Strategically Source Candidates for the New World
How to find top talent has changed, but it’s still about quality of hire.
- The return of talent scarcity is challenging firms that need top talent for critical positions. In Manpower’s 2013 Talent Shortage Survey, 35% of respondents reported having difficulty filling positions due to available experienced talent, the highest number since 2007.
- Talent scarcity is having an impact on business. In the same survey, more than 1 in 2 respondents who experienced difficulty filling jobs due to talent scarcity said it was having an impact on their ability to compete and meet client need.
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Our Advice
Critical Insight
- The shift to strategic sourcing is a forced change. Firms who fail to adapt to the fundamental shift in recruiting risk being unable to meet a surging demand for talent.
- Executives understand the importance of strategic sourcing. Respondents in McLean & Company’s HR Trends and Priorities for 2014 survey identify sourcing challenges as an important priority. HR leaders are being tasked to revise their talent acquisition strategy and advise executives of how they are dealing with changes.
Impact and Result
- Strategic sourcing is the solution to talent scarcity. The emergence of social recruiting is creating opportunities for firms to meet the challenges of talent scarcity. Sourcing is no longer the sole purview of recruiting agencies. It is easier than ever to reach currently employed, high-quality talent open to considering a career move.
- Make the right investments to build a strategic sourcing function. Strategic sourcing can help firms fill critical positions and ensure they remain competitive but only if they make the right investments. Talent acquisition teams need the people, processes, and technologies in place to attract top talent.
Workshop: Strategically Source Candidates for the New World
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Make the case for strategic sourcing
The Purpose
- Finding top talent for critical positions is more challenging, which is having an impact on business. Firms have the opportunity to reach for strategic sourcing as a solution, but only if they make the right investment.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Build a case for project support.
Activities
Outputs
Understand the benefits of strategic sourcing
- Make the case for building a talent pipeline
Module 2: Assess the current state of your strategic sourcing function
The Purpose
- Building a robust sourcing channel requires significant changes in the people, processes, and technologies involved in talent acquisition at your organization. Benchmark against the goals of the program to track the tangible business value of the project, and focus your investment where it will have the most impact.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Strategic Sourcing Diagnostic Tool
Activities
Outputs
Program goals from module 1
- Set a point of reference to measure the value of strategic sourcing
Success metrics
- Assess the gap between the effectiveness and impact of strategic sourcing components
Module 3: Design a strategic sourcing process to reach out to passive candidates
The Purpose
- Don’t expect your talent acquisition team to do both strategic and tactical sourcing. The path of least resistance leads to posting jobs to boards and hoping for the right candidates to find you. Structure your organization to make strategic sourcing possible and attract the best.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Talent Profile Template
Activities
Outputs
Goals and metrics from module 2
- Build an organization that enables a robust talent pipeline
Module 4: Take advantage of strategic sourcing tools
The Purpose
- Talent acquisition specialists sourcing strategically are only as good as their tools and technologies. Use recruiting technology effectively to attract the best candidates.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Tools and technology best practices
Activities
Outputs
Exercise: Boolean search
Exercise: Advanced Google search
- Train a talent acquisition team with the technical skills to source strategically
Module 5: Get the right people involved to implement your plan
The Purpose
- Recruiters sourcing strategically need a different set of technical and recruiting skills than those sourcing tactically.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Train a talent acquisition team to reach out persuasively.
Activities
Outputs
Training exercises to hone the sourcing skills of your talent acquisition team
- Outputs from modules 2 and 3
About McLean & Company
McLean & Company is an HR research and advisory firm providing practical solutions to human resources challenges via executable research, tools, diagnostics, and advisory services that have a clear and measurable impact on your business.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your HR problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 1-phase advisory process. You'll receive 5 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
- Call 1: Make the case for strategic sourcing
Review recent market data to make the case for strategic sourcing as a method to cope with talent scarcity.
- Call 2: Assess the current state of your strategic sourcing function
Benchmark your strategic sourcing function, and assess the effectiveness and impact of different elements of your strategic sourcing function.
- Call 3: Design a strategic sourcing process to reach out to passive candidates
Define a strategic sourcing process that supports strategic goals, builds talent profiles, and defines fixed and variable costs.
- Call 4: Take advantage of strategic sourcing tools
Understand how to use the tools available and choose the right mix for your strategic sourcing strategy.
- Call 5: Get the right people involved to implement your plan
Learn to reach out to passive candidates to begin the conversation.
Contributors
- Kim Benedict, Strategic Talent Acquisition Consultant
- Michelle Oryschak, Director Talent Acquisition, TD Group
- Lou Adler, CEO, The Adler Group
- Daryl Daley, Senior IT Recruiter, Intelligent Minds.
- Pat Sharp, Principal, The Talent Architect