Perception and Practice of HR Managers Toward Talent Philosophies and its Effect on the Recruitment Process in Both Private and Public Sectors in Two Major Cities in Nigeria

The purpose of this study is to determine the perception and practice of HR managers toward talent philosophies and its effect on the recruitment process in both private and public sectors in Ibadan and Abuja in Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive design in the form of a survey. The study utilizes a questionnaire as the research instrument and tested five hypotheses using the SPSS. The findings show there is no significant relationship between perception and implementation of talent philosophy during the staff recruitment process, but there is a significant positive relationship between perception towards inherent talent during the recruitment process between private and public sectors. Findings make it clear that HR managers in both private and public establishments believe in talent management philosophy, and they consider it an essential and a good approach that could facilitate getting competent staff, but talent management philosophy is not largely considered during the recruitment process. Although HR managers in private firms seem to implement talent philosophy better than the public sectors, recruitments in most government sectors are influenced mostly by referral and quota systems. Also, most government-owned organizations have no clear HR section in every department; therefore, their talent management philosophy is more of an appendix to other management procedures and not a complete stand-alone policy. Furthermore, HR managers in various cities in Nigeria have the same positive perception toward a preference for inherent talent during the recruitment process; however, in each city the number of inherent talented individuals recruited by HR managers is low.