Saving in the right places with proactive sourcing

December 08, 2020

Candidate sourcing is like any good relationship: it needs nurturing. If both sides are to benefit, it requires attention, appreciation, and constant exchange. This however costs a lot of time and, as we know, money. It is an issue that still makes companies reluctant to use proactive sourcing in the sense of serious relationship management between employer and candidate. But with the right technology, optimization potential can be exploited elsewhere.

Studies show that very few companies are now able to meet their personnel requirements without proactive sourcing. The IT industry in particular has a hard time filling vacancies successfully if the candidate has not been courted beforehand. Where this happens, a quarter of jobs are now filled via candidate sourcing channels. Looking at today’s overall job market, about two in ten candidates now change employers even though they were not actually looking for a new job – simply because of the company’s active efforts.

Not only in case of need – proactive sourcing must be regarded as long term

However, candidate sourcing is not something to be “booked in addition” if required; not a spontaneous addition to the standard requirement repertoire when it’s taking longer to appoint someone. As a mid-to-long-term measure, it should not be tied to individual headcounts. Rather the aim is to develop and nurture a strong network in the form of a talent pool. Potential candidates must be constantly sought, identified, and reached out to – using meaningful content to keep them in the network and inspire them for the company. Not a task to be done on the side.

Smart tools for efficient sourcing

This brings us back to the core problem. The amount of time and personnel required for proactive sourcing is not insignificant. It, therefore, makes sense to exploit the potential for automation in order to minimize costs. But too much of a good thing can also have the opposite effect. Candidates quickly turn away if they do not feel personally addressed, but are overwhelmed by automated, standard questions. So when does it make sense to use smart algorithms and when is it smarter to use a personal approach? With these three tools, proactive sourcing can save money and, above all, time that can be invested in personal relationship management instead.

#1 For hunters and gatherers 4.0 – the Active Sourcing browser extension

Social media and business networks are digital goldmines for recruiters. There are also blogs, forums, internet communities, websites for applicants, and job portals where people hunt and collect. This abundance of data regarding potential candidates is both a curse and a blessing. On the one hand, the abundance of data naturally increases the chances of finding the right applicant. On the other hand, proactive sourcing can become an enormously time-consuming activity. Manually transferring data during online research alone can become a never-ending story.

It is easier and above all faster with an Active Sourcing browser extension. This smart feature from Talentry extends the functionality of your own web browser in such a way that relevant data from Linkedin or Xing profiles can be saved in the talent pool, in a uniform and therefore comparable format with a simple mouse click.

#2 Single source of truth – collaborative working on a central platform

In the age of candidate journeys involving multiple channels and multiple devices, all candidate information should be consistent across all channels, particularly with proactive sourcing. This can only happen if everyone in the company is able to work with the same information in real-time. A single source of truth, i.e. a central database accessible to everyone (rather than scattered data silos) ensures that every employee involved in the recruitment process knows the current status, uses the same candidate information, and can access dashboards and reports at any time. This allows teams to work together efficiently across locations and even country borders.

#3 Automated consent management – avoid costly GDPR mistakes

If the candidates’ data is spread between many different tools, systems, and local devices, compliance with GDPR requirements becomes a challenge. And if approval processes are not mapped in a legally compliant and transparent manner, this can lead to expensive consequences. Even the internal sharing of an Excel spreadsheet or an employee referral can become a problem. However, instead of laboriously obtaining consent for data processing individually, this process can be linked and automated at the time the candidate is approached using the Talent Relationship Platform (TRP) from Talentry. Once consent has been obtained, the profile in the database is automatically updated. Talentry TRP can then be used to set the time for renewing consent for individual candidates or entire groups.

The examples show: those who rely on technological efficiency in the right places and automate processes using smart tools, can ensure important capacity to promote proactive sourcing as a relationship management tool – with awareness and regard for the candidate.