Sourcing candidates and all the efforts that go along with it by talent acquisition agents, recruiters, and human resource workers is critical to getting the best jobseekers into the building (or on virtual chat) for that initial interview.
Sourcing candidates effectively requires a holistic understanding of job visibility strategy and talent acquisition capabilities. But it isn’t easy! People are busy. Inboxes are full. It’s not hard for your message to get lost.
So how can you make your messaging stand out as you are sourcing candidates for your positions?
In this article, we will be discussing some tips and strategies to take in regards to how to source job candidates in a timely and proactive fashion by forging a symbiotic relationship between talent acquisition efforts with well-optimized online job posts.
Sourcing Candidates: What to Know
Poorly-Optimized Online Job Posts Waste Time, Money, And Effort
First, let’s start with the basics: if you have quality candidates coming from inbound sources in the first place, you shouldn’t need to do too much proactive sourcing of candidates in the first place.
Unfortunately, it happens. So let’s cover that point first — optimize your job posts to save your talent acquisition team time.
Wasting time sorting through the inappropriate candidates is an opportunity cost for your business. It will leave recruitment teams drained and unable to focus on closing the appropriate/desirable candidates.
The average corporate job post receives 250 resumes! That’s a tremendous number considering that only 2% of applicants are called in for an interview after submitting a resume.
In a 2018 study by SHRM, 33% of polled talent acquisition agents reported that they had experienced a drop in applicant quality, and that number increased to 45% in regards to candidates applying for specialty positions.
By better optimizing online job posts through platforms like Google for Jobs, talent acquisition teams will be able to source the appropriate talent and cut out much of the “noise” in the candidate pipeline.
This will make sourcing candidates in the first place less of a need.
Don’t Over Sell To Your Candidates
A priority for any great recruiting team is to find candidates who don’t “just want a job,” but to source candidates that have a desire to work within a company they respect. The ideal job candidate has an appreciation/attraction for the business, company ideology, and the corporate values you stand behind.
Recruitment teams can use the power of established and positive employer branding to help bolster the excitement/desire job candidates should feel when thinking about beginning a career path with the company.
Strong employer branding is not solely put on the shoulders of recruiting teams. It starts with a strong C-level effort towards maintaining a great reputation among staff and staying true to values and company mission.
Talent acquisition teams should feel proud to speak to the strong company culture and give candidates more reasons to be excited about working with the company they are interested in.
Treat your sourced candidates as you would like to be treated: don’t try so hard to sell and market to them, but rather showcase why your business is the right place for them.
Interested In Social Media Recruiting Practices?
Check Out Our Blog: Social Media Recruiting: Pros and Cons
Try Fresh Outreach Tactics for Candidates That Make The Cut
For those candidates who are marked as highly qualified and desirable, routine outreach will not be satisfactory. Automated and templatized outreach is simply not as effective as it used to be, and if you want jobseekers to care about your open position, then they need to know you care about them and value their qualifications.
Desirable job candidates know they are in-demand and they appreciate being approached with transparency and truth and conviction.
As Chirstine Hampton of Recruiting Daily says: “Be forthright. Without color or flowery expression, explain to the potential candidate who you are and why you are reaching out.“
Again, today consumers and job candidates are extremely savvy and appreciate a candid approach to the outreach.
When Sourcing Candidates, Put Your Best Foot Forward
Sourcing candidates that are best suited to help your company thrive is no simple task, but your team can be better aligned for recruiting success if online job posts are visible to the BEST-SUITED candidates in the first place. And from there, you approach the sourcing process from a perspective of respect and creativity in terms of reaching the most qualified individuals.
Your talent acquisition team can be the best around, but they still need to be put in front of the right candidates to successfully close. By having well-optimized online job posts, you set your recruiting team up for success and remove unnecessary noise before it begins.
Please contact us with any questions regarding online job posting tactics and strategic recruting efforts.
