Recruiting sourcing strategies are one of the most important pieces to the entire recruiting process. Without a well-built and thought-out sourcing strategy, recruiters would not be able to generate enough traffic from interested and qualified candidates. Personally, my experience has been that many of the candidates who are actively applying are not as qualified as candidates who I find myself. Read on as I share my methods for creating a successful and personalized sourcing strategy. n
What is a Sourcing Strategy? n A sourcing strategy is how recruiters will contact qualified prospects for open roles and can be inbound or outbound. Outbound sourcing strategies involve a variety of outreach methods, with the most common being the LinkedIn InMail message. Inbound sourcing strategies usually require recruiters to post their jobs to job boards and wait for applicants to apply. Recruiters track data from their sourcing strategies to see what works and refine their process to drive better results: more qualified candidates who are interested!
In the Beginning… Factory Mass MessagingnIn the beginning my outbound sourcing strategy was basic. I would go through and find candidates who met the minimum qualifications and load anywhere from 25-50 people in the project. A project in this case is a central, web-based location, where I can store online candidate profiles. I would then craft a message that sounded just like other recruiting messages. Something like:
“Hello! I am working with ABC company who *insert super long monologue*”.
These messages were not as personalized, and I am certain prospects could sense the factory styled mass message I had sent out to 50 people.
Then I realized… Themed Mass Messaging nAfter not experiencing much success with the factory styled mass messaging, I realized I had to change my approach. I partnered with my coworker Christian to produce a mass message that had flavor. I wanted to create a mass message that entertained people! That way if they read it, at least they got a good smile out of it or internal ‘LOL’. We started with Star Wars because it has mass appeal. I crafted the message to read like the beginning of the Star Wars movies and episodes with the announcer voice. In case you do not know what the voice sounds like: Star Wars Clone Wars Obi Wan and Anakin Get Ambushed on Planet Christophsis HD
Taking it a step further… AKA The Secret SauceThe secret sauce to outbound recruiting strategy is using video messaging! It is inevitable that people WILL ignore your attempts to speak with them about opportunities. People are busy; They are focused on work. The last thing they want to do is let a recruiter add more to their plate. Unless that recruiter sticks out among the crowd with a video message… I started sending video messages to prospective candidates because I realized that people LOVED the hyper personalized approach. My first trial was using videos for networking on LinkedIn.– You heard that correctly: Dom has been sending video messages way before he was a recruiter!– I believe video messages work because they SHOW you are willing to go the extra mile. They can also be viewed when convenient, with no further time commitment. Recipients do not have to face the pressure of interacting with you 1:1 unless they decide they like you and the opportunity.
I hope you enjoyed the glimpse into the sourcing strategy I am constantly refining. Are you a recruiter or job seeker who wants to hear more about the secret ways? Do not worry- we will publish the ‘How to send a video message’ article so you can start using the secret sauce too. Connect with me on LinkedIn!
