ten tactics every smart sourcer should use
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Smart Sourcing Playbook Ten Tactics Every Smart Sourcer Should Use
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 2
CORPORATE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL®
CLC RECRUITING™
Research Analyst
Manisha Gandhi
Consultant
Emily Harding
Senior Directors
Brad Adams
Thomas Handcock
Managing Director
Donna Weiss
NOTE TO MEMBERS
This project was researched and written to fulfill the research request of several members of The Corporate Executive Board Company and as a result may not satisfy the information needs of all member
companies. The Corporate Executive Board Company encourages members who have additional questions about this topic to contact the Member Support Center at [email protected]
for further discussion. The views expressed herein by third-party sources do not necessarily reflect the policies of the organizations they represent.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES NOTE
CLC Recruiting has worked to ensure the accuracy of the information it provides to its members. This project relies upon data obtained from many sources, however, and CLC Recruiting cannot guarantee the
accuracy of the information or its analysis in all cases. Furthermore, CLC Recruiting is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. Its projects should not be construed as
professional advice on any particular set of facts or circumstances. Members requiring such services are advised to consult an appropriate professional. Neither The Corporate Executive Board Company nor its
programs are responsible for any claims or losses that may arise from any errors or omissions in their reports, whether caused by The Corporate Executive Board Company or its sources.
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 3
Why Smart
Sourcing? The 10 Tactics
Takeaway
Resource
SMART SOURCING PLAYBOOK
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 4
Do the Following Challenges Sound Familiar?
“I don’t have time to build
pipelines.”
“I have too many
unqualified applicants.”
“My prospects don’t
convert into applicants.”
“The skills I source for are
hard to find.” Challenges
Common
Reasons
Sourcer/Recruiter
• Application volumes
rising
• Alarmingly poor
applicant quality
• Unclear hiring needs
• Candidates decline
offers
• Difficult to keep
prospects in the pipeline
engaged
• Changing candidate
behaviors and
preferences
• Strong competition for
talent
• Passive labor market
• Specialized hiring
requirements
• High requisition load
• Recruiting function
short-staffed
• Unstable hiring
requirements
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 5
Smart Sourcers Focus on Intelligence
Smart Sourcing: An Opportunity for Impact
The best sourcers and recruiters today are using smart sourcing techniques—they gather and apply valuable sourcing intelligence to improve outcomes of
sourcing efforts.
Common Sourcing Styles
Research-Focused
Relationship-Focused
Social Media-Focused
Mass Market-Focused
Intelligence-Focused
(Smart Sourcing)
• Invests heavily in
generating lots of
names
• Diligently screens every
application
• Exhausts all potential
sources
• Relies on expert
Boolean search skills
• Has deep industry
knowledge
• Focuses heavily on
prospect relationship
building
• Typically uses a softer
approach for initial
outreach
• Invests in keeping
prospects warm for
future jobs
• Spends more time
building rapport and trust
with prospects
• Encourages prospects to
take extra time to
discuss job with friends
and family
• Invests more in shaping
employment brand
perceptions through
social media
• Prefers social media
channels for initial
outreach
• Uses online networking
more heavily to source
leads
• Is first to adopt new
online recruiting tools
• Teaches others how to
use social recruiting
tools
• Posts openings in
highly visible places
• Prefers scalable
channels over more
niche channels
• Quickly and efficiently
posts newly opened
requisitions
• Uses a consistent
sales pitch to convert
prospects when sourcing
leads
• Relies on initial phone
screen to qualify
promising applicants
• Tailors sourcing efforts
to meet the specific
needs of each position
• Systematically captures
key intelligence from
each prospect
interaction
• Uses data to select
sources that yield quality
hires for a given position
• Deliberately provides
transparent, accurate
information about the
career opportunity
• Actively seeks to
influence strategy, not
just fulfill orders
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO
6
Focusing on Intelligence Increases Your Impact Smart Sourcers have higher quality shortlists and higher business influence as compared to other sourcers
Common Sourcing Styles
Research-Focused
Relationship-Focused
Social Media-Focused
Mass Market-Focused
Intelligence-Focused
(Smart Sourcing)
Percentage of
Sourcers With
High-Quality
Shortlists
Percentage of
Sourcers With
High Business
Influence
29% 40% 42% 43%
64%
50% 58%
60% 60%
93% Almost all smart
sourcers have high
business influence,
while only 60% or
less of other
sourcers do.
