Founders Ben Gotkin and Gerry Crispin noticed in 2012 that the Talent Acquisition profession lagged an organisation which representated the interests of those in TA. In 2016 the Association of Talent Acquisition Professionals (ATAP) was brought to life, supported by a community of inspired and engaged volunteers.
Inspiring communityÂ
Finding, hiring and retaining employees around the globe is now a career for many people and it affects millions of lives. The mission of ATAP is to cultivate a community that sparks innovation, engagement and knowledge sharing.
Above all it’s a place for networking and education.
The organisation wants to build a body of knowledge and ethics for talent acquisition, establish standards and advocate for its members. But above all it’s a place for networking and education.
Open to all
ATAP is a community open to all professionals in talent acquisition. If you become a member for $95 USD per year you can get access to the exclusive online community. You can also learn from online webinars, whitepapers and research, get access to a TA database, as well as a discount on events, merchandise and development opportunities. Technology and product partners who provide solutions and tools can also become a sponsor. Companies like Scout, Saba and Greenhouse already jumped on board.
Learnings
Current president of ATAP, Jim D’Amico, shared what he learned at the celebration event ‘Global TA Day’ last September. His key learning from Anna Stenbeck’s presentation was that not all hiring managers show up to intakes engaged. ‘It’s wrong to assume that because we are excited or see value in something, that others automatically do as well.’
‘It’s wrong to assume that because we are excited or see value in something, that others automatically do as well’
Part of what we do every day is to find the keys to excite, and it’s no different with a hiring manager. D’Amico thinks that he found the key to unlock the ‘why’ with them. Most of the time we focus on the ‘what’: ‘what will the person do?’, ‘what keywords should we use for our search?’. We often omit the critical ‘why’ questions. He thinks we should ask things like: ‘why does the role exist?’, ‘why would someone want this role?’ and ‘why do you value this position?’.
