Sourcing Candidates
The Following list of candidate sourcing methods is by no means complete. We have chosen to review some of the more popular methods - each of which have advantages and disadvantages, depending on the nature of your individual needs.
Word of Mouth
Many positions have traditionally been filled as a result of knowing someone who knows
someone else, and, so forth. Basically, this means getting the word out to your friends that you have specific hiring needs.
If time is not an element and the position is not sensitive in nature or confidential, ( perhaps because you are replacing someone), it can be a good place to start.
Keep in mind, though, Word-Of -Mouth can be a time consuming process. If your hiring need is immediate or urgent, or the position in question calls for specific, narrowly defined candidate requirements, you should place more emphasis on alternative sourcing methods which will enable you to better control the speed and quality of the process.
Direct SourcingCertainly a more aggressive approach, but similar to Word-Of-Mouth. Rather than waiting for a response from your
friends, you actively get on the phone, calling industry acquaintances, competitors, etc., and gather the names of possible candidates whom they may know. Then, you call those individuals, present your opportunity, initially qualify them, and assess their interest level. If they appear, at first glance, to be qualified and seem interested in making a change, you spend more time talking to them, setting up interviews, etc.
Although Direct Sourcing tends to give you more direct control over the sourcing process, it is definitely more time-consuming than Word-Of-Mouth, and is certainly not for everyone. Unless you have a considerable amount of time to devote to this method, and the professional recruiting skills to uncover the right candidates, you should probably try another approach.
Print Advertising
When it's time to fill positions, this is the first place many hiring managers start. And although "let's run an ad" is often their first thought, the fact is that less than 5% of those individuals responding to advertising actually have qualifications that even resemble your stated requirements. In highly technical industries such as telecom or wireless, that percentage is often much lower.
The reason so many unqualified people respond to ads is really very simple. For the most part, these are individuals who need a job, either because they are physically or emotionally unemployed.
Of course, targeting your ad to an appropriate industry publication, rather than The Hometown Gazette does increase your odds. But unfortunately, you're still missing the best source of highly qualified people - namely, those that aren't actively looking to make a change, but are willing to look at an interesting opportunity - especially if it is presented to them in a professional and personable manner.
Also, unless your hiring need involves general staffing or there are an abundance of available candidates matching your requirements, be prepared to waste a considerable amount of time wading through mounds of useless resumes.
The InternetThe World Wide Web - it's rapidly changing the way we all do business and obtain all sorts of information. It's no surprise then, that there are literally thousands of career, job and resume related sites.
Recent studies of the recruiting practices of various sized companies have shown that while nearly 40% of businesses use the internet to either source candidate resumes or post jobs on web-sites, only 4% of those are actually satisfied with the results they achieve through its use. Moreover, it generally represents a small portion of their overall recruiting strategy.
Technically oriented industries, such as ours, do benefit somewhat more from its use, due to the higher numbers of technically oriented users who regularly post resumes and respond to internet employment ads. And, there are some "gems" to be found on the internet.
Again, though, be prepared to spend inordinate amounts of time surfing, reading e-mails, responding to them, posting ads, etc., in an effort to "strike gold". That may be O.K. if that's your only job function, but if you have other responsibilities, beware! It's easy to waste a lot of time on the internet surfing and recruiting.
In addition, similar problems exist with Internet Recruiting as with Print Advertising - you're generally not reaching the exceptional individuals who are not reading the ads nor posting their resumes.
On the other hand, if your needs lean more towards the entry level positions, it can be quite useful. Otherwise, we suggest you use the internet as many others do - as a small part of a larger overall recruiting strategy.
Job FairsIndustry targeted job fairs can be a good means of sourcing candidates, particularly if the job fair you're attending is geared towards the specific skill sets for which you
are searching.
They are time-consuming, and by no means, always successful. Be prepared to spend 2 - 3 days at a typical job fair, talking to anyone and everyone who cares to stop by your booth.
Again, if your hiring needs are geared more towards the entry level positions, job fairs may be a viable candidate sourcing tool when utilized in conjunction with other alternative methods.
Executive Recruiting FirmsEngaging a third party executive recruiting firm to assist you in filling a management hiring need can be one of the most efficient, productive and cost effective methods to employ - especially if candidates with the right qualifications are not readily available, or the position really needs to be filled right away. As a rule, no other sourcing method will yield successful results faster than a professional recruiting firm whose business is focused exclusively on your industry.
Obviously, as in any other business, all recruiting firms are not created equal. Some
firms are "generalists" who work many industries at the same time, and thus, may not be able to tap into your specific need as quickly and productively as a firm that specializes in a particular industry, such as ExecuSource.
ExecuSource focuses its resources entirely on Telecom and Wireless related businesses. We are constantly in touch with industry professionals day-in and day-out, and are therefore better equipped to address your management needs more effectively.
Some recruiters offer only limited services and may not thoroughly interview candidates before presenting them to you. These firms take a "more is better" approach - hoping that if they send you enough resumes, one may "stick". Unfortunately, you have to do most of the work, anyway, that they should be doing in the first place.
ExecuSource only presents those candidates that match the assignment profile and are motivated to consider your opportunity. This approach, in the long run, saves you both time and money, and produces superior results.
If your need is urgent and you're looking for qualified industry candidates (and not merely resumes to read), consider a professional executive recruiting firm such as ExecuSource.
When you add up the costs to your company by leaving a critical position left unfilled, and the additional costs associated with employing other sourcing methods, by contrast, we represent a very productive, efficient and cost effective means of filling your management needs.
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