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Sourcing News and Knowledge – Beyond the Obvious


Editor's Corner, Leadership, The Sourcing Function

How Sourcing Fits Into the Sales Funnel


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sales funnel

The sales process is a step-by-step layout of what actions must be taken to turn prospects into customers. Regardless of how you look at it, recruiting is pretty much the same as product or service sales. The only difference is that our ‘product’ is a job opportunity and our ‘customer’ is a prospect (who hopefully turns into a candidate). As such, we approach the sales cycle in much the same way: targeting prospects, selling them on feature/benefits, closing a deal, and (hopefully) follow-up and account maintenance.

If you look at it through a recruiting lens, substitute sourcing for all the pre-sales activities, recruiting for sales and closing, and HR for account management.

It’s really that simple.

Depending on who/what you reference, a sales funnel will typically look something like the image above.

Just move a couple of these things around and – voila! – you’ve got a hiring funnel that includes sourcing, recruiting, and HR.

Social Media, The Sourcing Function

The Strategic Role of Sourcers in the Social-driven Economy


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puzzlepiece-world

The role of sourcers is changing as quickly as the role of marketers and in very similar fashions.

The times when marketers assumed that customers would buy a product because they needed it (or be brainwashed by advertising into believing they did) are rapidly vanishing. Today, as consumers, we expect to build a relationship with a company. We expect an experience – a positive experience, not the “bad” experience that makes us return products and try competitors – as well as vent our disappointment on social networks or other public venues such as Groubal.

In today’s competitive business environment, consumers demand personalized attention before and after any transaction. So do job seekers. They don’t want to be treated as interchangeable pawns, even for lower positions. People are not job-fillers… They are people first – and if they are unhappy, they’ll just look for another opportunity. Let’s keep in mind that the vast majority of people who look for or are open to a new job already have one!

It’s time to start looking at things a little differently. 

Industry News, Technology & Resources

Search Updates: Amazon Cloud Search and Google “Plus Your World”


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Screen shot 2012-01-22 at 9.33.14 PM

A couple of things have happened in the word of search in recent weeks that were overshadowed by some of the legislature going through the US House of Representatives as well as the US Senate: speculation of an Amazon cloud search, and announcement of major changes to Google’s search functionality, otherwise known as Google ‘Plus Your World.’

Industry News

First PIPA, then SOPA — Now OPEN?


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Screen shot 2012-01-22 at 9.28.33 PM

Boy, the Internet itself sure has created a lot of buzz in the last week, hasn’t it?

With protests of  SOPA and PIPA last Wednesday ultimately leading to the shelving of SOPA by its original creator, House Judiciary Committee Chair Representative Lamar Smith, you’d think that the collective “we” had won.

Well, not necessarily.

Though this was seen as a major victory, the very same day these two bills were vehementy protested, a new bill was introduced called OPEN.

Industry News

Broadbean Technology Extends Invitations to Arbita’s OnePost Clients


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arbita-logo

Financially troubled Arbita has closed its job posting service and transferred its remaining clients to Broadbean, one of the leading vendors in the field.

News first broke yesterday when Arbita’s CEO Don Ramer sent emails to customers notifying them of the decision to shut down the OnePost job distribution service. Broadbean, meanwhile, issued its own announcement saying it would take over the balance of uncompleted customer contracts.

“We are excited at the opportunity to work with Arbita’s client base and will, first and foremost, provide a high-quality, stable platform that meets their global posting needs,” Broadbean’s CEO and founder Kelly Robinson said in the company’s announcement.

Industry News, Technology & Resources

A Sourcer’s Guide to Understanding SOPA and PIPA


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sopapipa

Today, many Internet websites are participating in a “blackout” protest against two bills that have been making headlines recently due to their controversial nature. SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP [Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property] Act) discussions have taken online communities by storm over the last several weeks — but do you really understand either of them, or how they may affect sourcing?

Let’s start with PIPA, because it was introduced first and it’s really the only bill that’s still an immediate issue since President Obama shelved SOPA on Monday (why people are still protesting it today confuses me, but that’s another story…).

Leadership

Becoming a Sourcing Advisor


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trusted-advisor

Where do you add value in the recruiting process? Do your customers see you as a recruiting consultant/advisor? Do your peers see you as an expert in sourcing? Do you mentor others? What do you do to set the strategy for sourcing? Is there something special in the screening that you do? Is there something different in the techniques you use to find candidates? Is there something different in the overall work that you can do?

I just asked a lot of questions I’ll bet you’ve asked yourself at some point in time…

The Sourcing Function

Breaking Down the Sourcing Function, Part 5: Common Myths About Sourcing


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myth

Over the last several weeks, we’ve talked about what a sourcer does and doesn’t do. I’ve given you some of my thoughts on where to look for a sourcer for your team, some suggestions on how to interview potential sourcers, and what qualities in an individual might lead them to be a good sourcer. I’ve also given you some insight into the day in the life of a sourcer. So what’s left?

How about some fun things: some common misconceptions of what sourcing is. Yes, I believe every sourcer has beaten this topic to death at some point or another. But now, it’s my turn.

The goal of this is not to make light of these misconceptions, but rather to re-educate everyone on some of the things that are incorrectly associated with research and sourcing, and hopefully offer some suggestions on the correct way to view this very vital part of a recruiting operation.

The Sourcing Function

2 Top Lessons Sourcers Can Learn From The World Of Mixed Martial Arts


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George St. Pierre-UFC Champion

What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.

- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

For as long as I can remember, I have been an avid fan of the martial arts.

My parents first enrolled me into Karate at the age of five. I loved it and stuck with it several years until I finally achieved my Black Belt. During much of my youth, I toured the U.S. competing in local, state, and national Karate tournaments. I won some, lost some, and enjoyed every bit of the experience. Training for competitions was never a chore – I craved it. Sport Karate taught me many lessons, especially about discipline and dedication.

Although I stopped competing in tournaments back in my teen years, I am still a huge fan of the sport. Today, the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world has evolved into a highly competitive sport and is widely popularized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The level of hard work and competitiveness in the MMA environment provides excellent lessons for sourcing professionals.

Industry News

Recruiting Technology Vendor iCIMS Receives $35 million For Expansion


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iCIMS_Logo

Recruiting software vendor iCIMS has a new business partner and $35 million to spend on expansion. The company announced this morning that private equity fund Susquehanna Growth Equity has taken a minority stake in the firm.

“The company,” says today’s announcement, “plans to significantly increase investments in marketing, product development, and additional acquisitions that will further accelerate the organization’s rapid growth and expansion plans.”

Founded in 1999 by its CEO Colin Day, iCIMS offers SaaS-based talent acquisition, onboarding, performance and talent management tools. The company has made the inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies for six consecutive years, finishing 2010 with revenue of $25.6 million (2011 rankings won’t be released until later this year).