Understanding Your TA Team's Readiness to Become Talent Advisors

The Challenge: AI is Reshaping Talent Acquisition

Understanding the traits, competencies, and skills of your internal TA team has never been more critical. Talent Acquisition is experiencing unprecedented change as AI continues to reduce traditional recruitment volumes and automation transforms core TA processes; what I call the “AI Talent Acquisition Squeeze.”

Some TA functions proactively address this challenge by evolving into Talent Advisors, while others feel stuck, uncertain about the best path forward. The difference between thriving and struggling comes down to two fundamental actions:

Understanding your current internal Talent Acquisition bench strength
Developing it strategically to add maximum value to the business

The diagram above, prepared by Kevin Wheeler, shows the potential impact of AI on the current recruitment process.

Why Visibility Drives Improvement

The principle “if you can measure it, you can improve it” is particularly relevant here. Once you understand your team’s traits, competencies, and skills in relation to Talent Advisory, you can:

Develop areas requiring improvement
Leverage strong TA team members to support others
Optimally match team members to business priorities, deploying your most skilled advisors in the highest-value areas while developing the remaining team members.

This strategic approach transforms TA from a transactional function to a valued business partner with a growth mindset.

What Does a Talent Advisor Do?

To understand your team’s development needs, it’s essential to grasp the key actions Talent Advisors perform:

Strategic Market Intelligence

Analyse external talent supply/demand dynamics for business-critical roles
Benchmark organisational value proposition against market competitors
Map internal talent capabilities against current and future business needs
Understand technology’s impact on evolving skill requirements

Technology & Innovation

Leverage AI/ML tools for predictive talent analytics and market forecasting
Implement talent intelligence platforms for real-time market insights
Deploy automation for candidate sourcing, screening, and engagement

Strategic Talent Decision Framework

Advise on optimal talent strategies: Buy, Build, Borrow, or Bot
Guide make vs. buy decisions with ROI analysis and risk assessment
Design a cohesive workforce planning aligned with the business strategy

Execution & Delivery

Execute targeted recruitment for critical positions
Create partnerships for talent borrowing arrangements
Build talent pipelines and networks for hard-to-fill roles
Develop detailed market maps for key talent segments

Financial & Performance Analytics

Calculate the total cost of ownership for different talent acquisition approaches.
Quantify the opportunity costs of unfilled positions.
Develop budget forecasts for talent development, branding, and remuneration.
Provide ROI metrics for talent acquisition investments

The Ten Critical Characteristics of Successful Talent Advisors

Understanding the key characteristics of a Talent Advisor and then thinking about your team is an interesting exercise. Outlined below are the typical characteristics that TCS Insights benchmarks for Talent Advisory

Creativity – The capacity to think outside the box when partnering with business leaders, colleagues, and HR/People teams to design innovative talent solutions and unconventional sourcing strategies

Collaboration – Working effectively with hiring managers, HR partners, and external stakeholders to align talent strategies with business objectives and deliver optimal hiring outcomes

Insightfulness – Deep understanding of talent market dynamics, candidate motivations, and what roles may be augmented or transformed, enabling informed recommendations on complex talent challenges

Analytics – The ability to interpret talent data, identify hiring patterns, and uncover root causes of recruitment challenges to drive evidence-based talent decisions

Customer Orientation – Understanding and balancing the needs of all internal and external stakeholders, with particular focus on hiring managers as key customers, whilst ensuring organisational alignment

Influencing – Shaping stakeholder perspectives on talent strategies, candidate assessments, and market realities through compelling insights and trusted advisory relationships

Leadership & Mentoring – Guiding talent acquisition teams, mentoring junior recruiters, and coaching hiring managers on best practices whilst fostering collaborative hiring approaches

Curiosity – Continuously seeking market intelligence, emerging talent trends, and innovative practices to enhance talent acquisition effectiveness and candidate experience

Strategic Thinking – Leveraging market trends and organisational changes to develop forward-thinking talent strategies that address current gaps and anticipate future needs

Market Intelligence – Deep expertise in talent market conditions, evolving skill demands, AI impact on roles, and competitor positioning to optimally position the organisation’s employer brand

Talent Advisor Configuration Models

Once you’ve assessed your team’s capabilities, you’ll need to determine the optimal configuration for your organisation. Here are five proven models:

Model 1: Universal Transformation

All TA members become Talent Advisors

Best for: Smaller TA teams (5-15 people) with strong foundational skills
Benefits: Complete strategic alignment, simplified structure, enhanced team capability
Considerations: Requires significant investment in upskilling and may take 12 months to implement fully

Model 2: Strategic Partnership Model

Select Talent Advisors embedded with key business units

Best for: Large organisations with distinct business divisions
Benefits: Deep business partnership, specialised market knowledge, focused expertise
Considerations: Maintain connection to central TA team, avoid silos

Model 3: Hub and Spoke Model

Multiple Talent Advisors mentoring team whilst engaging the business

Best for: Medium to large TA teams (15-50+ people) with mixed skill levels
Benefits: Accelerated team development, knowledge sharing, scalable expertise
Considerations: Clear mentoring frameworks and regular knowledge transfer sessions are essential

Model 4: Centre of Excellence Model

Dedicated Talent Advisory team supporting traditional TA functions

Best for: Very large organisations with complex talent challenges
Benefits: Specialised expertise, consistent methodology, scalable insights
Considerations: Avoid creating a disconnect between advisory and execution teams

Model 5: Hybrid Matrix Model

Combination of embedded advisors and central team

Best for: Complex, multi-divisional organisations with varying maturity levels
Benefits: Flexibility, customised approach, maintains both specialisation and coordination
Considerations: Requires strong governance and clear role definitions

Choosing Your Configuration

Consider these factors when selecting your model:

Organisation size and complexity
Current team skill levels and development appetite
Business stakeholder preferences and maturity
Available budget and timeline
Existing TA team structure and culture

What’s Next?

The critical question is: where does your current Talent Acquisition team stand in relation to the ten characteristics outlined above?

TCS has developed a comprehensive assessment to evaluate, benchmark, and build your team across these critical capabilities. This tool provides actionable insights to guide your transformation journey.

Success won’t be determined solely by technical skills; it’s your team’s ability to partner strategically, leverage data effectively, and work collaboratively with all stakeholders to create genuine business value that will define the future of your TA function.

The organisations that proactively assess, benchmark, and develop their teams on these capabilities will emerge stronger from the AI Talent Acquisition Squeeze, while those waiting may find themselves squeezed out entirely.

Assess your team