Reimagining Talent Acquisition with Kevin Blair: Aligning Business Goals
Talent acquisition (TA) has long been a critical function within organizations, but its role is often misunderstood or undervalued. In a recent episode of the Hiring Excellence podcast, Johnny Campbell, CEO of SocialTalent, sat down with Kevin Blair, Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Ericsson, to explore how TA can move beyond traditional metrics and position itself as a strategic business driver.
Kevin challenges the way TA teams measure success, urging leaders to move away from self-congratulatory metrics and instead focus on their direct impact on business outcomes. In this conversation, he highlights the importance of aligning TA with organizational goals, understanding revenue generation, and rethinking how recruitment functions within a company’s broader strategy.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
02:38 TA Pronouns and Identity
04:35 Challenges in Talent Acquisition
07:10 Metrics and Value in TA
11:28 Business Conversations and Value Articulation
15:29 TA Transformation and Technology
34:28 Exec TA Social Community
Also available on: LinkedIn, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts!
Key Takeaways
1. Moving from Defensive to Strategic TA
For years, talent acquisition has been stuck in a defensive posture—justifying budgets, protecting headcounts, and reacting to hiring needs. Kevin argues that TA needs to stop looking in the rear-view mirror and instead become a “windshield to the future.” By proactively aligning with business strategy, TA can move from being a cost center to a function that actively drives value and opportunity.
Many TA leaders find themselves defending budgets rather than demonstrating their department’s impact. Kevin believes that instead of fighting for resources, TA should position itself as a key player in the company’s broader success, showing its direct contribution to revenue, efficiency, and market competitiveness.
2. Rethinking Recruitment Metrics
Traditional TA metrics like time-to-hire and cost-per-hire have long been used to measure performance, but Kevin challenges their relevance. He advocates for a shift towards metrics that truly reflect business impact, such as:
- Revenue impact: How does faster hiring translate to higher revenue?
- Cost avoidance: What costs are saved by streamlining hiring processes?
- Productivity gains: How does TA contribute to filling critical roles that drive business performance?
By framing TA outcomes in financial and strategic terms, talent leaders can better engage executives and secure investment.
3. The Role of AI and Automation in TA
As AI and automation reshape recruitment, Kevin discusses how technology should be used to direct recruiter efforts rather than just optimize reporting. Too often, recruiters rely on outdated processes that lack efficiency. Instead, he advocates for AI-driven decision-making tools that help recruiters focus on the right tasks at the right time, much like how sales teams use AI to optimize customer engagement.
He also highlights the risk of AI-driven hiring tools perpetuating bias. While AI can speed up recruitment, it must be carefully implemented to ensure fairness and compliance. Proper training and governance are critical to leveraging AI responsibly.
4. TA’s Role in Business Growth
Kevin emphasizes that TA is not just about filling roles—it’s about creating business value. He shares real-world examples of how aligning TA with revenue goals can yield massive returns. In one case, increasing recruiter capacity led to a faster hiring process, translating into millions in additional revenue for a consulting firm.
By embedding TA within the broader business strategy, companies can ensure they are attracting and hiring the right talent to drive future growth. This requires TA leaders to speak the language of the business, using data to demonstrate their impact rather than justifying their existence.
Conclusion
The conversation with Kevin Blair underscores the need for TA leaders to rethink their role within organizations. By shifting from a defensive stance to a strategic one, TA can move beyond traditional metrics and become a critical driver of business success. The future of TA lies in aligning recruitment strategies with revenue goals, leveraging AI for smarter hiring, and demonstrating the tangible value of talent acquisition in shaping organizational growth.