The Skinny on ATAP & How Talent Acquisition Professionals Can Get Involved

Recently, we sat down with Ben Gotkin, Executive Director of ATAP, the Association for Talent Acquisition Professionals. (Gerry Crispin, is another industry leader behind this!) The goal of the organization is to start building and formalizing parameters around our rapidly growing industry. What was once solely recruiters under the purview of Human Resources, is now a vast array of Talent Acquisition Professionals including:

• Corporate Recruiters
• Agency and Third-Party Recruiters
• Executive Recruiters
• Headhunters
• Sourcers
• RPO Recruiters and Sourcers
• HR Generalists
• Hiring Managers
• Employer Brand Professionals
• Recruitment Marketers
• Talent Acquisition Analysts

Ben answers all of our questions below and gives us the skinny on what’s ahead for ATAP and how we can ALL get involved:

RBM: Why did you start ATAP?

BEN: To fill a void. TA is a misunderstood and undervalued profession. One that includes hundreds of thousands of talented, passionate, hard working people who need greater access to standardized education and measurements, who need ethical direction, a vocal advocate on issues that impact them, and an overall community that they can belong to. All of that has been missing for too long. ATAP was established to change that.

RBM: Where do you see ATAP in a year?

BEN: In a year I hope to see our membership grow substantially, both individual and corporate/group members. We’ll be rolling out more and more initiatives that enhance the value of membership, getting our members involved on committees and in networking and learning activities.

I also see us finalizing some of our early body of knowledge and ethics work, which will result in new, much needed standards for the profession. Finally, I see ATAP evolving as the go-to-place for educational, ethical and measurement standards so that TA professionals don’t have to ‘recreate the wheel’ every time that they have a new initiative.

RBM: Who is ATAP perfect for?

BEN: Anyone who has an interest in TA. Corporate Recruiters and Leaders, Agency Recruiters, RPO Recruiters, Contract Recruiters, Sourcers, Service and Technology Vendors, HR Generalists/Managers, and more. Inclusivity is a core value of ATAP, and it is our goal to ‘raise all boats’, so all are welcome.

RBM: How do you envision vendors/members and companies using ATAP?

BEN: All ATAP Members have the opportunity to help define the body of knowledge for the profession by participating on working committees. All members will also have the opportunity to connect, share and collaborate, starting with our exclusive Members-only group on Facebook and soon through additional member-exclusive networking and collaboration channels. Members will also have access to exclusive thought leadership content, along with discounts to learning and networking events and conferences. These benefits will continue to evolve as ATAP grows.

RBM: What are your thoughts on certifications? Education? Ethics? Training?

BEN: We expect that ATAP will have a significant impact on training and education through our primary goal of establishing educational standards. What that will look like specifically is to be determined. What I do know however is that we need to expand educational opportunities for existing professionals and grow opportunities for new talent to join the profession.

Personally, I would like to see education evolve that can demonstrate application of knowledge and include continuing education. Education and credentials must be meaningful and carry real value. Regarding Ethics, ATAP is very close to rolling out a Code of Recruiting Integrity that all ATAP members will be asked to commit to. We believe that ATAP and its members should be role models in the profession and drive the greater adoption of ethical behavior moving forward.

Here at RBM, we believe in the advancement of all things Talent Acquisition and look forward to seeing what ATAP brings to the profession in the future. Individuals can join ATAP for just $95 a year and corporate discounts and sponsorships are available. The membership provides great visibility, volume discounts, thought leadership beyond conference level.

A list of Board Members, Advisory Council Members and Founding Volunteers can be found at https://atapglobal.org/about/leadership/

Maren Hogan

Maren Hogan is CEO of Red Branch and general Bad@$$

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Maren started Red Branch Media and, before she hired all the smiling faces you see below, she ran it on her own. In marketing for over 15 years, she has deep experience in strategic campaigns and a long-term, results-based operational approach.