Ten Tactics Every Smart Sourcer Should Use

Smart Sourcing Playbook
Ten Tactics Every Smart Sourcer Should Use

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 EXBD_Support_HR@executiveboard.com
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 2

SMART SOURCING PLAYBOOK

Why Smart Takeaway
The 10 Tactics
Sourcing? Resource


Do the Following Challenges Sound Familiar?

Sourcer/Recruiter

“I don’t have time to build “I have too many “My prospects don’t “The skills I source for are
Challenges pipelines.” unqualified applicants.” convert into applicants.” hard to find.”

• High requisition load • Application volumes • Candidates decline • Strong competition for
rising offers talent
Common • Recruiting function
Reasons short-staffed • Alarmingly poor • Difficult to keep • Passive labor market
applicant quality prospects in the pipeline
• Unstable hiring • Specialized hiring
engaged
requirements • Unclear hiring needs requirements
• Changing candidate
behaviors and
preferences


Smart Sourcers Focus on Intelligence

Common Sourcing Styles

Research-Focused Relationship-Focused Social Media-Focused Mass Market-Focused Intelligence-Focused
(Smart Sourcing)

• Invests heavily in • Focuses heavily on • Invests more in shaping • Posts openings in • Tailors sourcing efforts
generating lots of prospect relationship employment brand highly visible places to meet the specific
names building perceptions through needs of each position
• Prefers scalable
social media
• Diligently screens every • Typically uses a softer channels over more • Systematically captures
application approach for initial • Prefers social media niche channels key intelligence from
outreach channels for initial each prospect
• Exhausts all potential • Quickly and efficiently
outreach interaction
sources • Invests in keeping posts newly opened
prospects warm for • Uses online networking requisitions • Uses data to select
• Relies on expert
future jobs more heavily to source sources that yield quality
Boolean search skills • Uses a consistent
leads hires for a given position
• Spends more time sales pitch to convert
• Has deep industry
building rapport and trust • Is first to adopt new prospects when sourcing • Deliberately provides
knowledge
with prospects online recruiting tools leads transparent, accurate
information about the
• Encourages prospects to • Teaches others how to • Relies on initial phone
career opportunity
take extra time to use social recruiting screen to qualify
discuss job with friends tools promising applicants • Actively seeks to
and family influence strategy, not
just fulfill orders

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.


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)

64% Smart sourcers
have higher quality
Percentage of 43% shortlists compared
40% 42%
Sourcers With to other sourcers.
29%
High-Quality
Shortlists

93% Almost all smart
sourcers have high
business influence,
while only 60% or
60% 60%
58% less of other
Percentage of
50% sourcers do.
Sourcers With
High Business
Influence


Ten Tactics for Moving to Smart Sourcing

Requisition-Driven Intelligence-Focused
(Typical) Sourcing (Smart) Sourcing
Tactics
1 Don’t treat all requisitions equally
• Master the sourcing • Get high-quality
process 2 Influence requisitions you source for candidates faster

3 Help candidates filter themselves for jobs

4 Source where other sourcers don’t
• Use channels that bring • Target sources of
in lots of applications 5 Target channels that offer quality, not quantity high-quality candidates

6 Take advantage of events at your talent competitors

• Build strong 7 Emphasize your organization’s differentiated strengths • Engage only qualified
relationships with all prospects
prospects 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


Smart Sourcing Tactics Help Solve Your Challenges

Sourcer/Recruiter

“I don’t have time to build “I have too many “My prospects don’t “The skills I source for are
Challenges pipelines.” unqualified applicants.” convert into applicants.” hard to find.”

