Hiring doesn’t have to be an uncertain process!
You may recall that I promised over the next 6 months to help you answer the following 6 questions:
- Who am I REALLY looking for?
- Where am I going to find him/her?
- How am I going to evaluate him/her?
- How am I actually going to hire him/her?
- How am I going to successfully “on-board” him/her?
- How am I going to retain him/her?
Last month I addressed Question 1, so now we are looking at:
Question 2 – Where am I going to find him/her?
A recent Aberdeen Survey found that 33% of the corporations they polled identified Sourcing as the top priority in the Talent Acquisition Life Cycle, above such other factors as Assessment, Hiring, and On-boarding.
There are a myriad of ways to source candidates these days, each with their pros and cons with respect to quality and cost. The list includes print advertising, internet postings (commercial job boards, company websites, etc.), social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.), industry and professional associations, employment services of educational institutions, outplacement agencies, government agencies (e.g. HRDC), networking self-help groups, personal referrals, and of course placement agencies and search firms. Our clients are routinely surprised when we uncover and talk to over 200 candidates before submitting a short list.
Passive vs. Active Candidates
As our economy heats up and we move toward widespread specialty skills shortages at all levels, the top candidates for most positions will already be working, and not actively engaged in the job market. Placing ads (print or electronic) and hoping the best candidates will reach out to you will become less and less productive.
Recognizing that human talent is the last truly enduring competitive advantage, you will need a more systematic and proactive sourcing strategy if you want to build a long-term winning organization.
Finding the Passive Candidates
Passive candidates will have to be identified and contacted proactively to get their attention and engage them in the search process. This requires on-going marketing to promote your company as a good place to work, good networking skills to identify the top candidates, and strong messaging during your initial contact.
