Talent Acquisition Strategy: What Is and How to Build One

What's the real key to a company's success? It's not just the product or the marketing—it's the people you hire. 

With more than 70% of U.S. employers struggling to fill roles, having a clear talent acquisition strategy is key.

Companies that get it right don't just recruit—they build teams that drive growth, spark innovation, and stand out in the market.

In this guide, we'll share the fundamentals of talent acquisition, best practices from the field, and real-world strategies to help you attract, hire, and retain top talent—especially in competitive job markets like LatAm.

What Is a Talent Acquisition Strategy?

A talent acquisition strategy is a long-term plan to identify, attract, evaluate, and hire the best candidates. It is aligned with business goals, and it focuses on addressing both present and future hiring needs. 

All in all, it covers:

• Workforce planning.
• Sourcing, hiring, and retaining—from candidate experience and application process to talent pipeline and onboarding new hires. 
• Employer branding.
• Testing, measuring, and improving tactics.

As a result, it doesn't just help companies fill open positions. Mostly, it builds a pipeline of high-quality talent that fuels growth and innovation.

What Is the Difference between Talent Acquisition and Recruitment Process

Traditional recruiting is all about filling roles fast. Talent acquisition, on the other hand, is a long-term strategy that aligns hiring with business goals, anticipates future skill gaps, and strengthens your employer brand.

How to Build a Talent Acquisition Strategy?

A strong talent acquisition strategy doesn't just happen. It takes planning, the right tools, and a clear understanding of your company's goals.

Ready to get started? Here's how:

Assess Your Needs

Is your business growing? Is there a current lack of competencies affecting performance? Are you forecasting future hires based on upcoming projects? Posing questions like these is the first step towards understanding your needs. 

HR departments should work closely with managers to align hiring decisions with business objectives and long-term growth plans.

Define Your Employer Brand

A brand isn't just about how a company looks from the outside. It's also about what happens inside. 

Make sure to share your values, culture, and what makes your workplace unique to attract candidates. 

Use the Right Tech

Today, most processes require having the right tools in place. And talent acquisition is no exception. Let's see some helpful use cases:

• Applicant tracking systems (ATS) simplify hiring by organizing candidate data and automating key tasks.
• Sourcing tools powered by artificial intelligence identify top candidates faster by scanning resumes for relevant skills and experience.
• Recruitment marketing platforms boost your employer brand by promoting job openings and engaging candidates across multiple channels.

As a result, using the right technology can simplify your hiring process, reduce time-to-hire, and improve candidate matching. 

Plus, automation frees up time for your team to focus on high-impact tasks like building relationships with employees.

Make D&I a Priority

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) play a big role in building a truly innovative team. Different backgrounds bring different perspectives—which often leads to smarter decisions and fresh, creative ideas.

Want to make your hiring process more inclusive? Try things like blind hiring or partnering with organizations that support underrepresented talent. Small changes can make a big impact.

Set Clear Metrics

You can't improve what you don't measure. This includes keeping track of metrics like:

• Time to hire.
• Placement rate.
• Retention rate.
• Employee performance metrics.

10 Effective Talent Acquisition Strategies

This list covers key factors to consider when crafting a successful talent acquisition strategy.

1. Employer Branding

In talent acquisition, a strong employer brand and reputation are everything. You want to present your company as the best place to work to attract the right candidates. 

Here are some tactics to help you achieve this: 

• Ask for feedback. Get a first-person perspective from your team members. Ask what they like about working there, the downsides, and what unique offerings are attractive.
• Offer and promote unique perks. For example, growth opportunities, an appealing benefits package, and flexible work hours. 
• Use social media to showcase your company culture and work environment. You can share employee stories and highlight what makes your workplace unique.

2. Talent Pipelining

Talent pipelining means building relationships with great candidates before you actually need to hire. It's about keeping a pool of qualified people warm so you're ready to move quickly when the right role opens up.