• Don’t treat all requisitions • Don’t treat all requisitions • Help candidates filter • Don’t treat all requisitions
equally equally themselves equally
• Help candidates filter • Influence requisitions you • Take advantage of events • Help candidates filter
themselves source for at your talent competitors themselves
• Take advantage of events • Help candidates filter • Emphasize your • Source where other
Tactics organization’s
at your talent competitors themselves sourcers don’t
differentiated strengths
• Focus engagement efforts • Source where other • Focus engagement efforts
on truly-interested sourcers don’t • Focus engagement efforts on truly-interested
candidates on truly-interested candidates
• Target channels that offer
candidates
• Use Web 2.0 for high- quality, not quantity
touch, scalable • Earn prospects’ trust
engagement before fostering
relationships
• Use Web 2.0 for high-
touch, scalable
engagement



Why Smart Takeaway
The 10 Tactics
Sourcing? Resource


Focus your efforts
disproportionately on the
1 Don’t Treat All Requisitions Equally
most important requisitions.

• Focusing on all requisitions
equally is not only Impact of Prioritizing Sourcing Requests on Quality of Shortlist
time-consuming, but also
reduces your efficiency and Sourcers who prioritize
quality of shortlisted 11% their sourcing efforts are
candidates. more effective than those
who do not.
• Use needs definition meetings
and conversations with peers
to discuss the long-term value
of completing each requisition.
3%

No Prioritization Prioritization Based
on Importance

Percentage of Sourcers Percentage of Sourcers
Who Treat All Who Prioritize Based
Requisitions Equally on Importance

69% 31%

Intelligence You Should Use
For This Tactic Get Started

Organization Intel Intelligence Value Questionnaire
 Talent needs of organization Use this questionnaire to find out the intelligence value of completing each of your requisitions.
 Business goals
 Organizational changes Source: Smart Sourcing, CLC Recruiting, 2011


Smart sourcers use
evidence when collaborating
2 Influence Requisitions You Source For
with hiring managers to
understand and test
assumptions about hiring
needs, and influence
Impact of Effective Needs Definition Phase on Recruiting Outcomes
requisitions as necessary.

• Setting expectations with hiring
managers upfront in the needs
definition phase improves the Needs Assessment
Onboarding
Definition and Selection
likelihood of sourcing higher
quality candidates and
decreases their time to
productivity. Can increase
• Using evidence (i.e., relevant quality of hire 10.6% 7.0% 9.6%
data and expertise) by…
strengthens your voice in
meetings with hiring managers, Can decrease time
enabling you to firmly influence to productivity 4.2 Working Days 3.7 Working Days 3.3 Working Days
how hiring needs are defined. by…

For This Tactic
Organization Intel
 Talent strategy
Market Intel
 Employer brand position
 Events at talent competitors Get Started
 Workforce trends Using Evidence to Influence Hiring Mangers: Evidence Documentation Template
 Business trends Use this template to document evidence about positions you recruit for regularly, and use this
Prospect Intel evidence to influence hiring needs.
 Preferences
Source: Achieving Operational Excellence in Recruiting, CLC Recruiting, 2005


By conveying accurate
information about the job,
3 Help Candidates Filter Themselves for
you can encourage
candidate self-selection,
Jobs
thereby reducing the number
of unqualified applicants.
New Hire Rating of the Accuracy of Information Provided by the Organization
Percentage of New Hires
• 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 Somewhat
information accuracy. Accurate or
• When writing job postings, Less
37%
emphasize details about
day-to-day responsibilities and 63%
describe qualities of the ideal Accurate or Nearly 4 in 10 new hires
Very Accurate do not believe they got
applicant to help candidates
accurate information
filter themselves.
about the job in advance.

For This Tactic
Market Intel
 Employer brand position Get Started
 Workforce trends Checklist for Writing Clear, Compelling Job Postings
Prospect Intel Use this checklist to create accurate job postings that compel only qualified candidates to apply. You
 Preferences can also click here to access the e-learning module.
 Obligations
Source: Driving to Win-Win Selection Decisions, CLC Recruiting, 2008


By uncovering undervalued
pools of high-quality talent,
4 Source Where Other Sourcers Don’t
smart sourcers avoid
cut-throat competition for
high-quality candidates.
Impact of Using Undervalued Talent Pools Percentage of Sourcers Who Use
• Targeting sources that other on Ability to Generate Leads Undervalued Talent Pools
recruiters overlook can
improve your ability to
generate high-quality leads.
• Assess undervalued talent 20%
pools to identify and select
those pools with high-quality 24%
talent able to meet your job Impact on Ability
requirements. to Generate
Leads

