For every recruiter and hiring manager, sourcing the right talent has become akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. The needle represents the exceptional candidate, and the haystack is the vast pool of potential hires. Mintopps understands this challenge and has developed 12 creative sourcing hacks to help you identify those exceptional candidates swiftly and efficiently.
The Growing Challenge
A recent survey by the Korn Ferry Institute revealed a daunting statistic: over 85 million jobs could remain unfilled by 2030. The root causes? A scarcity of skilled candidates. This scarcity poses a formidable challenge to finding top talent in the future. However, Mintopps believes that with creative sourcing hacks strategies, HR professionals can rise to meet this challenge.
Creative Sourcing: What Is It?
Creative sourcing hacks involves a thoughtful and imaginative approach to finding potential candidates and building a high-quality talent pipeline. It sets itself apart from traditional sourcing hacks methods by requiring creativity and innovation. Think of it to cast a wider net and discover talent in unexpected places.
Do you know?
- 46% of businesses cite employee referrals as their top channel for quality hiring.
- 68% of recruiting professionals believe that investing in new recruiting technology is the key to improving recruiting performance.
- 73% of companies have successfully hired candidates through social media, resulting in improved candidate quality.
Imagine your organization as a startup with 100 open positions, all filled with exceptionally talented candidates. This dream can become a reality with effective candidate sourcing. As the job market becomes increasingly competitive, the ability to source the right candidates quickly becomes crucial. But why is sourcing so important for your organization?
The Benefits of Creative Sourcing
Broadening Your Talent Pool
Creative sourcing extends beyond conventional channels like job boards, allowing you to tap into a more diverse range of sourcing platforms.
Appealing to Passive Job Seekers
An astonishing 73% of applicants are passive job seekers. While they may be challenging to attract, a broader talent pool increases your chances of piquing their interest.
Enhancing Diversity
Creative sourcing fosters diversity, which, as per a McKinsey & Company report, can lead to higher team performance.
The Challenges of Creative Sourcing
Creative sourcing, as the name suggests, comes with its unique set of challenges. Here are four key hurdles:
Crafting Compelling Job Descriptions
Effective job descriptions are crucial for creative sourcing. They should encompass marketing elements, the role’s reality, required skills, competencies, and the organization’s culture.
Attracting Passive Candidates
Passive candidates are content in their current roles, making them difficult to lure away. However, creative sourcing strategies can make this endeavor more manageable.
Assessing Candidates’ Skills
Skills testing is essential but can be daunting when handling numerous applicants. Utilizing a reliable skill testing platform can streamline this process.
Overcoming Talent Scarcity
Certain fields, such as software engineering, face a severe talent shortage. Creative sourcing can help you identify overlooked talent pools.
12 Creative Sourcing Strategies
Here are 12 creative sourcing strategies to help hiring managers source top candidates:
1. Facebook Advertising
Utilize targeted advertising on Facebook to reach potential candidates effectively. With its vast user base, Facebook is an untapped resource for recruitment.
2. LinkedIn Advertising
Leverage LinkedIn’s advertising platform to create targeted ads and reach potential candidates based on specific criteria.
3. Twitter Business Profile
Build a Twitter business profile to connect with potential candidates and promote your brand. Twitter’s extensive user base offers numerous sourcing opportunities.
4. Employee Branding
Encourage employees to become brand ambassadors. Their endorsements and testimonials can attract top candidates.
5. Start a Blog
Maintain a company blog featuring relevant content and optimized for search engines. It can serve as a creative sourcing tool by drawing candidates to your brand.
6. Career Conferences
Participate in career networking conferences and events to meet potential candidates in person. Networking opportunities like these can yield valuable connections.
7. Employee Referral Programs
Implement employee referral programs with various types of rewards to encourage your existing workforce to recommend suitable candidates.
8. Client or Customer Outreach
Leverage relationships with clients and customers to identify potential candidates who are already familiar with your brand and offerings.
9. Optimize Your Website
Ensure your company’s website showcases your brand, values, and diversity statements to attract candidates and enhance your sourcing efforts.
10. Explore Overseas Job Websites
Expand your candidate pool by posting job listings on overseas job websites. This is especially useful for remote positions.
11. Creative Technical Sourcing
For technical roles, partner with your marketing team, use niche job boards, network at industry-specific events, and deploy skills tests to identify top talent.
12. Industry-Specific Forums and Communities
Explore online forums, discussion boards, and social media communities specific to your industry. Engaging with professionals in these spaces can help you identify candidates who are passionate and knowledgeable about your field. These candidates may be more likely to fit seamlessly into your organization and share valuable industry insights.
Next Steps
Evaluating and Interviewing
After creative sourcing, the next steps involve evaluating candidates and conducting interviews:
1. Skills Testing
Use skills tests to assess candidates’ capabilities and validate their qualifications. This step ensures a more objective evaluation.
2. Interviews
Conduct video or in-person interviews to assess soft skills, values, and cultural fit. Skills test results can serve as discussion points during the interview.
Conclusion
Sourcing exceptional candidates is a pivotal recruiting skill that can transform your organization. By embracing creative sourcing and utilizing these strategies, you can build a reliable talent pipeline, attract top-tier candidates, and create a thriving workplace.
Mintopps offers recruitment solutions that simplify and streamline your hiring process. Start today, and enhance your hiring decisions with speed, precision, and fairness.