Here are a few tactics for HR professionals to carry out:

• Promote your openings where your ideal candidates actually spend time. This could mean niche job fairs, third-party job boards, online communities, or specific LinkedIn groups.
• Launch a careers page on your website to showcase vacancies and open roles.
• Tailor your message based on the role, industry, and audience demographic you're trying to reach. That way, your job posts reach the right people—and attract more qualified candidates.

Moreover, an engaging outreach and promotion are key not just for active job seekers, but also for passive candidates who aren't actively looking but could be persuaded by a great opportunity.

3. Employee Referral Programs

Want to know what your most powerful recruitment tool is? Your current team.

Employees often know people with similar skill sets and values. This makes referrals a high-quality and cost-effective hiring source. 

You can launch a referral program to encourage them. Make sure to provide clear guidelines, recognition, and incentives. 

This speeds up the talent acquisition process and improves retention as well—referred candidates tend to stay longer and perform better.

4. Leveraging Technology and Automation

Reaching the right candidates at the right time is key. Luckily, AI is making it easier than ever. 

So, how do AI-powered recruiting tools help HR exactly?

• Identifying high-potential candidates.
• Personalizing messaging at scale.
• Optimizing outreach timing based on engagement patterns. 

All in all, it brings smarter, faster, and more targeted hiring conversations.

5. Diversity Initiatives

Boost diversity by partnering with organizations like Women Who Code, Out in Tech, and Black Girls CODE. 

Other initiatives for this purpose are:

• Support blind resume reviews.
• Craft inclusive job descriptions.
• Offer bias training to create a fairer hiring process.

6. Internal Mobility

Retaining top talent isn't just about keeping candidates. It's about helping people grow. Promoting internal mobility empowers employees to take on new roles within your organization. 

This boosts engagement and retention. Plus, it reduces the time and cost of external hiring. 

Some tactics you can implement:

• Upskilling training courses.
• Mentorship programs between junior collaborators and senior leaders.
• Clear career paths based on your employees' goals.

7. Social Recruiting

Social media isn't just for marketing and sales—it's a powerful recruitment tool to humanize your brand and attract candidates who connect with your culture. Here are some ideas:

• Post interactive content like «Day in the Life» videos, employee takeovers, or behind-the-scenes clips.
• Use platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok to showcase real employee experiences, promote job openings, and engage with both active and passive talent.
• Encourage employee-generated content, so your collaborators speak for the brand as well.

8. Candidate Experience

They say experience sells best, and that's true as well when attracting candidates. But how to truly craft a positive candidate experience? Let's see:

• Offer applications with mobile-friendly forms—so candidates can apply anywhere, anytime. 
• Deliver a smooth, transparent, and communicative process at each stage. 
• When you decide to hire, make the offer as soon as you can. Don't assume job seekers will stand there waiting for you.

9. Data Analytics

Want to improve your strategy? Then, a data-driven approach is key. Use dashboards and tracking tools to see which channels are bringing in the best candidates—and which ones aren't. 

10. Strategic Partnerships

Teaming up with universities is a great way to connect with emerging talent early on. It's a smart, long-term move to grow your talent pipeline and boost your visibility with future candidates.

Here are some ways to engage with them:

• Internships.
• Guest lectures.
• Campus events.
• Hackathons.

Talent Acquisition Strategy Examples

Different companies use different strategies depending on their size, goals, and resources. Here's how talent acquisition looks in action:

Tech Giants: Building Talent from Within

Big companies like IBM often adopt a «build» strategy, focusing on developing talent internally. 

They offer graduate programs, mentorship tracks, and ongoing learning opportunities. These are designed to grow future leaders and fill skill gaps.

Startups: Borrowing Talent for Flexibility

Startups need to move fast, pivot often, and do more with less. 

That's why many lean into a «borrow» strategy. This means bringing in freelancers, contractors, contingent workers, or agencies to fill short-term skill gaps. 

As a result, startups scale their teams up or down quickly, without the added cost of full-time hires. 