Smart sourcers
have higher quality
shortlists compared
to other sourcers.
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 7
Ten Tactics for Moving to Smart Sourcing
Requisition-Driven
(Typical) Sourcing
• Master the sourcing
process
• Use channels that bring
in lots of applications
• Build strong
relationships with all
prospects
Intelligence-Focused
(Smart) Sourcing
• Get high-quality
candidates faster
• Target sources of
high-quality candidates
• Engage only qualified
prospects
Tactics
1 Don’t treat all requisitions equally
2 Influence requisitions you source for
3 Help candidates filter themselves for jobs
4 Source where other sourcers don’t
5 Target channels that offer quality, not quantity
6 Take advantage of events at your talent competitors
7 Emphasize your organization’s differentiated strengths
8 Focus engagement efforts on truly-interested prospects
9 Earn prospects’ trust before fostering relationships
10 Use Web 2.0 for high-touch, scalable engagement
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 8
Smart Sourcing Tactics Help Solve Your Challenges
Tactics
• Don’t treat all requisitions
equally
• Help candidates filter
themselves
• Take advantage of events
at your talent competitors
• Focus engagement efforts
on truly-interested
candidates
• Use Web 2.0 for high-
touch, scalable
engagement
• Don’t treat all requisitions
equally
• Influence requisitions you
source for
• Help candidates filter
themselves
• Source where other
sourcers don’t
• Target channels that offer
quality, not quantity
• Help candidates filter
themselves
• Take advantage of events
at your talent competitors
• Emphasize your
organization’s
differentiated strengths
• Focus engagement efforts
on truly-interested
candidates
• Earn prospects’ trust
before fostering
relationships
• Use Web 2.0 for high-
touch, scalable
engagement
• Don’t treat all requisitions
equally
• Help candidates filter
themselves
• Source where other
sourcers don’t
• Focus engagement efforts
on truly-interested
candidates
“I don’t have time to build
pipelines.”
“I have too many
unqualified applicants.”
“My prospects don’t
convert into applicants.”
“The skills I source for are
hard to find.” Challenges
Sourcer/Recruiter
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 9
Why Smart
Sourcing? The 10 Tactics
Takeaway
Resource
SMART SOURCING PLAYBOOK
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 10
Don’t Treat All Requisitions Equally
Focus your efforts
disproportionately on the
most important requisitions.
• Focusing on all requisitions
equally is not only
time-consuming, but also
reduces your efficiency and
quality of shortlisted
candidates.
• Use needs definition meetings
and conversations with peers
to discuss the long-term value
of completing each requisition.
Source: Smart Sourcing, CLC Recruiting, 2011
Get Started
Intelligence Value Questionnaire
Use this questionnaire to find out the intelligence value of completing each of your requisitions.
Intelligence You Should Use
For This Tactic
Organization Intel
Talent needs of organization
Business goals
Organizational changes
Impact of Prioritizing Sourcing Requests on Quality of Shortlist
Percentage of Sourcers
Who Prioritize Based
on Importance
31%
Percentage of Sourcers
Who Treat All
Requisitions Equally
69%
3%
11%
No Prioritization Prioritization Based
on Importance
Sourcers who prioritize
their sourcing efforts are
more effective than those
who do not.
1
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 11
Influence Requisitions You Source For Smart sourcers use
evidence when collaborating
with hiring managers to
understand and test
assumptions about hiring
needs, and influence
requisitions as necessary.
• Setting expectations with hiring
managers upfront in the needs
definition phase improves the
likelihood of sourcing higher
quality candidates and
decreases their time to
productivity.
