How to structure your talent acquisition team?

Summary of #TalentBuzz Episode with Robin Corralez from PandaDoc

Introduction

• Host: Samuli Salonen
• Guest: Robin Corralez from PandaDoc
• Topic: Talent acquisition journey of PandaDoc, growing to over 800 employees

Talent Acquisition Team Structure at PandaDoc

• The team is globally distributed, with approximately 20 recruiters across 6-7 countries.
• Robin directly leads the TA function, with four TA leaders under her.
• The teams are divided into revenue/general administration, marketing/product, and engineering.
• Recruiters are managed globally, allowing flexibility in hiring worldwide.
• A recruiting operations function exists for coordination, data, analytics, and employment branding.

Evolution of the TA Team

• Initially, HR handled recruiting, but as the company grew, dedicated TA was established.
• The team was originally split geographically, then evolved to a functional focus for scalability.
• Challenges included time zone differences and entering new markets with limited local knowledge.
• Efforts made to understand local employment laws and conditions in new markets.

In-House Recruitment and Agency Use

• Primarily in-house recruitment.
• Agencies used for intelligence gathering in new markets but were not always successful.
• Emphasis on understanding local markets through internal efforts and hiring local recruiters.

Resource Planning and Recruitment Strategy

• Annual and quarterly planning with finance and HR partners.
• Plans are adjusted based on business needs, market conditions, and attrition rates.
• Recruitment heavily influenced by budget considerations and global economic factors.

Metrics and Success Measurement

• Standard metrics include time to fill, hiring velocity, and service level agreements (SLAs).
• Qualitative metrics like hiring manager NPS and candidate feedback surveys are used.
• Data-driven approach using tools like Greenhouse and Google Sheets.

Employer Branding and Recruitment Alignment

• Employer branding is managed within recruiting operations, closely aligned with marketing.
• Collaboration with marketing for content creation and audience targeting.
• Challenges in resource competition between marketing and recruiting functions.

Balancing Standard Processes and Recruiter Autonomy

• Initiatives to standardize recruiting processes.
• Importance of engaging the recruitment team and soliciting feedback for buy-in.
• Approach of testing and iterating processes to adapt and improve.

Final Thoughts and Advice

• Emphasis on building relationships and pipelining candidates for efficient hiring.
• Importance of recruiter feedback and testing new processes for continuous improvement.
• The necessity of balancing strict processes with flexibility for recruiters to be themselves.

Conclusion

• Robin Corralez shares insights on managing a global TA team and the challenges of scaling talent acquisition in a fast-growing SaaS company.
• The episode highlights the importance of strategic planning, adapting to market changes, and aligning recruitment with overall business goals.

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