What does a talent acquisition specialist actually build that a recruiter does not?

A talent acquisition specialist builds hiring infrastructure: structured interview scorecards, employer branding strategy, candidate experience workflows, diversity hiring frameworks, and data systems that track quality-of-hire over time. While a recruiter fills today's open roles, a TA specialist creates the systems that make every future hire faster, cheaper, and better. Think of it as building the machine vs. operating it.

When should a company invest in talent acquisition vs. just hiring a recruiter?

When you are hiring consistently (15+ roles per year) and experiencing process inefficiencies — slow time-to-fill, inconsistent candidate experience, or difficulty attracting top talent. A TA specialist builds the infrastructure that makes all future hiring more effective.

How does a talent acquisition specialist improve quality of hire?

By designing structured interview processes with clear scorecards, implementing skills-based assessments, training hiring managers on effective interviewing, and analyzing which sources and processes produce the best long-term hires. They turn hiring from guesswork into a data-driven system.

Should I hire a TA specialist or use a recruitment agency?

In-house TA for consistent hiring needs — they build institutional knowledge and employer brand. Agency for surge hiring, niche roles, or while building your in-house capability. Many companies start with agency support and transition to in-house TA as hiring volume grows.

Growing demand

Hire a talent acquisition specialist

A talent acquisition specialist develops and executes comprehensive hiring strategies — from employer branding and sourcing to interview process design and offer negotiation. They build the systems that enable consistent, high-quality hiring at scale.

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500+

Companies served

Days average

Europe-wide

Talent coverage across all EU countries

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What does a talent acquisition specialist do?

Key responsibilities you can expect from this role

Design and optimize end-to-end hiring processes — from job description to offer acceptance

Build and maintain talent pipelines for recurring and future roles through proactive sourcing

Develop employer branding strategy — careers page content, employee stories, and EVP messaging

Partner with hiring managers to define role requirements, interview scorecards, and hiring criteria

Analyze hiring data — time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, quality-of-hire, and diversity metrics

Implement and manage ATS systems, interview scheduling, and candidate experience workflows

Skills & tools

What to look for when hiring a talent acquisition specialist

Key skills

Recruitment strategyEmployer brandingSourcingInterview designATS managementData analysisStakeholder managementDEI hiring practices

Tools they use

LinkedIn RecruiterGreenhouseLeverTeamtailorNotionCalendly

Talent acquisition specialist salary guide

Typical annual salary ranges in Europe (EUR)

Junior

€35,000–€44,000

0–2 years

Mid-level

€46,000–€62,000

2–5 years

Senior

€65,000–€85,000

5+ years

Ranges reflect full-time salaries in Northern & Western Europe. Actual compensation varies by location, company stage, and candidate experience.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about hiring a talent acquisition specialist

How it works

From request to hire in 3 simple steps

Tell us what you need

Share your role requirements, team culture, and timeline. We will scope the search and confirm fit within 24 hours.

Meet pre-vetted candidates

We present 3–5 qualified candidates. Each has been screened for skills, motivation, and cultural fit.

Hire with confidence

Interview your top picks and make an offer. Our 90-day guarantee means zero risk if the hire does not work out.

Hiring tips from our team

Advice for finding the right talent acquisition specialist

Ask them to critique your current hiring process. A strong TA specialist will identify bottlenecks and suggest improvements within the first conversation.

Look for data-driven thinking. Ask about metrics they tracked in their previous role and how they used data to improve hiring outcomes.

Test their employer branding skills. Have them review your careers page and suggest 3 specific improvements.

Assess their stakeholder management ability. TA specialists must influence hiring managers who may resist process changes — this requires both credibility and diplomacy.

What companies say

Feedback from founders who hired through us

Keto Software

€1.7M ARR startup • Hired 4+ positions • Focus on European expansion hires

What we've delivered:

Growth marketing managerRevOps managerAccount executivesPartnership development manager

"Working with Herizon has been an absolute turning point for our hiring. They have already helped us successfully bring on board a Growth Marketing Manager and a RevOps Manager, and are now supporting us in finding the right AEs and a Partnership Development Manager. What sets Herizon apart is not only their deep understanding of every role in a revenue organization, but also their ability to truly grasp what we are looking for as if they were part of our own team. They don't just present candidates — they challenge our thinking, help us sort through priorities, and go deep with candidates to ensure we're meeting the right people. I couldn't recommend Herizon highly enough for any company looking to build out their revenue teams with the right people."

"Found people who actually understand the problem. They're from regions where sustainability challenges are real and motivation to solve them is high."

Sustainability tech company at €2M ARR

Hired 2 in 14 days

"Other agencies take months. These guys actually deliver. Hired 2 people in a week and brought diversity of thought to our team."

Listed tech company

Fast growth team hire

"Found our PM in 6 days. Remote worker from Finland is super cost-efficient for our German company."

Early-stage startup at €1M ARR

Product team hire in 6 days

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White-glove recruitment with a dedicated partner. We handle everything — sourcing, screening, interviews, and offer negotiation. Get a curated shortlist quickly.

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