• Using evidence (i.e., relevant
data and expertise)
strengthens your voice in
meetings with hiring managers,
enabling you to firmly influence
how hiring needs are defined.
Source: Achieving Operational Excellence in Recruiting, CLC Recruiting, 2005
Get Started
Using Evidence to Influence Hiring Mangers: Evidence Documentation Template
Use this template to document evidence about positions you recruit for regularly, and use this
evidence to influence hiring needs.
Intelligence You Should Use
For This Tactic
Organization Intel
Talent strategy
Market Intel
Employer brand position
Events at talent competitors
Workforce trends
Business trends
Prospect Intel
Preferences
Impact of Effective Needs Definition Phase on Recruiting Outcomes
4.2 Working Days
10.6% 7.0% 9.6%
3.7 Working Days 3.3 Working Days
Can increase
quality of hire
by…
Can decrease time
to productivity
by…
Needs
Definition
Assessment
and Selection Onboarding
2
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 12
Help Candidates Filter Themselves for Jobs
By conveying accurate
information about the job,
you can encourage
candidate self-selection,
thereby reducing the number
of unqualified applicants.
• Almost 40% of new hires do
not believe they got accurate
information about the job,
often leading to “buyer’s
remorse”; this presents a huge
opportunity to improve
information accuracy.
• When writing job postings,
emphasize details about
day-to-day responsibilities and
describe qualities of the ideal
applicant to help candidates
filter themselves.
Source: Driving to Win-Win Selection Decisions, CLC Recruiting, 2008
Intelligence You Should Use
For This Tactic
Market Intel
Employer brand position
Workforce trends
Prospect Intel
Preferences
Obligations
Get Started
Checklist for Writing Clear, Compelling Job Postings
Use this checklist to create accurate job postings that compel only qualified candidates to apply. You
can also click here to access the e-learning module.
37%
63%
New Hire Rating of the Accuracy of Information Provided by the Organization
Percentage of New Hires
Nearly 4 in 10 new hires
do not believe they got
accurate information
about the job in advance.
Somewhat
Accurate or
Less
Accurate or
Very Accurate
3
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 13
Source Where Other Sourcers Don’t By uncovering undervalued
pools of high-quality talent,
smart sourcers avoid
cut-throat competition for
high-quality candidates.
• Targeting sources that other
recruiters overlook can
improve your ability to
generate high-quality leads.
• Assess undervalued talent
pools to identify and select
those pools with high-quality
talent able to meet your job
requirements.
Source: Smart Sourcing, CLC Recruiting, 2011
Get Started
Undervalued Talent Pool Identification Worksheet
Use this resource to uncover and select undervalued pools of high-quality talent.
Intelligence You Should Use
For This Tactic
Organization Intel
Organizational changes
Market Intel
Talent competitors
Workforce trends
Industry trends
Prospect Intel
Preferences
Percentage of Sourcers Who Use
Undervalued Talent Pools
Impact of Using Undervalued Talent Pools
on Ability to Generate Leads
24%
20%
Targeting
Undervalued
Talent Pools
4
Impact on Ability
to Generate
Leads
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 14
Target Channels That Offer Quality, Not Quantity
Instead of using channels
that provide the most
potential prospects,
focus on channels validated
by data and recommended
by peers.
• Peer advice and data about
how effective the channel has
been in the past are valuable
criteria for identifying channels
that provide access to
high-quality leads.
• Tailor your channel usage
strategy based on the type of
requisition such as high
volume, senior-level, etc.
Get Started
Sourcing Channel Evaluation Tool
Use this tool to assess your sourcing channels and determine whether to focus on new channels.
Intelligence You Should Use
For This Tactic
Market Intel
Talent competitors
Workforce trends
Industry trends
Prospect Intel
Preferences
Perception of organization
Sources of information Source: Smart Sourcing, CLC Recruiting, 2011
Sourcing Channel Selection Criteria
Prevalence Among Smart Sourcers (Indexed to Average Sourcers)*
Historical Data
Average Sourcer
Smart Sourcer
Peer Advice Prospect Volume
Channel Selection Criteria
1.00x 1.00x 1.00x
0.75x
1.51x
1.26x
5
Smart sourcers use prospect volume as a criteria to choose their channels 25% less often than
average sourcers do.
