When Alec Baldwin famously shouted, ‘always be closing’, little did he know that it would one day become the mantra for the recruitment industry. Or in fact, any sales roles. Because when you’re in sales, whether that’s in human capital or telephones or cars, the close is important. It’s how we earn our bread and butter.
But as recruitment has evolved and the power has shifted from client to candidate, the mantra has evolved to ‘always be sourcing’ because we now know that recruitment isn’t enough. The constant need for sourcing, whether you’re heading up an agency, a HR department or internal talent, sourcing is now the bread and butter, and here’s why:
We’re running out of time
Positions need to be filled quickly and with a fast-moving talent population that jumps jobs as quickly as they change their Facebook statuses, the need for talent is ever present. And with high costs for each hire and even longer wait periods to fill those positions, it’s a constant drain on the resources of a business. We don’t have time for dissatisfied employees to finally leave before triggering a search for their replacement. Employee engagement tactics should keep us informed as to how our people are feeling and we can tell if someone is about to jump ship. Sourcing allows you to pre-qualify candidates and begin initial conversations as your current employees are on their way out, filling your empty spaces up much quicker.
Talent pools matter
We’ve previously talked about talent pools and how important they are and if you can be cultivating yours through your sourcing efforts you’re already ahead of the game. Having engaged talent pools who are ready to change and switch jobs will give you a wealth of candidates that are already warmed up to your potential opportunities and will help your pipeline. Your recruitment CRM should also be helping you cultivate these talent pools and keep you engaged. For example, Access Recruitment CRM sets reminders to reach out to candidates and can send bespoke content to them. Although some businesses still insist on starting their recruitment efforts once the job ad has hit the market, this is never an effective use of time.
Relationships
We always talk about recruitment being a people’s business and how it’s all about relationships, but the truth is so many of us forget that and get lost in the transactional side of making placements and hitting targets. Recruitment will always be fundamentally about people and the relationships we foster, and sourcing is one of the best ways to build and nurture those relationships. You’re often making friends for tomorrow and sourcing is about making placements for tomorrow. This isn’t about the instant win here, but the sourcing you do that will ultimately be your placements in future.
Reach
Any recruiter aims to reach as many people as possible and with your sourcing efforts that exactly what you can do. Recruitment is about putting out a job ad and getting applications, sourcing is about widening the conversation. Social media, applicant tracking systems and recruitment databases mean you have algorithms at your fingertips that will allow you to cast a huge net and have even bigger conversations.
Listening
Candidates want to be listened to and they won’t be pushed into any old job because it’s there. They have options and career plans and often they want to work with a recruiter that will help their goals come to fruition. Sourcing allows you to listen to the broader conversations and find out what’s on the minds and in the hearts of your candidates so you can provide a better service for them ultimately.
Hear from our CRM specialist on why Access Recruitment CRM software can place more candidates quicker.