Targeting
Undervalued
Talent Pools

For This Tactic
Organization Intel
 Organizational changes
Market Intel
 Talent competitors Get Started
 Workforce trends Undervalued Talent Pool Identification Worksheet
 Industry trends Use this resource to uncover and select undervalued pools of high-quality talent.
Prospect Intel
 Preferences
Source: Smart Sourcing, CLC Recruiting, 2011


Instead of using channels
that provide the most
5 Target Channels That Offer Quality,
potential prospects,
focus on channels validated
Not Quantity
by data and recommended
by peers.
Sourcing Channel Selection Criteria
Prevalence Among Smart Sourcers (Indexed to Average Sourcers)*
• Peer advice and data about
how effective the channel has 1.51x
been in the past are valuable
criteria for identifying channels 1.26x
that provide access to
high-quality leads.
1.00x 1.00x 1.00x
• Tailor your channel usage Average
strategy based on the type of 0.75x Sourcer
requisition such as high
Smart
volume, senior-level, etc. Sourcer

Prospect Volume Peer Advice Historical Data

Intelligence You Should Use Channel Selection Criteria
For This Tactic
Smart sourcers use prospect volume as a criteria to choose their channels 25% less often than
Market Intel average sourcers do.
 Talent competitors
 Workforce trends
 Industry trends Get Started

Prospect Intel Sourcing Channel Evaluation Tool
 Preferences Use this tool to assess your sourcing channels and determine whether to focus on new channels.
 Perception of organization
 Sources of information


Timing outreach to coincide
with events that create
6 Take Advantage of Events at Your Talent
uncertainty for potential
prospects increases their
Competitors
interest in your job
opportunities.
Impact of Events on Prospect Interest in Job Opportunity

• Reaching out to prospects as
requisitions open up (or are Events That Drive High Prospect Interest
about to open up) is time > 10%
consuming and often results in • Prospect’s organization announces layoffs
a low prospect response rate. • Prospect receives a disappointing performance review
• Always monitor business and
Events That Drive Moderate Prospect Interest
industry news for layoffs,
acquisitions, stock price • Prospect’s organization announces an outsourcing initiative
fluctuations, and changes in 1-10%
• Prospect’s organization announces it is being acquired
senior management at top
talent competitors, and reach • Prospect’s company’s stock price drops dramatically
out to prospects when these • Prospect’s organization announces a change in senior management
events occur.
Events That Drive Low Prospect Interest
< 1%
• Prospect’s organization announces it is acquiring another organization
• Prospect's direct manager leaves

For This Tactic
Market Intel
Get Started
 Events at talent competitors
 Employer brand position Event Monitoring Worksheet for Recruiters and Sourcers
 Business trends Use this worksheet to monitor business and industry news and plan your subsequent outreach
Prospect Intel activities.
 Preferences
Source: Attracting Critical Talent in an Uncertain Economy, CLC Recruiting, 2010


Focus your outreach
messages on changing
7 Emphasize Your Organization’s
prospects’ awareness and
perception of your
Differentiated Strengths
organization’s differentiated
strengths to improve brand
Relative Impact on Employment Brand Attractiveness
attractiveness.

• Tailoring employment brand to
100% Changing prospects’ perception and
prospect preferences is 10%
awareness of your organization’s
necessary but insufficient. differentiated strengths can improve
13% brand attractiveness by an additional 23%.
• When communicating with
prospects, ensure that they do
not perceive your employment
brand as generic or are
unaware of the brand’s
77%
strengths as compared to other
organizations.

