Build a Collaborative Sourcing Process
Create an effective staffing supply chain that gives you ready access to talent.
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Contributors
- Jennifer Heikamp, Lead, Human Capital Project, Regional Municipality of York
- Peter Stapylton, Executive Recruiter, Core Executive Consultants
- Barry Deutsch, Master Executive Search Recruiter
- Linda Haft, Director of Human Resources and Administration, Magnolia River
- Margarita Sanchez, Corporate Recruiter, StarTech
- Carolyn Henn, HR Director, Apex Companies, LCC
- Eileen Shue, VP Corporate Resources, The Sterling Group
- John Nicholls, Talent Acquisition Specialist, Recruiting Now
- Jeff Mills, Director, Solutions Marketing, SAP
- Elis Schragenheim, CEO, Elyakim Management Systems
Your Challenge
- The traditional approach to candidate sourcing is costly, time-consuming, and often leads to dubious hires. It also often results in tension – even conflict – between talent acquisition specialists and hiring managers.
- Talent acquisition specialists (TAS) struggle to reduce the number of unsuitable candidates they need to screen while still finding quality candidates in time and on budget. They often complain that hiring managers are slowing down the hiring process.
- Meanwhile, hiring managers (HMs) complain that TAS have a low understanding of the roles for which they recruit, and wish TAS would build talent pools so they don’t need to start from scratch to fill positions.
- The talent acquisition function is undergoing rapid change. Organizations face greater talent scarcity, hiring volumes, and retention challenges than ever before, making finding the right talent even more difficult. Over the next five years, these trends will make the traditional reactive approach to sourcing even less effective than it is today.
- Organizations are often at a loss on how to source quality candidates and manage bottlenecks in the sourcing process.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
Think of talent acquisition as a staffing supply chain, where the goal is the timely production of quality hires to meet organizational needs.
Framing the sourcing process as a part of a staffing supply chain emphasizes:
- The need for collaboration. Each stakeholder is a distinct link in the staffing supply chain, positioned to notice different challenges and opportunities. Stakeholders must collaborate to source quality candidates.
- The need to work proactively. Effective hiring teams identify talent pools ahead of demand to ensure quality candidates are available when positions open up.
Impact and Result
- HR leaders responsible for talent acquisition are reviewing current sourcing processes to identify opportunities for improvement and adopt best practices around sourcing.
- Their goal is to reorient the sourcing function as a collaborative, proactive process with effective outreach methods that produce timely quality hires to meet organizational needs.
1. Make the case to improve sourcing
Review the case for improving the sourcing function.
2. Identify sourcing pain points
Assess the current state of the organization’s sourcing function.
3. Improve the talent acquisition strategy
Map out the current hiring process and review the strategic workforce plan to forecast talent needs and the impact on sourcing requirements.
4. Improve sourcing processes
Document the sourcing process target state, identify a pool of approved sources, and determine how to include hiring managers in identifying talent pools.
5. Train your talent acquisition team to source effectively
Have your talent acquisition team learn sourcing best practices.
Guided Implementations
This guided implementation is a four call advisory process.
Call #1 - Make the case
Call #2 - Identify sourcing pain points
Call #3 - Improve sourcing processes
Call #4 - Train your talent acquisition team to source effectively
Book Your Workshop
Onsite 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 onsite 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 and Identify Sourcing Pain Points
The Purpose
- To understand the case for improving sourcing processes.
- Scope the project to your needs.
- Assess the current state of sourcing.
- Review a forecast of talent needs, and identify the demand for sourcing.
Key Benefits Achieved
- An understanding of sourcing pain points which need to be addressed.
- Clarity about upcoming talent needs and demand for sourcing.
- A baseline to measure the impact of the project.
Activities
Outputs
Make the case for building an effective sourcing supply chain.
Identify sourcing metrics.
- Identified sourcing metrics.
Lead a discussion about sourcing with contributing stakeholders.
Document a prioritized list of sourcing pain points.
Map out the organization’s current hiring process.
- Documented hiring process.
Forecast talent needs and demand for sourcing using the strategic workforce plan.
- Forecast talent needs and demand for sourcing.
Review the employer brand and identify how key messages should figure in sourcing.
- Identified key employer branding messages for sourcing.
Module 2: Develop an Action Plan to Improve Sourcing Effectiveness
The Purpose
- Map out target hiring and sourcing processes.
- Develop a strategy to increase collaboration with hiring managers during the sourcing process.
- Get ready to train talent acquisition specialists to improve sourcing effectiveness.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Optimized sourcing process.
- Trained talent acquisition specialists.
- Increased collaboration with hiring managers.
Activities
Outputs
Map out the current sourcing process.
Determine how to include hiring managers in identifying talent pools.
Identify a pool of approved sources.
Document the sourcing process target state.
- Documented sourcing process target state.
Tailor the Search Kick-Off Checklist for your organization.
Customize the training slides as appropriate.
Develop a plan to train your talent acquisition specialists.
- An action plan that clearly identifies target sourcing processes and how to achieve them.
