One of the most common sourcing training and development gaps is the lack of clear sourcing goals and metrics. Without defining what you want to achieve and how you measure your progress, you will not be able to optimize your sourcing strategy, prioritize your actions, and evaluate your outcomes. To address this gap, you need to align your sourcing goals and metrics with your hiring needs, business objectives, and candidate expectations. You also need to track and analyze your sourcing data regularly to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Common sourcing training and development gaps often include lack of practical experience, outdated sourcing strategies, and insufficient understanding of the market. To address these, organizations can implement hands-on training, regularly update their sourcing methods to align with industry trends, and conduct market research to stay informed. Additionally, fostering a culture of continuous learning can help individuals adapt to changes and improve their sourcing skills over time. If you have any additional thoughts or contributions, please reply to this comment. I always appreciate and look forward to hearing more from you. Thank you!
As someone who has pivoted from full cycle recruitment to focus on Sourcing, I’ve noticed a lot of misconceptions about what value an in-house talent Sourcer provides. One of the reasons for this are a lack of realistic expectations and metrics- the simplest metric I’ve advocated for is a decrease in agency fees paid correlated with direct source hires - this metric shows business/hiring manager confidence with the internal Talent Acquisition team as the ‘search firm’ of choice for them.
The first and most critical point of failure lies within real of the sourcing kickoff meeting. Unequal execution of sourcing kickoff leads to wasted time, failed searches, and miscommunication.
This point is spot on! Clear sourcing goals and metrics are absolutely essential for a successful recruitment strategy. Without them, it's like trying to navigate without a map—you might end up somewhere, but it’s not necessarily where you intended to go. Defining specific, measurable objectives and tracking progress helps in fine-tuning your approach and aligning it with broader business goals. Regular analysis of sourcing data not only highlights what's working but also uncovers areas for improvement. Investing time in setting these goals and metrics can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your hiring process.
Lack of Advanced Sourcing Techniques: Many recruiters are unfamiliar with advanced Boolean search methods, AI-driven tools, and social sourcing platforms. Address this by offering specialized training sessions focused on advanced search strategies. Insufficient Market & Talent Insights: Recruiters often lack knowledge of industry trends, talent availability, and competitor analysis. Implement regular training on market research tools, data analytics, and provide access to industry reports. Weak Candidate Engagement Skills: Difficulty in engaging passive candidates and building long-term relationships is common. Address this with training on personalized outreach strategies and leveraging CRM systems for relationship management.
Another common sourcing training and development gap is the lack of diverse sourcing channels and methods. Many sourcers rely on the same sources and methods to find candidates, such as LinkedIn, job boards, referrals, or Boolean searches. However, these sources and methods may not be enough to reach the passive, niche, or diverse talent that you need for your roles. To address this gap, you need to expand your sourcing channels and methods to include social media, events, communities, blogs, podcasts, or other platforms where your target candidates hang out. You also need to experiment with different sourcing methods, such as talent mapping, talent pooling, or talent engagement, to build relationships and trust with your candidates.
Expanding sourcing channels and methods is essential for tapping into a wider and more diverse talent pool. Relying solely on traditional sources like LinkedIn or job boards may limit your reach, especially for passive or niche candidates. To address this, explore alternative platforms such as social media, industry events, and specialized communities. Additionally, adopting strategies like talent mapping and engagement can help build meaningful relationships and uncover valuable talent that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Excellent point above: I would expand this to joining Slack channels, Discord groups and Reddit/Quora groups. I’ve also sourced some very high calbire passive candidates by reading journal publications on particular subjects like Cloud Computing, ML and AI and connecting with the author.
It is really critical to also participate in targeted resource groups - i.e. are you targeting women in STEM or professionals within medical device/biotech/IT that are also graduates from HBCU's? As a recruiter it is import to participate in the conversations among these groups. Share some interesting content and really engage in conversations.
