In tribute to an article written by Andre Boulais in 2017, I would like to highlight the significance of an Outbound Talent Sourcer. With job boards like Monster and CareerBuilder facing financial difficulties, it’s evident that top candidates no longer rely on passive job applications. The era of simple post-and-pray methods is long gone, and making an investment in a Talent Sourcer is crucial for success in talent acquisition.
Are sourcers more junior level recruiters?
It is a common misconception to view Talent Sourcers as junior recruiters. Sourcing is a standalone expertise that functions as a strategic partner alongside recruitment and plays a critical role throughout the entire process.
Why are sourcers so important?
Talent sourcers play a critical role in the recruiting process by proactively identifying, attracting and engaging potential candidates through various sourcing channels. They use a variety of techniques, including Boolean searches, LinkedIn, social media and professional networks, to find passive candidates who may not be actively looking for a job. This helps recruiters build a strong pipeline of qualified candidates for current and future openings, which can speed up the hiring process and ensure that the company can attract the best talent. By having a dedicated talent sourcer on the team, recruiting teams can focus on other aspects of the hiring process, such as interviewing and selecting candidates, while the talent sourcer handles the initial stages of sourcing and outreach.
What does a talent sourcer do on a recruiting team?
A talent sourcer is a key member of a recruiting team, responsible for identifying and attracting potential candidates for open positions. Their primary tasks include:
Sourcing: Utilizing various methods such as social media, job boards, and professional networks to identify and reach out to potential candidates.
Pre-screening: Assessing candidates’ qualifications, experience, and fit for the role through initial phone or email conversations.
Building relationships: Engaging with potential candidates to build rapport and establish a relationship that can be leveraged in the future.
Pipeline management: Maintaining an active pipeline of qualified candidates for future opportunities.
Reporting and data analysis: Keeping track of sourcing efforts and results, and providing insights and recommendations to the hiring team.
Overall, a talent sourcer helps to streamline the recruitment process by providing a strong pool of qualified candidates, reducing time-to-hire, and increasing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the recruitment effort.
The most important hire for your team is a talent sourcer here’s why:
What’s the biggest pain point for in-house talent acquisition teams? Not finding & attracting top talent and paying excessive third party recruiting fees. The simple answer to this major dilemma is to hire an outbound talent sourcer. A recruiters day revolves around intake meetings, screening applicants, and scheduling interviews etc. The point is a recruiter’s week is very jam-packed. They don’t have the time to do a deep dive with searching and sourcing for new candidate leads.
Hiring a Talent Sourcer will truly impact your organization. Their role is to search, engage, and screen passive talent. They can spend more time with helping the team fill hard to fill reqs. This will save the company thousands of dollars. I calculated the numbers when I first started at my current company within 6 months I saved the company $600K in recruitment fees.
Talent Sourcers can work on future roles and build a passive talent pipeline. Overall, having a sourcer on the team will have a lasting impact on your team. I truly enjoy supporting recruiters with hard to fill roles. Every recruiter that I’ve worked with in my career have been grateful for having my sourcing support.
Data Driven individuals
It is crucial for sourcers to have a data-driven approach in their work. Familiarity with both quantitative and qualitative data is essential to effectively present insights and make informed decisions. Proper data visualization helps sourcers to have a stronger voice in discussions and challenge the hiring process with confidence. Tracking pass-through rates is also important to identify bottlenecks and optimize the search strategy accordingly.
Having a specific area of expertise allows sourcers to provide expert advice and contribute valuable market knowledge to the hiring team. Specializing in a particular domain enables them to stay up-to-date on the latest best practices and identify the right candidates quickly.
Sourcers are continuously learning and expanding their skill set. They possess a curious and creative mindset, and actively seek out new sourcing techniques beyond traditional platforms like LinkedIn. By constantly enhancing their search strategies and engaging with candidates in new ways, sourcers can add greater value to the recruitment process.
Final Thoughts:
Sourcing is a crucial aspect of Talent Acquisition (TA) or Human Resources that demands a unique set of abilities, distinct from those required by recruiters. The level of expertise and market acumen a sourcer possesses increases with experience, allowing them to offer valuable search strategy insights. As a key contributor to a significant part of the hiring process, sourcers have the potential to become the “gurus” of the TA team, with the proper support and resources provided by leaders.
It is imperative for leaders to acknowledge the importance of sourcing, the advantages of dedicated sourcers, and the need for investment in their growth and development.
Recommended Reading:
How to Use Mail Merge to Recruit Candidates
Boolean Strings to Source Female Candidates
How to Automate LinkedIn Using Phantombuster
