Sourcing -The 14 Things Your Boss Wishes You Knew
Within the functions of Human Resources & Talent Acquisition, Sourcing the ‘right’ candidate is probably one of the biggest challenges. This challenge is becoming seemingly insurmountable as the marketplace is a flood with new companies run by astute and enterprising managers, constantly on the lookout for fresh, bright and the best talent available. It is no wonder then that the top bosses expect their recruitment functions to know every aspect about sourcing.
Let’s take a look at 14 things your boss wishes you knew about Sourcing:
Not everyone out there is looking for a job, so it is a good idea to engage with, listen to, understand and discuss career motivations and aspirations with potential future candidates presently passive.
A proactive approach is required to source the ideal candidate. Start with building a pipeline of candidates, especially for the tough to fill jobs, ensuring a constant fluid pool of top talent.
Passive candidates tend to form a major part of a final shortlist and hence must be targeted specifically using appropriate techniques.
Another key element is maintaining regular ‘one-to-one’ contact with your referral sources to ensure that you hearing about the new up and coming ‘top talent’ within your industry.
Ensure that the sourcing and hiring process adheres to and is compliant with employment law.
Have a sourcing pitch ready. Candidates want to know all about the company, the role, the team, future business plans and opportunities along with the role’s immediate requirements. Apply speed and efficiency here; taking too long to move forward often pushes the candidate away from their initial eagerness to explore future opportunities. Losing a ‘great catch’ in the current market is often costly.
Understand that sourcing IS NOT aligning job descriptions and CV’s, great sourcing is more about the need to hire people who match the company’s passion, culture, and values, in turn, this helps define the future of the organisation. Sourcing the ‘right fit’ is critical.
Use your ‘local’ resources. Ask current employees to refer people who they believe would fit well within the company. A simple, inexpensive yet highly effective way of sourcing fresh talent.
Identifying and recruiting the right candidates can be a highly cumbersome and very time-consuming activity. Form a partnership with the hiring managers, report and document regularly tweaking the plan as required. Learn what works and understand what doesn’t.
Acquiring and building a database of ‘right fits’ for an organisation, is not a one-off or overnight exercise. It requires patience, a clear long-term vision, agility, and resilience.
Remember that sourcing and bringing in new people should never be done in isolation. Understand thoroughly the current talent and skills within the company and solicit the help of other team members to source the best candidates.
Even if the company is not looking to fill any positions currently, what you must know about sourcing is that it is an activity, which is on-going. Use events and conferences as opportunities to speak about the company and explain why it is a great place to work. People will come to you.
Ensuring the retention of future employees is also a key responsibility of any sourcing project. Confirm that they are clear about the career path, appraisals, recognition system and the company goals.
Leverage the power of the social media platforms. Engage with professionals and initiate ‘conversations’ as part of the ongoing strategy.
By sourcing correctly, the chances of getting the best talent are extremely high, remember a company’s best asset is an excellent workforce.