TA Leadership Is Changing: Here Are the Skills You Need to Get Ahead
If you’re already a talent acquisition (TA) leader or you’re hoping to become one, you’ve probably sensed that the role has been changing in recent years.
More and more, it seems recruiting leaders are expected to take on new responsibilities that were historically siloed in other roles — like talent development, performance management, and employee engagement. Maybe you’ve sensed these shifts, but haven’t had any actual data to back up your intuitions. Today, you will.
Whether you’re a TA leader looking to stay at the top of your game or wondering what it’ll take to lead recruiting orgs in the future, these insights can help you understand this rapidly evolving role.
The new skills increasingly appearing in job posts for recruiting leaders
To learn exactly how TA leadership jobs are changing, we analyzed thousands of paid job listings posted on LinkedIn over the last 24 months. Then we compared the required skills from the most recent 12 months (mid-2023 to mid-2024) with the required skills from the previous 12 months (mid-2022 to mid-2023). This allowed us to find which skills saw the largest year-over-year leaps.
In other words, these are the skills recruiting leaders increasingly need this year compared to last year, according to the companies looking to hire them.
The required skill that’s grown the fastest is easily training and development — a responsibility that’s often been siloed in learning and development (L&D) departments. Recent LinkedIn insights from Bersin’s new report also revealed that skill sets from previously disparate HR roles continue to converge.
Training and development is also one of the most commonly required skills overall for TA leaders: Nearly one in three job posts (33%) over the last year required it — literally quadrupling the 8% share of job posts that required it the year before. This speaks to the growing need for organizational upskilling, particularly as new AI technologies promise to boost the productivity of workers who learn to harness them.
The second-fastest emerging skill for TA leaders — “adaptability” — also reflects the fluid, somewhat volatile environment that many organizations find themselves in. The business landscape is shifting rapidly and leaders need to be ready to change directions in the blink of an eye.
Consulting was another top emerging skill for recruiting leaders, in line with a broader shift toward recruiting pros becoming strategic advisors rather than simple order-takers. This trend has been in the works for a while, but the rise of AI has accelerated it into high gear: With technology able to handle more and more of the “order-taking” tasks, recruiting leaders and their teams will be called on to deliver more and more strategic value.
The skills most likely to appear in job posts for recruiting leaders — regardless of year-over-year trends
The list above focuses on which skills are increasingly likely to show up on a job post for a TA leader; that’s different from the skills that show up most commonly overall. Instead, the most common skills paint a much more traditional picture of the classic recruiting leader.
The most commonly required skill for TA leaders is communication, a vital soft skill that also tops the list of the most in-demand skills overall. As previously alluded to, training and development is the one skill that appears on both these lists, meaning it’s an already-crucial skill that’s gaining even more importance.
Other notable highlights include analytical skills (which we saw increasing in importance years ago), project management, and talent management. That last skill in particular points to the expanding scope of talent leaders. As one influencer recently asked: “So, is the future of TA actually talent management?” (His answer: yes).
Final thoughts
As we’ve seen, the terrain of talent acquisition leadership is shifting, with a clear trend toward more complex and strategic roles that marry traditional recruiting responsibilities with broader organizational development tasks.
For talent acquisition leaders and those aspiring to these roles, staying ahead means continuously updating your skill sets to meet these new demands. Whether you’re mastering the latest in training and development or honing your skills as a strategic advisor, the future of TA leadership will reward those who can persevere and adapt.
Methodology
Only skills explicitly mentioned in the “Requirements” section of a paid job posting for talent acquisition leadership positions are included. LinkedIn premium job postings in the previous two years are considered. When the analysis was run in July 2024, the timeline was July 2022 to June 2024. The yearly analysis was split as: August 1, 2022 – July 31, 2023 vs. August 1, 2023 – July 31, 2024. Talent acquisition leadership positions are defined as recruiting-related positions with an upper-level management seniority, such as director, vice president, or higher.
