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Adler's Best Sourcing Tip Since the One about Sliced Bread

By Lou Adler, May 6, 2009

"Be found first!"

Two people came up to me after speaking at the SHRM Staffing Management Association (SMA) Conference in Las Vegas last week (April 2009) and said this was the best tip they heard after four days at the conference. Of course, two out of 700 doesn't imply a trend. However, if you were Googling for "best sourcing tips SHRM SMA" you actually might find this article on the first page. And that's what being found first means. Its importance cannot be understated.

In my opinion here were the big takeaways from my talk on sourcing in tough times:

1. The best people look for jobs differently than average people whether the times are good or bad. And it's important to target the best, always.

2. Unless they're desperate, good people don't accept jobs primarily for the money or the security in tough economic times. They generally take them because they find the work itself extremely appealing, there's a growth and learning opportunity, they have a chance to make an impact, they like the people they'll be working with and for, and the company vision/culture/business offers a strong platform for continuous growth.

3. There are good people looking for jobs right now, but they are off the market pretty quickly. So your ads and postings need to be found first.

4. Good people don't want another job, they want a better job, and given a choice they'll take the best career opportunity over a worse job even if the pay is less.

5. If you want to attract passive candidates in tough times you need to offer a real compelling career move in combination with a huge safety net. This includes a big guarantee if things don't work out. The risk is just too great for a good person to leave a safe and reasonably satisfying job in today's tough economic times.

6. Don't post boring job descriptions if they can't be found on the first page or two of a Google search.

7. A compelling job that can't be found is even worse than a boring job than can be found.

8. A compelling job that can be found on the first two pages of a Google search is how you find good people first.

9. Strong recruiters are needed in tough economic times to make the case that your job is truly a great career move.

10. All of the above, except number five, are true in good economic times. In this case recruiters need to prove that your job is the best career move among competing opportunities.

The reason being found first is so important when sourcing for active candidates is that the best ones will find something very quickly. This is somewhat less important in a slow economy, but critical once the recovery begins. Consider that a good contingency recruiter can shop a top person around, and within a few days arrange a few interviews. If a corporation doesn't find this person during the first week, it either will lose out completely, or wind up paying an unnecessary fee.

You know you have a problem if you're finding top people 2-3 weeks after they've started looking. These are the people who tell you that they've either just accepted a position or they're too far down the path on a few other deals to consider anything else unless your pay is far greater. This is why my new favorite metric is asking candidates how long they've been looking. Even ask those that were presented to you by search firms. Compare this to the people you source on your own. This external vs. internal difference in days represents what you have to do to get better.

Here are some ideas on how to be found first:

1. Reverse engineer your ads. Try to find your ad using Google or on the career site it's posted on. If it's not on the first two pages, you're not even being found second or third.
2. Write compelling ads. If your ad is boring it won't matter if it's on the first page since it won't be responded to by the best people. Your ad must describe a compelling career opportunity in the first two lines and have a compelling knock-your-socks-off title. A compelling ad will frequently be sent by someone who does find it to someone else, so being compelling is important even if it's not found first.
3. Go req-less. Forget job boards. Instead, combine all similar jobs into a micro site that's been search engine optimized to be found. On this site describe all of the great projects people in this job class will be working on and invite people to become prospects or push them to specific openings. This big target micro site allows people to get involved with your company and it warms them up. Most important: it's much easier to find.
4. Implement a pay-per-click model. It will take time for your talent hub to gain enough search engine equity to be found on the first two pages of a typical Google search (example "Java jobs Dallas"). In the interim implement a pay-per-click program to gain instant visibility.
5. Phase out job boards and middlemen. Over the next few years it doesn't seem that companies will need job boards or aggregators if they build great talent hubs, have a huge database of prospects powered by a sophisticated CRM system, and implement an aggressive talent-seeking employee referral program. Going direct seems like a better sourcing strategy than using the same middlemen that everyone else is using, unless they can get you exposure to people you can't get yourself.

As part of this, don't rush the process. These candidates you find first are open to talk, but not ready to buy, so proceed with caution. Your goal is to convert jobs into career opportunities. This means you need to be open to have exploratory discussions with these prospects including open conversations with hiring managers. This additional step or two will demonstrate that your company is serious about offering careers and that you don't want to rush the process without allowing a reasonable time for due diligence for both you and the candidate.

Regardless, I would suggest that a "be found first" recruiting strategy will maximize candidate quality, while reducing costs and time to fill to the lowest level possible. This is a worthy objective, but one not easy to execute. It takes technology, the use of advanced consumer marketing concepts, a proactive group of recruiters, involved hiring managers, and real careers, not job descriptions for postings. Collectively, it will give your company an opportunity to hire the best available. In the world of recruiting time is a competitive advantage, and implementing a "be found first" sourcing strategy is the key to obtaining it.