SMBs: Expanding with Global Talent

Small and mid-sized businesses are increasingly expanding their talent search beyond local borders, getting a major competitive edge. 

Outsourcing—especially in regions like LatAm—allows companies to build global, productive, and cost-effective teams. The advantages? Let's see: 

• Access to skilled talent.
• Cost efficiency.
• Scalability and flexibility.

A little worried about the complexities of hiring abroad? With the right support, it doesn't have to be complicated. 

Lupa Hire is a recruitment company that helps Human Resources and hiring managers with hiring and talent management across LatAm—without the typical legal and operational hurdles. 

From recruiting and staffing to full recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), Lupa Hire offers an end-to-end hiring solution that covers everything from first contact to long-term talent management.

What Are the Pillars of a Talent Acquisition Strategy?

A strong talent acquisition strategy rests on four key pillars—each supporting and reinforcing the other:

• Workforce planning.
• Employer branding.
• Measurement and optimization.
• Candidate sourcing and engagement.

When these pillars work together, they create a well-rounded, agile approach to hiring that not only fills roles but builds long-term value for your business.

Let's see what each one entails:

Talent Acquisition Best Practices

Looking to develop a more agile, data-informed, and people-centered hiring strategy? These best practices can help you achieve that.

• Audit your employer brand every year: Take time to check how employees and candidates really see your company. Use surveys, exit interviews, and even review sites to gather honest feedback—and spot what's working (or not).
• Use CRM tools to stay connected with candidates: Not every great candidate is ready to make a move right away. CRM tools let you keep in touch, build real relationships, and create a warm pipeline for future roles.
• Train hiring managers on unconscious bias: Make sure your hiring teams know how to recognize and reduce bias. All in all, it leads to better, fairer hiring decisions. And, mostly, it shows your commitment to building a more inclusive workplace.
• Benchmark your KPIs against the industry: Keep an eye on key metrics like time-to-fill and quality-of-hire. Then, compare them to benchmarks from sources like SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management). It's a simple way to see where you stand—and where you can improve.

Pro tip: Don't wait for roles to open before building relationships. Engage early, automate rejections to maintain goodwill, and keep top talent in the loop for future roles. A warm pipeline beats a cold search every time.

Why Is Talent Acquisition Important?

Talent acquisition isn't just about filling roles. It's about building the future of your company. The results? Let's see:

It Drives Innovation

A smart strategy is crucial to get the best talent out there while actively supporting diversity. Both are essential to bring in new ideas and fresh perspectives. 

When your hiring strategy focuses on inclusion, you're more likely to build a team that thinks outside the box and brings in new ideas.

It Saves Money 

Getting the right talent early on can save you from a few headaches. All in all, it means lower turnover, less time spent rehiring, no onboarding process, and better team performance.

It Gives You a Competitive Edge

Great talent moves fast. Companies with candidate-friendly hiring strategies stand out and capture the best candidates more often. 

The real game-changer? Businesses with strong talent acquisition strategies outperform their competition by 30% in revenue and profitability, according to McKinsey.

Today’s Challenges for Talent Acquisition

There will always be stones in the road, but if you know which ones to expect, you can dodge them before it’s too late. Here are the main obstacles in the talent acquisition field and some strategies that have worked for me to overcome them:

Defining Roles Clearly

Having an exact definition of the role, what it means to the business, the specific skills needed, and getting everybody on the same boat is probably one of the most challenging things in talent acquisition.

Strategies:

   
1. Become an expert in your industry by studying how the competition defines its roles. This will give you a broader view of your hiring struggles and talent gaps. It can help you determine if your role definitions are unrealistic or even identify opportunities to combine two roles into one.
   
2. Ask yourself the fundamental questions. This goes much deeper than deciding on the specific skills and qualifications you want from a candidate. What about soft skills, cultural fit, or communication styles?
   