Something I find amazing is how few sourcers know about Google Dorking. It's mind-blowing. There's literally an uncountable number of CSV's, Google Doc's, spreadsheets, etc. floating around, publicly accessible. Someone else has already done the work for you. You just have to know how to find them. Examples: - filetype:csv | filetype:xls | filetype:xlsx pharmacists australia AND ("contact" OR "email") - site:docs.google.com email brisbane engineer - +CEO "email" filetype:csv | filetype:xls | filetype:xlsx - (conference | event | summit | "trade show" | expo | seminar | webinar | workshop) "attendee list" | "participant list" | "delegate list" | "guest list" filetype:pdf | filetype:csv | filetype:xls | filetype:xlsx
To find the best candidates, you have many options when it comes to sourcing channels. External channels can include job boards, social networks, and professional networks. Internal channels can include employee referrals and re-engaging former employees. The ultimate list of sourcing channels includes a variety of options to help companies find quality talent for their teams. By effectively utilizing these channels, companies can build a talent pool that will not only meet but exceed their hiring requirements and expectations.
A third common sourcing training and development gap is the lack of effective sourcing tools and technology. Sourcing can be a time-consuming and tedious task that involves searching, screening, contacting, and nurturing candidates. Without the right tools and technology, you may waste your time on manual and repetitive tasks, miss out on qualified candidates, or lose track of your pipeline. To address this gap, you need to invest in sourcing tools and technology that can help you automate, streamline, and enhance your sourcing process. For example, you can use tools like
SourceHub
,
SeekOut
, or
Hiretual
to generate search strings, find contact information, or enrich candidate profiles.
Gone are the days of handing a fresh face a phone book and making them start dialing. In the same way, throwing a newbie onto a laptop without: 1. A robust search platform 2. A contact info database 3. A scraping tool No matter how great of a sourcer they are, you're going to see dramatically worse results without the first 2 at the least. If they have some OSINT and Google Dorking skills, a good scraping tool will make them dramatically more efficient. It's time we stop being cheap and lazy, and we start equipping our people with the tools to succeed instead.
Sourcers can only become sorcerers with the right tools! They have to be equipped with the right tools to be effective. These tools are relatively cheap compared to just posting job ads on Indeed and you’ll get a significantly more targeted search. It only makes more sense the more you think about it.
A fourth common sourcing training and development gap is the lack of relevant sourcing skills and knowledge. Sourcing is not just about finding candidates, but also about understanding their needs, motivations, and fit for your roles. Without the relevant sourcing skills and knowledge, you may not be able to craft compelling messages, communicate your employer value proposition, or persuade candidates to take action. To address this gap, you need to develop your sourcing skills and knowledge through training, coaching, mentoring, or self-learning. For example, you can take online courses like
Boolean Strings
,
The Sourcing Institute
, or
Social Talent
to learn new sourcing techniques, best practices, or trends.
I’ve been experimenting with generative AI to source candidates…still in its infancy but I see a lot of potential. Prompt I’ve been experimenting with: “Provide me a list of 10 names who are considered the top ten software engineers building distributed systems within the Greater Toronto Area” and then use the results to build my search…
As with all professions, staying current and keeping a pulse on things is critical in recruiting. Professional development can happen in so many different avenues. This could be attending conferences, hiring a coach in the field, finding a mentor, networking on LinkedIn with other professionals in the industry, or even just reading online. Podcasts are oftentimes overlooked but can be so valuable in growth within your profession.
I have had the opportunity to experience courses on Boolean logic and also was blessed to complete Social Talent "Sourcing Ninja" certification. Both of these programs have been invaluable to me as a recruiter. I have been on both the agency side and the corporate side and the value and knowledge is immeasurable!
Sourcing effectively requires relying on a relevant pool of candidates and developing a "good eye" for what a preferred profile might look like. The first sub is critical because it builds confidence in you from the hiring manager.
Research and sourcing expertise are foundational skills for a sourcing specialist. This involves the ability to identify, evaluate, and engage potential candidates. A Sourcer must know how to efficiently leverage various tools, databases, online platforms, and professional networks to find suitable candidates.
