Talent acquisition is on the upswing according to the global study, Talent Acquisition Strategies 2009: Cutting through the Clutter and Proactively Managing Quality Candidates.

Between Aug. ’09 to Feb. ’10, 43% of executives anticipate that their talent acquisition efforts will increase somewhat or significantly, as compared with only 17% who anticipate that their talent acquisition efforts will decrease during that time frame.

Since hiring candidate quality from the quantity available in these economic times remains at the forefront, source of hire analysis is increasingly important. It also may have strong geographic and even regional variations.

The Source of Talent 2009 Report examines 92,136 hires reported by 409 organizations in Australia. It found the top three sources there are job boards, internal recruiters, and corporate websites. In contrast, CareerXroads’ Gerry Crispin provides a comparative view to their annual US source of hire study, recognizing both data and cultural differences.

The talent acquisition and sources of hire studies all center around the importance of rigorously examining and continuously improving the process and practices of hiring quality talent. Data-driven analysis is key to understanding—and utilizing—the most effective sources and strategies. The sources and strategies have to fit well with culture, industry, location, and more in order to hire the best talent.

Taleo’s free online recruiting process assessment can help by highlighting the strengths as well as opportunities for improvement in your company's talent acquisition processes.