Sourcing candidates: What is sourcing in recruitment and how to do it
Sourcing is the foundation that recruitment hinges on. It is the first step in the hiring cycle and refers to the process of finding and recognising potential candidates for your company. Sourcing is followed by screening and interviewing and can have a significant impact on ‘time to fill’. Therefore, in this article, we will cover some best practices that you can follow while sourcing candidates to strengthen your recruitment process.
1. Do a job analysis
The very first thing to do while sourcing is to understand what the job entails. The best way to do this is by getting in touch with anyone who has held the position within the company or in your network. Doing a job analysis will help you find candidates who have the background and skills required to carry out the responsibilities in the role.
If possible, you can also create candidate personas with the hiring manager for the ideal candidates. This will help you understand what motivates them, which can be useful when you are reaching out to passive candidates.
2. Network and build a talent pipeline
Sourcing should not begin the minute you have a job opening. It starts with finding professionals within the industry and building relationships with them even before there is a vacancy. You may not be looking to hire any of them immediately but they would be open to hearing about opportunities when the need arises or they may be able to refer you to other candidates. These professionals comprise your talent pipeline.
In addition to finding new professionals, you can also add candidates who applied to a position but did not land the job.
3. Create templates but personalise them as much as possible
While email or message templates can help you reach a large number of candidates in a shorter amount of time, it might not be as effective as a message that is personalised. So, whenever possible, use a template as a building block and tailor your message for the candidates. You can also track which messages performed the best.
4. Diversify your sources
With recruiting becoming more digital, there are a number of sources that you can benefit from. For instance, different social media platforms, sites dedicated to a particular industry such as Dribbble, or job boards having a specific user base such as Fresher Jobs on Internshala.
5. Analyse your sources
Your search for the right candidates might take you to different places. Spend some time on analysing each of these sourcing platforms to understand which give you the most number of quality hires. For example, perhaps GitHub leads you to the best developers for leadership positions in your company or Instagram helps you find the right designers.
Another important metric is the retention rate of these employees. Evaluate the sources that lead to the best retention rate which can help your recruiting budget in the long run.
6. Make use of employee referrals
Your current employees are perhaps the kind of candidates you are looking for to fill future vacancies. They are the right culture fit and understand the work environment and expectations. This is why employee referrals can pay off and should be part of your sourcing strategy. Moreover, it can increase the diversity at your company.
7. Generate interest in the company through employer branding
According to a Glassdoor survey, 75% of job seekers will apply to a company that actively manages its employer brand. Therefore, putting efforts into employer branding can be one way to increase the number of qualified candidates. You can do this by using your candidate personas to showcase the aspects of your company that would be most relevant.
8. Hire internally
Sourcing talent does not always need to be an external affair. By providing mentorship and learning and development opportunities in your company, you can prepare candidates to step up in their roles or transition into other roles.
If you are looking for freshers to join your dynamic team, then check out Fresher Jobs on Internshala.
Source: Photo by Polina Zimmerman from Pexels