3. Be competitive with your salary offers. You don’t want to overpay, but you also don’t want to underpay. Be fair and study the market to ensure you’re within a good range.

Managing Talent Costs

Let’s be honest: talent costs are rising. Many U.S. companies are experiencing labor shortages and find themselves lost in the middle of a highly competitive market.

Strategies:

   
1. Explore markets others aren’t considering. Latin America is a great alternative for finding high-quality remote talent at competitive prices. You can find skilled candidates in marketing, tech, finance, and more.
   
2. Create a map of all the companies in your industry—the best ones, the worst ones, and those that require high English proficiency or strong technical skills. This way, you’ll know exactly where to find candidates and which organizations to approach or avoid.

Enhancing Employee Retention

Finding the secret formula for retaining employees to avoid constantly having to replace them—plus wasting lots of money in the process—is a serious issue for many.

Strategies:

   
1. The best indicator that someone is likely to leave is if they’ve done it several times in the past. Avoid these profiles at all costs..
   
2. Always set clear expectations for candidates in the interview process being extremely transparent about what the job will be like—the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s important to mention both the opportunities and challenges the position might entail.
   
3. Retention is not achieved by having a strong company culture and selection process—that’s just the starting point. Stay proactive by having regular check-ins with employees and presenting them with challenges and opportunities to grow in their careers, especially with your top performers.

Strengthening Employer Branding

Returning to a previous point, employer branding and reputation are essential for any company looking to attract high-quality talent. Always remember that anyone you fire—no matter the reason—can damage your company’s image in an instant.

Strategies:

1. The key to keeping your company’s image intact and your talent acquisition strategy strong is tackling problems at their root. Have regular conversations with employees to learn what they love or hate about the organization and constantly ask for feedback. If a problem is fixable, address it immediately..

2. Don’t forget the outside world—the ones who are judging your every move. This means talking to the competition and as many candidates as possible, and trying to delve into their views of what makes your company attractive or unattractive.

Lupa Hire Is Your Talent Acquisition Partner for Hiring in LatAm

Your business's success starts with the people behind it—which is why a strategic approach to hiring is essential.

If you want to attract the right talent, begin today. At Lupa Hire, we can help you craft your talent acquisition strategy in LatAm—backed by local expertise and smart tools.

What we offer:

• 7-day candidate shortlisting, with integrated ATS and CRM tools to streamline your process.
• Deep knowledge of LatAm labor laws, tax compliance, and cultural nuances.
• Access to bilingual professionals in tech, customer support, marketing, and more.
• We've helped SaaS clients reduce time-to-hire by up to 40% through our end-to-end recruiting approach.

Book a free call to start building your LatAm team with Lupa Hire.

FAQs

Still got questions? Let's go over some common ones to help you better understand how talent acquisition works—and how to make it work for you.

Is Talent Acquisition Part of HR?

Yes, talent acquisition is a crucial part of HR. 

HR covers many responsibilities, from employee relations to benefits and payroll. Talent acquisition happens to be one of those tasks. 

It focuses specifically on building a talent pipeline to find, attract, and hire the right people for your company with a long-term strategy aligned with business goals.

Why Do You Need a Talent Acquisition Strategy?

A solid strategy keeps your hiring process focused and aligned with your business goals. All in all, it shows your team the path to follow to achieve expected results. 

Plus, it allows you to focus on attracting the right people without wasting time, money, or energy.

What's a KPI in Talent Acquisition?

KPI stands for key performance indicator. Each KPI is a performance metric. Basically, it's how you track the results and efforts of your strategy. Major KPIs in talent acquisition are:

• Time-to-hire.
• Quality-of-hire.
• Employee retention rate.

How Can Data Analytics Help?

With data, you're not just guessing. You're making informed choices. At the end of the day, data shows you what's working, what isn't, and what needs improvement. 

For example, it can tell you which platforms bring in the best candidates. Or how long it really takes to fill a role. Whatever the case, it helps you make smarter, faster decisions.