0%
Brand Prospect’s Prospect’s
Intelligence You Should Use Tailored to Perception of Awareness of
Prospect Brand Compared Organization’s
For This Tactic
Preferences to Competitors Brand Strengths
Organization Intel
 Organizational changes Components of Employment Brand Attractiveness
Market Intel
 Events at talent competitors
 Business trends Get Started
 Workforce trends Differentiated Brand Messaging Worksheet
 Employer brand position Use this resource to evaluate and differentiate your brand messages as compared to your talent
Prospect Intel competitors.
 Preferences
Source: Attracting and Retaining Critical Talent Segments, CLC Human Resources


Instead of keeping in touch
with all prospects, focus
8 Focus Engagement Efforts on
your engagement efforts on
prospects who are
Truly-Interested Prospects
interested in the job
opportunity and likely to
Behaviors Indicating Prospects Are Not Percentage of Prospects Who Exhibit
switch (i.e. truly-interested
Truly-Interested Behavior
prospects).

• There are three key types of
prospects who you should filter
Window Shopping
out: window shoppers, 17%
Engaging with sourcers despite high
embellishers, and attention job-switch barriers (e.g., mortgage, family)
seekers.
• Asking direct questions
reveals little about prospects’ Embellishing
true interest; surface Saying anything to sourcers to advance in 11%
underlying indicators of their the process
likelihood to switch indirectly.

Attention Seeking
Engaging with sourcers for the attention 9%
of being recruited

For This Tactic
Market Intel
 Events at talent competitors Get Started
 Employer brand position Uncovering Prospect Intelligence Template
Prospect Intel Use this guide to assess prospects’ true interest indirectly during conversations with them.
 Preferences
 Obligations


Prospects are more likely to
respond to outreach and
9 Earn Prospects’ Trust Before Fostering
continue to engage when
you earn their trust.
Relationships
• More than half of prospects do Impact of Sourcer Activities on Prospects Probability to Respond to Sourcer Outreach
not respond to initial outreach
because the sourcer is
ineffective. Sourcer Activities Probability to Respond
• Sourcers who focus solely on
fostering relationships actually
Networking with prospects without a job 11%
see negative results; providing
opportunity
believable information and Fostering
personalizing the opportunity Relationships
helps you earn prospects’ Leading with a soft pitch (e.g., asking
trust. prospects for referrals) 4%

Personalizing the opportunity based on
prospect’s experience and interests 7%
Earning
Prospects’
Trust
Providing credible information about the
job and organization 6%

For This Tactic
Get Started
Prospect Intel
 Preferences Prospect Outreach Diagnostic
 Interests and strengths Ask yourself 12 questions to see if you are building prospects’ trust.
 Education and experience
 Reason for prior job move


One-to-many
communication is as
10 Use Web 2.0 for High-Touch, Scalable
effective as one-to-one
communication in engaging
Engagement
prospects in a customized
manner.
Impact of Type of Communication on Prospect Engagement

• Engaging with prospects on a Scalable communication is
regular basis does not 9% 8% as effective as one-to-one
necessarily have to be a communication, making it
time-consuming activity. possible to productively
engage many prospects at
• You can use Web 2.0 channels once.
Impact on
such as e-newsletters, Prospect
customized by function or Engagement
areas of interest, to keep in
frequent touch with many
filtered prospects at once.

One-to-One Communication One-to-Many Communication
Intelligence You Should Use • Professional networking profile • Professional networking groups
For This Tactic
• Comments on blog post or article • Proprietary talent network
Organization Intel • Direct e-mail message • E-mail with targeted job postings
 Organizational changes
• Social networking profile • Social networking groups
 Function-specific events
 Talent needs of organization • Personal phone call • Organization’s e-mail newsletter

Market Intel
 Workforce trends
 Industry trends Get Started

Prospect Intel Prospect Engagement Newsletter Template
 Interests and strengths Modify this template to create customized newsletters that keep prospects engaged with minimum
 Education and experience time investment.
 Preferences
Source: CLC Recruiting research



Why Smart Takeaway
The 10 Tactics
Sourcing? Resource


HRLC’sTen Tactics for Smart Sourcing
Smart Sourcing Tactics Get Started with These Resources

1 Don’t Treat All Requisitions Equally Intelligence Value Questionnaire

Using Evidence to Influence Hiring Managers: Evidence
2 Influence Requisitions You Source For
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


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