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 15
Timing outreach to coincide
with events that create
uncertainty for potential
prospects increases their
interest in your job
opportunities.
• Reaching out to prospects as
requisitions open up (or are
about to open up) is time
consuming and often results in
a low prospect response rate.
• Always monitor business and
industry news for layoffs,
acquisitions, stock price
fluctuations, and changes in
senior management at top
talent competitors, and reach
out to prospects when these
events occur.
Source: Attracting Critical Talent in an Uncertain Economy, CLC Recruiting, 2010
Get Started
Event Monitoring Worksheet for Recruiters and Sourcers
Use this worksheet to monitor business and industry news and plan your subsequent outreach
activities.
Intelligence You Should Use
For This Tactic
Market Intel
Events at talent competitors
Employer brand position
Business trends
Prospect Intel
Preferences
Impact of Events on Prospect Interest in Job Opportunity
Events That Drive High Prospect Interest
• Prospect’s organization announces layoffs
• Prospect receives a disappointing performance review
Events That Drive Moderate Prospect Interest
• Prospect’s organization announces an outsourcing initiative
• Prospect’s organization announces it is being acquired
• Prospect’s company’s stock price drops dramatically
• Prospect’s organization announces a change in senior management
Events That Drive Low Prospect Interest
• Prospect’s organization announces it is acquiring another organization
• Prospect's direct manager leaves
> 10%
1-10%
< 1%
6 Take Advantage of Events at Your Talent Competitors
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 16
Emphasize Your Organization’s Differentiated Strengths
Focus your outreach
messages on changing
prospects’ awareness and
perception of your
organization’s differentiated
strengths to improve brand
attractiveness.
• Tailoring employment brand to
prospect preferences is
necessary but insufficient.
• When communicating with
prospects, ensure that they do
not perceive your employment
brand as generic or are
unaware of the brand’s
strengths as compared to other
organizations.
Get Started
Differentiated Brand Messaging Worksheet
Use this resource to evaluate and differentiate your brand messages as compared to your talent
competitors.
Intelligence You Should Use
For This Tactic
Organization Intel
Organizational changes
Market Intel
Events at talent competitors
Business trends
Workforce trends
Employer brand position
Prospect Intel
Preferences
Changing prospects’ perception and
awareness of your organization’s
differentiated strengths can improve
brand attractiveness by an additional 23%.
Brand
Tailored to
Prospect
Preferences
Prospect’s
Perception of
Brand Compared
to Competitors
Prospect’s
Awareness of
Organization’s
Brand Strengths
Relative Impact on Employment Brand Attractiveness
Source: Attracting and Retaining Critical Talent Segments, CLC Human Resources
77%
13%
10% 100%
0%
Components of Employment Brand Attractiveness
7
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 17
Focus Engagement Efforts on Truly-Interested Prospects
Instead of keeping in touch
with all prospects, focus
your engagement efforts on
prospects who are
interested in the job
opportunity and likely to
switch (i.e. truly-interested
prospects).
• There are three key types of
prospects who you should filter
out: window shoppers,
embellishers, and attention
seekers.
• Asking direct questions
reveals little about prospects’
true interest; surface
underlying indicators of their
likelihood to switch indirectly.
Source: Smart Sourcing, CLC Recruiting, 2011
Get Started
Uncovering Prospect Intelligence Template
Use this guide to assess prospects’ true interest indirectly during conversations with them.
Intelligence You Should Use
For This Tactic
Market Intel
Events at talent competitors
Employer brand position
Prospect Intel
Preferences
Obligations
Behaviors Indicating Prospects Are Not
Truly-Interested
Percentage of Prospects Who Exhibit
Behavior
17%
11%
9%
Window Shopping
Engaging with sourcers despite high
job-switch barriers (e.g., mortgage, family)
Embellishing
Saying anything to sourcers to advance in
the process
Attention Seeking
Engaging with sourcers for the attention
of being recruited
8
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 18
Earn Prospects’ Trust Before Fostering Relationships
Prospects are more likely to
respond to outreach and
continue to engage when
you earn their trust.
