[pyeri]

Earlier HR had two main functions viz. recruitment of candidates and secondly, act as a shield for top management and save them from embarrassment (of firing peeps without giving them any reason, for example).

In the last 1-2 decades, the first function has gradually been eroded as social media made finding folks very easy on linkedin, etc. Now only this second function stays in most companies.

[PaulHoule]

Also I see the hiring manager can take a lot of responsibility in terms of the first or the firm can take on an outside recruiter, which is often a good idea, because the outside recruiter has a financial incentive to succeed and can help a firm cut through bullshit why it won't hire this person or that person.

[nicksbg]

Exactly. Plus the external recruiter is dependent on the hiring performance. At the end of the day, the external recruiter does not have luxury to hire a bad candidate like a internal talent manager, since that can kill contract and possible future recommendations to other clients.