the assessment free →Responsibilities
- Run intake meetings with hiring managers to agree the role, the must-have skills, the interview plan and the timeline
- Write and post job descriptions on the careers site, job boards and social channels, and keep listings current
- Source passive candidates through LinkedIn, referrals, communities, events and talent pools, and write outreach that gets replies
- Screen applications and run first-round phone or video screens against agreed criteria
- Coordinate interview loops, prepare interviewers and collect structured feedback promptly after each stage
- Manage candidates through the applicant tracking system (ATS) so every person has a current status and hears back
- Check references, run or request background checks where required, and extend and negotiate offers
- Report funnel data such as time to fill, source of hire, pass-through rates and offer acceptance, and act on what it shows
- Represent the employer brand at job fairs, campus visits and events, and improve the candidate experience
- Keep hiring practice fair and lawful: consistent questions, documented decisions and equal opportunity compliance
Required skills
Hiring a Talent Acquisition Specialist? Start from this description
Paste the description above into Cohesyve. It finds Talent Acquisition Specialist candidates, reaches out to them and tests each one on an AI job simulation of the real work, then returns a ranked shortlist. Ten candidates free, no card.
Nice to have
Qualifications
- 1Bachelor's degree in human resources, business, communications or a related field, or equivalent experience
- 2Two or more years of recruiting experience, in-house or agency, for a mid-level role (adjust to your level)
- 3Track record of filling roles similar to those in your hiring plan
- 4Experience with at least one major ATS
- 5Ability to travel to job fairs, campuses or offices where the role needs it
Work environment
Work environment
Career growth
Specialists commonly move to senior recruiter, recruiting lead or talent acquisition partner for a business unit, then to talent acquisition manager and head of talent acquisition. Some move sideways into HR business partner or HR generalist roles, and those who know the organisation and its people rules well can advance into HR management.
Common questions
What does a talent acquisition specialist do?
A talent acquisition specialist finds, screens and hires candidates. Day to day that means agreeing role requirements with hiring managers, writing and posting jobs, sourcing people who have not applied, screening and interviewing, coordinating the interview process, checking references and making offers. Many also own funnel reporting and parts of the employer brand.
What is the difference between a talent acquisition specialist and a recruiter?
In many companies the two titles describe the same job. Where they differ, a recruiter focuses on filling current open roles, while a talent acquisition specialist also works on longer-term pipelines, workforce planning with leaders, employer brand and improving how the company hires. Write the scope you need in the posting rather than relying on the title.
What qualifications does a talent acquisition specialist need?
Most employers ask for a bachelor's degree in HR, business, communications or a related field, or equivalent recruiting experience. Professional HR certification is usually voluntary, though some employers prefer it. For most hiring managers, a record of filling similar roles matters more than any credential.
What skills should be on a talent acquisition specialist resume?
The types and levels of roles filled, typical requisition load, sourcing tools and channels used, the ATS you know, and results such as time to fill or offer acceptance you can stand behind. Mention any high-volume or scaling hiring, and any work improving interview structure or candidate experience.
How do you assess a talent acquisition specialist candidate?
Give them a real role from your plan and ask for a sourcing strategy, a short outreach message and three screening questions with what a good answer sounds like. Then ask how they would handle a hiring manager who keeps rejecting strong shortlists. The work sample shows sourcing and judgement in a way a CV cannot.
Put this Talent Acquisition Specialist job description to work
Cohesyve takes the description, finds Talent Acquisition Specialist candidates, reaches out to them and runs an AI job simulation of the work, then returns a ranked shortlist.
1,500+
assessments completed
50%
faster time-to-hire
5 min
from JD to assessment
No credit card · 10 free candidates · Plans sized to your hiring volume
From the blog