How to align a proactive sourcing function

It’s a common question I get asked….”Jess, we want to build a proactive sourcing function, how do we know what roles or talent segments to align to it?”

Let’s stop and think about proactive means in practical terms. It’s adopting an active approach of taking opportunities out to market and presenting it to the right talent, before there is a “job need”.

This requires turning the traditional way of recruitment and “flip it and reverse it” (yes…I’m a Missy Elliott fan) and not waiting for talent to hopefully a) be actively looking for a new role, b) stumble across the role advertised at the exact time they happen to be looking, c) decipher the position description posted online (aka advert), d) apply through a usually cumbersome ATS (designed for recruiter ease generally not candidate experience) and e) talk to a recruiter, get interviewed, get offered, (if they are are lucky) and start…..honestly we wonder why we get drop rates in our processes…..

My thought with a proactive sourcing function always starts with “well, what talent problem are you trying to solve?”

What do I mean by “talent problem”? Well in Talent Acquisition we are driven by multiple business drivers, some of which we in fact can influence based on the way we approach our function. Some of these include: (in no particular order of importance)

Cost reduction, talent scarcity, volume management, geography, succession planning, future of work skill capabilities, time to hire – the list can go on, but here are some thoughts on a few key areas that may help get you started.

Cost reduction strategy – if you know that agency use is high in a particular talent segment, the desired outcome for the business would be to reduce spend. The question I always have there though, is why is agency use high in the first place?

But seriously, by breaking down that question on why agency use is happening, you can then think about aligning the best proactive sourcing approach.

If you’re not sure, go back through your hiring data and see if you can see a trend starting to emerge and ask the hiring community within your business to collaborate with you. Hiring managers love nothing more than collaborating with their talent partners.

Now I’m a massive fan of agency partnership – no agency bashing here (well the good ones at least anyway) but seriously, think about that question. In that talent particular talent segment, why is agency the best sourcing strategy? Is it talent availability, (or scarcity if the case may be) is it that advertising doesn’t reach the right audience? (Let’s not start on post and pray – we can save that for another blog!) or is it speed to market that the agencies capitalise on?

Volume – If it’s volume, then think about building that talent segment out as a talent pipeline. Proactively identify the talent, know where they are, who they work for, what drives them and how you may continually engage with them….know your candidates.

What numbers would constitute as volume hiring for your organisation, as this is a very subjective measure. Is it more than 5? 10? 50 hires within a defined time period? Is it repeated volume or project based? This will help define if this sourcing is an ongoing pipeline, or an “always on” approach to sourcing, or a strategic sourcing project, that once completed, that’s it.

Talent Scarcity – If it is talent scarcity, then this is where building deeper knowledge of the role can really assist. Is it the type of role that requires a longer term sourcing approach, as in if there are only 10 professionals in Australia that have that skill set and none are willing to play ball and consider moving, then maybe think about what skills have led to them being the right candidates. What career journey did they all take, what skills were the pre- cursor to them gaining the skills that are so critical. Work it out, then source there. Build the relationship with those candidates so when they are ready (if the hiring manager won’t consider hiring slightly more junior talent and developing them) you already have the pipeline built and relationship in play, then you might have a better chance of securing that talent when you need it.

Remember, it’s too late to start building a relationship when you need it!!

Location – you know the old real estate saying....”location, location, location.” Well the same can be said for talent.

If geography is the issue, then let me ask you this…do you actually know where the talent is in the first place? It isn’t recruitment’s role to say to a hiring manager “oh sorry, I know the role is in Sydney, I posted the role in Sydney and can’t find anyone for you.” No my friend, this doesn’t cut the steak anymore, be consultative. If the talent isn’t there, then where is it? By doing some quick research (it doesn’t have to be LinkedIn, but gosh I love my Talent Insights tool!) you can find out where that talent is in the market and tailor the approach accordingly.

If the talent is in Melbourne, not Sydney, think about advertising the role in Melbourne and see if the business will offer relocation, see if they will support remote working (thanks Rona, this is a silver lining in your crappy cloud for talent) or…now here’s the clincher – ask the business if they would consider moving the role to Melbourne where the talent is… (pausing for gasps) seriously, as a talent acquisition professionals we have the opportunity to consult to our hiring squads whilst the hiring decisions are being made. That is serious TA street cred!

Now if it isn’t volume or scarcity or geography driving the need for strategic sourcing, then think about what else may influence the sourcing alignment. What about time to hire or future of work capability gaps? Succession planning? There are so many variables that can benefit from proactive sourcing approach, you just need to identify the talent problems you are trying to solve, align it for sourcing, and build out a strategic sourcing plan…..stay tuned for the next few posts on how to build a strategic sourcing strategy, and how to measure a sourcing function’s success! (p.s this is the where gold is!)

J. Xx

P.s Collaboration Station:

I would love to hear your thoughts below on how you may have built out a strategic sourcing function, or follow The Talent Sourcing Collective for more insights on all things talent!!!