A fifth common sourcing training and development gap is the lack of feedback and improvement. Sourcing is a dynamic and evolving skill that requires constant feedback and improvement to stay ahead of the competition. Without feedback and improvement, you may not be able to identify your gaps, learn from your mistakes, or adapt to the changing market. To address this gap, you need to seek feedback and improvement from various sources, such as your hiring managers, candidates, peers, or mentors. You also need to act on the feedback and improvement by implementing changes, testing new ideas, or sharing your learnings.
Stop with the feel-good toxic positivity. Stop holding sourcers to a bar that's so low I have to dig into the mud beneath my feet to reach it. They need to hear: - You need to improve this part of your process, good candidates are falling through - I need you to strengthen your Boolean skills, here's some great resources - You're not hitting the mark, what do you need from me to be the most successful? - This search isn't very effective, here's why, here's how you can improve it for the future. Stop pushing them to fix metrics they can't change. A sourcer is not responsible for if a candidate gets hired or not. They are not involved in that part of the process.
The lack of feedback and improvement in sourcing can hinder your ability to stay competitive. To overcome this, actively seek feedback from hiring managers, candidates, peers, and mentors. Implement the insights you gain, test new approaches, and continuously adapt to enhance your sourcing skills and effectiveness.
Trust is cultivated by attentive listening and clear articulation of the hiring manager's priorities. I carefully note key concerns, striving for clarity and identifying inconsistencies. After a focused search, I present about 10 fitting profiles, engaging in a collaborative discussion with the hiring manager. This step is pivotal for trust-building; thorough listening and accurate note-taking should lead to a meeting of minds. As trust solidifies, valuable feedback naturally follows, reinforcing a collaborative and effective working relationship.
The growth and effectiveness of sourcing teams can be hindered by the absence of feedback and opportunities for improvement. To refine their skills and identify areas for development, sources require regular constructive criticism and feedback. Encouraging an open feedback culture fosters continuous learning and improvement, leading to more successful sourcing strategies and better outcomes in talent acquisition. Empowering resources to thrive in their roles and contribute to the organization's recruitment objectives can be achieved by implementing feedback mechanisms, performance evaluations, and coaching sessions.
Acknowledging and addressing the lack of feedback and improvement is crucial for our professional growth and success as sourcers. Embracing a culture of continuous learning and open communication, I am committed to seeking feedback from various sources, including hiring managers, candidates, peers, and mentors. By acting on this feedback and implementing positive changes, I aim to refine my sourcing strategies and stay ahead in the dynamic market. I believe that learning from mistakes and sharing insights will not only improve my skills but also contribute to the overall success of our sourcing efforts. Together, let's embrace feedback as a valuable tool to continuously improve and achieve exceptional results.
Demonstrating value of a true sourcing partner. In many experiences I have found corporations still default to post role and expect to see a plethora of qualified candidates apply. With over a decade in the industry, I can honestly say my best caliber candidates have been those who have been happily employed that I have built, fostered and nurtured a long standing relationship with. Sourcing is building your network of connections not just focused on immediate roles, but making the connections with highly qualified talent for what future roles you may have. I have also witnessed a massive shift in the recruitment process - recruiters have to be influencers sharing strategic content and really going beyond standard job postings.
Posting jobs and expecting the right candidates is ineffective in today's tech world. Finding employed candidates who are succeeding in the space and persuading them to join is the best way to build a team of winners.
Sourcing needs to be viewed as a strategic partner and dedicated function within a broader talent acquisition function- my observations and experience is that when sourcing is an expectation of a full cycle recruiter, it is poorly done due to time constraints and all the other tasks/ hats the recruiter must perform. In addition, true sourcing is a long game play, it takes time to build a search from the research to conversion; finding a prospect, the outbound reach out converting a passive candidate/prospect to an active candidate can take weeks to months; eventually a pipeline will be built and there are great tools to automate the relationship contact management but it takes time to get to this point.