Take it, run with it, and live by it. Because if you’re in staffing, or any kind of sales, you know how important that close is. It’s the difference between the top of the leaderboards or looking for another job.
But as the balance of power shifted from recruiter to candidate, the mantra has evolved to emphasis the need for recruiters to consistently be sourcing candidates.
Because it doesn’t matter what position you hold, whether you’re a hiring manager, agency owner, or the head of HR, the need for continuous sourcing will always be high.
No one has the time
Literally, no one has the time to wait for empty positions and dissatisfied employees to leave before trigging a search for the right talent. By the time you’ve waited, you’ve lost thousands of dollars and the available talent is already scooped up in someone else pocked. Not to mention, the market moves far too fast for you to wait around. Sourcing allows you to pre-qualify candidates and begin initial conversations so they go from cold leads to hot, or at least lukewarm.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Sourcing allows you to pre-qualify candidates and begin initial conversations.” quote=”Sourcing allows you to pre-qualify candidates and begin initial conversations.”]
The world is your oyster
When you’re putting effort into sourcing, your reach suddenly multiples. No longer do you have to wait for hundreds of applications to flood through your inbox in the hope that ten will make the shortlist. Forget about it! Social media, applicant tracking systems, and recruitment databases mean you have algorithms at your fingertips that will allow you to find the very best people, often before the job is even open or even before they know they want a new job.
[clickToTweet tweet=”When you’re putting effort into sourcing, your reach suddenly multiples. ” quote=”When you’re putting effort into sourcing, your reach suddenly multiples. “]
Pipeline
Which of course leads us to our next point, the ever-important pipeline. Believe it or not, there are still organizations who need to hire, but refuse to start building a pipeline until the job is advertised on the market. You’re not doing yourself any favors, and a healthy pipeline and full candidate pools will always be the difference between the great hires and the average ones.
Honesty is the best policy
Your moms told you this one a million times, and as per usual she was right. The phrase ‘always be closing’ has developed negative connotations over the years that have continued into the recruitment industry. The idea that recruiters are always pushy and brash, constantly putting jobs you don’t want in front of you, prevails. But if you’re going to get anywhere with your sourcing efforts, you’re going to have to be truthful. You don’t need to manipulate candidates ever, but be honest about upcoming opportunities. A lot of candidates who aren’t ready will find it appealing that in a month or two, there may be an opportunity on the table. Take it easy with them; sourcing doesn’t equal getting them in to interview right now.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Sourcing doesn’t equal getting them in to interview right now.” quote=”Sourcing doesn’t equal getting them in to interview right now.”]
Listen
Again, it’s one of those pieces of advice you’ve heard a million times, but listening to your candidates wants and needs will allow you to effectively source, keeping both your clients and candidates happy. Not to mention your boss. There’s never any point in trying to push the right candidate into the wrong job because it’s right there at the moment. Find out what they want, and eventually, the right opportunity will present itself and you’ll find that your candidates are more engaged and loyal.