Well, it’s about time!

Recruiters everywhere should be rejoicing over the latest news from Vurv (profile; site) and the Human Capital Institute, hinting that recruiting is finally getting the respect it deserves in the corporate boardroom.

According to “The Role of HR in the Age of Talent,” which surveyed almost 800 HR professionals and non-HR professionals, more and more CEOs and corporate board members are viewing acquiring, retaining, and engaging talent as the most challenging business problem they face.

Strategic, Critical…and Respected

While talent management has become a board-level concern, the question remains: can HR climb the corporate ladder and receive the same respect and responsibility as other important business functions?

According to the survey, 66% view talent management as either respected or highly respected and occasionally or frequently consulted on corporate strategy.

This number echoes a recent Mercer study suggesting that 67% of respondents think HR is seen as a strategic partner, one that also participates in strategy decisions.

No Wikis? Tsk, Tsk…

But it’s not simply “redefining the role” that will move recruiters to the forefront. For recruiting to truly keep up this impressive pace, it has to get better with technology. No social networking? No wikis? No blogs? According to the report, despite concerns around talent acquisition, few recruiters take advantage of “Web 2.0″ technologies such as social networking, blogs, or wikis.

And as former Valero genius Dan Hilbert once stated, “When the war for talent is waged over the Internet, major corporations will be won and lost over staffing technology.”