[Note: The following is an excerpt from the 3^rd Edition of Lou Adler's Hire With Your Head (John Wiley & Sons) to be published in June, 2007. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you'd like to find out how you can implement a multi-channel sourcing channel.]

The Internet has dramatically increased workforce mobility. Job satisfaction appears to be at an all-time low. Turnover is rising. People change jobs on a whim. Counteroffers are more prevalent and more are being accepted. No wonder. To find another job nowadays, all a top person needs to do is Google a few keywords, a job title, and a city. When combined with a huge reduction in "barriers" to leaving a company (i.e., portable pension plans, reductions in health-care insurance, and fewer fringe benefits), employees are capable and willing to leave for minor infractions or slightly better offers. Turnover is no longer considered a character flaw. In this environment, a well-positioned ad or a timely phone call is sometimes all it takes to find a top performer. To take advantage of this trend, companies need to move away from a classified ad mentality of boring hard-to-find jobs and, instead, adopt a consumer marketing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

This article will describe how to find top people whether they are active or passive. First, it's important to recognize that top performers don't look for new opportunities the same way average candidates look. They're more selective; and, even if they are looking, they will only consider positions that offer true opportunities. Even if they're not looking, most top people are still open-minded enough to explore something if it were better. The common ingredient among the best people - whether they're somewhat looking, potentially looking, or deciding whether to accept an offer - is that their criteria to move forward or not involves a long-term goal and major career step. It is a strategic decision based on opportunity and growth, not just a tactical decision based on salary and location. Not understanding this difference is why so many companies lose so many good people. If you want to get more of these great people into the game, then your job descriptions must describe career opportunities, not just skills and experiences. Then these compelling and career-oriented job descriptions need to be advertised and pushed to where the best people will see them.

Companies overlook the importance of the lowly online job description. If they aren't interesting and compelling, most top performers will instantly eliminate them from consideration. Even referred and passive candidates will look at your online job descriptions before getting too serious; so, it's important that they are written to appeal to a top performer and not to an average candidate. It's pretty well reported that there are more top people going online everyday just to check out the market. While the time spent looking is short, designing online advertising to address this group can be a good way to pick up some great people who are temporarily in the market. To attract this group, though, your jobs must stand out; they must be compelling; they must be at the top of every listing; and, you must move fast.

The mission statement for any sourcing program should be to find the strongest people possible in the shortest period of time, at the lowest reasonable cost. Few companies get this part right. Far too many companies employ a simplistic and undifferentiated shotgun approach to sourcing. This involves trying every channel possible, not offering anything different than anyone else, using boring qualifications-intensive ads, and hoping that something will work. It involves little planning and little thought. Then, these people complain that the job board they used is no good or that the manager is overly demanding. When every company uses the same advertising tools as every other company - posting jobs that are essentially the same - they should expect average results.

Primary Channels for a Sequenced Sourcing Program

In order to obtain a disproportionate number of top performers, develop a sourcing strategy consisting of multiple channels sequenced - in some way - based on quality, cost, and time. Then, optimize each channel to attract the best people possible, moving to a higher cost channel only if needed. Here's a quick summary of the channels commonly involved in setting up this type of sequenced sourcing program for a corporate recruiting department:

1. Resume databases. Whether private or public, the key is to develop a just-in-time source of candidates using drip marketing campaigns in combination with good customer-relationship management (CRM) techniques. Target 10% of jobs to be filled this way.
2. Internal transfers. Companies need to take advantage of their existing employees through aggressive "continuous rehiring" programs. Twenty percent of open, non-entry level, jobs should be filled this way.
3. Internet-based advertising. This is the core of every sourcing program and consists of compelling ads, targeted job boards, and website optimization. Good people do go online to find better jobs, but they are more selective and they won't waste their time. Great advertising, an easy-to-use career site, and ads that can be found are the keys to finding some great people. Done properly, 25% to 30% of jobs can be filled this way (with good to very good people).
4. Employee referrals. Proactively ask your top employees for the names of the best people they've worked with in the past, especially those not looking. Then call and recruit these people. If they're not a perfect fit, get three other referrals from each one. This is a great way for finding top passive candidates. Companies should target 35% to 40% of their openings to be filled by a strong proactive employee referral program.
5. College recruiting. This is how you build the farm team. Although many companies have done a good job here, they can't rest on their laurels. The key here is to develop strong relationships with the appropriate colleges and universities and to target their best students. This needs to be an ongoing process, not just a one-time event on interviewing day.
6. Diversity recruiting. The demand for diverse candidates in every field is outstripping the supply. This is not just an equal rights issue; it's a critical business decision. Your employee base needs to mimic your customer base. To obtain enough talented diverse candidates, companies need to use and optimize every sourcing technique described in this chapter.
7. Campaigns and career events. This is an old-time favorite that's coming back into vogue. Success here requires that top people be invited to a "special" hiring event, where they'll have an opportunity to speak with hiring managers. Done properly, a company can fill a number of critical positions quickly with some top people.
8. Direct sourcing. This includes passive candidate name identification, cold calling, and networking. Too many companies think this is the panacea. It's not. It takes skilled recruiters, who have the time to do it right, and hiring managers, who are 100% committed and involved in the process. This is a critical step for more difficult assignments, especially when the simpler approaches aren't working.
9. External recruiters. Sometimes it's important to bring in a proven specialist. Paying a fee for an "A" player is always worth it. Paying a fee for a "B" player is not.

Corporate recruiting departments all want to find the silver bullet, or next tech toy, to solve their sourcing problems. A one-stop solution does not exist. This is a management challenge that involves the effective use of technology and the implementation of a sequenced multi-channel sourcing strategy. It involves a strong team of recruiters and sourcing specialists - who know how to deliver consistent results. From what I've seen, few companies have implemented this type of comprehensive sourcing program. While it's not easy to optimize each of the sourcing channels mentioned above, it's a lot easier if your job descriptions This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , rather than qualifications. To find the best, you need to start by offering them something they want.