How to Create a Personal Brand as a Talent Sourcer

Posted by Jonathan Kidder on January 3, 2019January 28, 2023

In 2018, I set out to really master my personal brand as a Talent Sourcer. This past year has been the most success I’ve had finding and hiring candidates. I sourced 36 cold/passive candidates for our niche positions across North America. It was a tremendous undertaking for me personally, as I only focus on niche positions that are open more than 60-90 days.

At my company, I primarily focus on three main areas: Finance, Information Technology, and Engineering. The main locations that we hire for are in Minnesota, Kansas, Utah, and California. I wanted to target niche applicants within my company’s locations. So how do you create a plan that finds the right talent pool and how do you build a network that continuously produces leads?

At first, I tried to do research on creating a personal brand when it came to talent sourcing. Unfortunately, there’s really not a lot of good examples of creating a “personal brand” when it comes to this arena. I decided to experiment with some areas and here’s what worked for me as well as what hasn’t.

Social Media

Honestly, I’ve had better success direct messaging applicants versus creating a steady flow of social media content. I have found the best use of social media in cross-referencing a candidate’s information. I’m also finding that many niche-candidates don’t publish their resumes online anymore. That means that social media is often the best way to find applicants online. Also, I found that if I took the time to “like” a candidate’s posts on LinkedIn or social media, that it was noticed. Take the time to invest in your candidates and what they we’re doing.

Email Newsletter

Once I created a relationship with the lead over social media, email, or the phone I would save them in an excel document. If I did not have a position available for that lead I would then ask them if I could add them to my monthly email newsletter. I created a dozen email lists using MailChimp based on skill sets and my locations. I then focused on creating targeted content for those leads. Of course I highlight job opportunities, employer branding/culture, and industry news in relation to their niche. Not everything is going to be perfect; I learned that some people did unsubscribe and I used that to tailor and improve my message. Overall I built many successful lists that helped me stay in contact with a larger pool of niche leads in my locations. Here’s how I created my email newsletter using MailChimp.

Building LinkedIn Projects

If you have LinkedIn recruiter I highly recommend creating different projects for your niche-skill set areas. Right after my intake call I dedicate maybe 30 minutes to put together a quick list of potential leads. At that point I either try to directly connect or send them a networking inmail message. I’ve switched my process — in the past I would directly send messages to cold leads without really investing in a relationship with them. Once I stopped what every other Recruiter or Sourcer was doing and took the time to build a network with leads my response rates shot up dramatically.

Networking with Recruiters

Another huge win that I experienced was how I changed my relationship with other recruiters. I started my year by connecting with other Recruiters and Talent Sourcers in my locations. I gave tips and tricks on what I was doing which helped me expand my network. When I received a Finance position I experimented a bit with this. I reached out to 3 finance (in-house) recruiters in my area and they were able to suggest 2 or 3 candidates that I should connect with.

Calendar Follow-Ups

If I wanted to really remember a candidate I would create an event on my calendar to directly follow up with them. Even if you don’t have a job openings – it’s more about building a relationship with that lead. For example, I sent out a Holiday email. You could expand this and do birthdays or other important events. The more you can build a relationship with that lead the more important or valued they will feel.

Communication

Another huge change that I experienced this year was the way that I communicate with candidates. Instead of assuming, I would ask them how they would like me to stay in contact with them. Surprisingly a lot of applicants wanted to stay in touch over text message. Email and the phone are still important but there has certainly been a shift in communication preferences. I wrote a piece about this change (here).

Update: I’ve written an update on my thoughts on this topic here:

How to Build a Personal Brand as a Recruiter

5 Ways To Build a Sourcer And Recruiter Partnership

How to Make Your Work Culture Authentic

The Sourcing Function Matters Within Recruiting

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Jonathan Kidder

With more than 12 years of recruitment experience, Jonathan has helped startups and small businesses find the talent they need. He runs the blog WizardSourcer, which explores the latest trends in talent sourcing, provides reviews of recruitment tools, and features interviews with prominent figures in the industry.