Talent Acquisition Specialist

Sony Patnaik, PHR, SPHR US Citizen

Piscataway, NJ 08854 732-***-****

www.linkedin.com/in/sony-patnaik-phr-sphr-bb3850212/ *************@*****.***

Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist

Empowering Organizations Through Exceptional Talent Acquisition

Strategic talent acquisition specialist with a global hiring expertise, dedicated to helping companies attract, engage, and retain top talent to meet short- and long-term goals. Passionate about building diverse and inclusive workspaces and ensuring a positive candidate experience through robust candidate pipelines, strong employer branding, and effective selection and onboarding processes. Known for stakeholder management in challenging environments and a proactive approach to learning and problem-solving in fast-paced, high-volume settings. Collaborate with Key Business Partners (Global Mobility, HR Business Partners, Hiring Managers, Compensation Teams, Diversity & Inclusion Teams).

Expertise

Global Talent Acquisition

Internal Mobility

Candidate Engagement

Diverse Hiring Strategies

Process Improvement

IT Recruitment Expertise

Security Clearance Recruitment

Offer Negotiation & Closing

Data Driven Reporting

HRIS Data Integrity

Talent Sourcing

Interview Process Coordination

Full Life Cycle Recruiting

Facilitate and Lead Key Meetings and Initiatives

Professional Experience

ARROW ELECTRONICS (In-house Recruitment), Remote (NJ)

Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist, Americas 2021 – 2024

Led comprehensive talent acquisition efforts for diverse range of technical and non-technical positions across multiple regions, with focus on maximizing efficiency, cost savings, and candidate quality. Collaborated closely with internal stakeholders and global counterparts to streamline processes, ensure compliance, and drive continuous improvement in recruitment practices.

Closed average of 75 - 80 positions annually, demonstrating efficiency and effectiveness in recruitment operations.

Owned requisition load of 30+ positions concurrently, showcasing exceptional organizational and multitasking skills.

Achieved significant cost savings by not utilizing any external agencies, resulting in annual savings of $500K during tenure at Arrow.

Hired diverse technical candidates such as Product Managers, Java full stack developers, Oracle Applications Consultants, Sitecore Developers, and Architects, as well as non-technical roles including Credit Analysts, Collections Specialists, and Financial Analysts in Guadalajara market.

COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, Bridgewater, NJ

Recruitment Business Partner (Initially contracted via NLB and then converted to FTE) 2018 – 2022

Spearheaded hiring strategy for Cognizant Digital Engineering Business Unit for diverse range of technical positions from Senior Associate level to Senior Director levels. Handled portfolios in Banking, Financial Services & Insurance, Retail, Consumer Goods, Healthcare and Education. Hired 1200+ full-time and contract professionals throughout US with revenues in excess of $100M+. Positions filled encompassed various skills including Java FSEs, .NET FSEs, React Developers, Angular Developers, Cloud Native Architects, Data Engineers, Engineering Managers and Product Managers.

Hired 20+ positions per month at Cognizant, totaling 300 positions yearly.

Implemented cost-saving measures via direct sourcing, resulting in $1M+ in annual savings.

Achieved 98% stakeholder satisfaction rate by aligning recruitment strategies with talent needs.

Delivered top-quality candidates with 95% acceptance rate through effective candidate assessment and evaluation.

Owned requisition load of 100+ Positions at a time with varying degrees of complexity.

SOFTEK INTERNATIONAL INC, Piscataway, NJ

Technical Recruiter / Account Manager (www.softekintl.com) 2013 – 2018

Led talent acquisition efforts for specialized positions requiring Secret / Top Secret SCI level Clearance or Public Trust Clearance, spanning various locations across United States. Key clients included US Army, US Navy, DISA, DHS, Accenture Federal, Deloitte etc.

Hired 75+ candidates per year through direct sourcing, resulting in cost savings of $600K per year.

Managed accounts for fortune 500 companies in the Govt sector, Hospitality, Healthcare & Financial industries.

Recruited candidates for critical roles supporting prime US government contractors, US military, and US Government Intelligence Agencies, demonstrating expertise in navigating security clearance requirements.

Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop and refine responses to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Resources (RFRs), contributing to organization's competitive edge in securing government contracts.

Additional Experience

SYSTEMGURU, Woodbridge, NJ

Technical Recruitment

ISE GLOBAL, King of Prussia, PA

Technical Recruitment

Education

Master of Arts (MA), English Literature, Berhampur University, India

Certifications

PHR (Professional in Human Resources), HRCI - Premier Credentialing Organization for the Human Resource Profession, Issued on Nov 20th, 2023, Expires 31st July 2027

SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources), HRCI - Premier Credentialing Organization for the Human Resource Profession, Issued on March 7th, 2024, Expires 31st July 2027)

Technical Skills

PLATFORMS: Bullhorn, Jobvite, Taleo, Workday, IQ Navigator, Fieldglass, Deloitte MSP, Raytheon MSP, ZeroChaos

APPLICATIONS: LinkedIn Recruiter, Indeed, Dice, Monster, Career Builder, Phenom CRM, Clearance Jobs, Paradox, Textio

TOOLS: Applicant Tracking Systems, Vendor Management Systems, Sourcing Tools, Interview Scheduling AI Powered Software, AI-Powered Writing Platform for Fine Tuning Job Descriptions

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