• More than half of prospects do
not respond to initial outreach
because the sourcer is
ineffective.
• Sourcers who focus solely on
fostering relationships actually
see negative results; providing
believable information and
personalizing the opportunity
helps you earn prospects’
trust.
Source: Smart Sourcing, CLC Recruiting, 2011
Get Started
Prospect Outreach Diagnostic
Ask yourself 12 questions to see if you are building prospects’ trust.
Intelligence You Should Use
For This Tactic
Prospect Intel
Preferences
Interests and strengths
Education and experience
Reason for prior job move
Probability to Respond
Fostering
Relationships
Earning
Prospects’
Trust
Sourcer Activities
Leading with a soft pitch (e.g., asking
prospects for referrals)
Networking with prospects without a job
opportunity
Personalizing the opportunity based on
prospect’s experience and interests
Providing credible information about the
job and organization 6%
7%
4%
11%
Impact of Sourcer Activities on Prospects Probability to Respond to Sourcer Outreach
9
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 19
Use Web 2.0 for High-Touch, Scalable Engagement
One-to-many
communication is as
effective as one-to-one
communication in engaging
prospects in a customized
manner.
• Engaging with prospects on a
regular basis does not
necessarily have to be a
time-consuming activity.
• You can use Web 2.0 channels
such as e-newsletters,
customized by function or
areas of interest, to keep in
frequent touch with many
filtered prospects at once.
10
Get Started
Prospect Engagement Newsletter Template
Modify this template to create customized newsletters that keep prospects engaged with minimum
time investment.
Impact of Type of Communication on Prospect Engagement
One-to-One Communication One-to-Many Communication
9% 8%
• Professional networking profile
• Comments on blog post or article
• Direct e-mail message
• Social networking profile
• Personal phone call
• Professional networking groups
• Proprietary talent network
• E-mail with targeted job postings
• Social networking groups
• Organization’s e-mail newsletter
Intelligence You Should Use
For This Tactic
Organization Intel
Organizational changes
Function-specific events
Talent needs of organization
Market Intel
Workforce trends
Industry trends
Prospect Intel
Interests and strengths
Education and experience
Preferences
Scalable communication is
as effective as one-to-one
communication, making it
possible to productively
engage many prospects at
once. Impact on
Prospect
Engagement
Source: CLC Recruiting research
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 20
Why Smart
Sourcing? The 10 Tactics
Takeaway
Resource
SMART SOURCING PLAYBOOK
CLC Recruiting, Corporate Leadership Council
© 2012 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR2171211PRO 21
HRLC’sTen Tactics for Smart Sourcing
Smart Sourcing Tactics Get Started with These Resources
1 Don’t Treat All Requisitions Equally Intelligence Value Questionnaire
2 Influence Requisitions You Source For Using Evidence to Influence Hiring Managers: Evidence
Documentation Template
3 Help Candidates Filter Themselves for Jobs Checklist for Writing Clear, Compelling Job Postings
4 Source Where Other Sourcers Don’t Undervalued Talent Pool Identification Worksheet
5 Target Channels That Offer Quality, Not Quantity Sourcing Channel Evaluation Tool
6 Take Advantage of Events at Your Talent Competitors Event Monitoring Worksheet for Recruiters and Sourcers
7 Emphasize Your Organization’s Differentiated Strengths Differentiated Brand Messaging Worksheet
8 Focus Engagement Efforts on Truly-Interested Prospects Uncovering Prospect Intelligence Template
9 Earn Prospects’ Trust Before Fostering Relationships Prospect Outreach Diagnostic
10 Use Web 2.0 for High-Touch, Scalable Engagement Prospect Engagement Newsletter Template
CORPORATE EXECUTIVE BOARD
WWW.EXECUTIVEBOARD.COM