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Andrea Mitchell

Andrea Mitchell is a researcher and talent strategist. She has worked for a number of years developing Internet sourcing techniques and working with teams researching, training, and consulting on sourcing best practices and hard-to-fill roles, as well as integrating passive sourcing with social media and attraction strategies. As the founder of the Australasian Researchers Network, Andrea’s goal is to grow this community of interest around sourcing and research so that it’s not only a meeting place for people to learn and collaborate, but that it also promotes research and sourcing as a career within the recruitment industry.

Articles by Andrea Mitchell

Global Sourcing

The Australasian Sourcing Summit: Another Point of View

by on Aug. 23, 2011

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In December 2007, inspired by gatherings of sourcers overseas and groups like the Association of Executive Search Consultants, I started a local group for sourcers in Australia and New Zealand. At the time, sourcing in Australia was a fairly new phenomenon. The group was set up as a place for people who loved Internet search to get together to talk about topics such as new techniques, challenges, and innovation. I also wanted to see sourcing become known as a viable career path in the recruitment industry and treated like the specialist role that it is rather than a support role.

So this year when I was approached by Phillip Tusing of Destination Talent to help him organise an event around sourcing I jumped at the chance. The industry here has grown a lot in the five years since I started working in it and there is currently quite a bit of interest in sourcing as well as some successful sourcing throughout the country.

There was a diverse range of topics covered throughout the event. Looking back I had to ask myself what do Gollum, Kanban walls, and Charlie Sheen have to do with sourcing, as they all got mentions. These topics and more are really indicative of the holistic focus the event had. More on that later…

There were a couple of presentations in particular that, when combined, seem to cover the broad range of sourcing.

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Global Sourcing, Social Media, Technology & Resources, The Sourcing Function

Editor’s Pick: Falling In Love With Sourcing

by on Dec. 31, 2010

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Editor’s Note: This week, SourceCon.com will be sharing a few of our favorite past posts. We’ll continue to do this through New Year’s Eve and will return to our regular content on Monday January 3, 2011.

Many people seem to fall into working in the recruitment industry. I know this is the case with many recruiters and sourcers, and it certainly was for me. That said, I also fell in love what I do for a living, and I am passionate about promoting sourcing as a career. Here are a few things that got me hooked on, and continue to keep me hooked on, sourcing.

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Social Media

Creating Community

by on Jul. 26, 2010

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Recently, ERE coordinated recruiter Meetups that happened all over the world. Did you attend one? If you did you may have enjoyed conversation with people of similar interests and come away with ideas and new things to try. I know that’s always the case for me when I take part in these types of events.

This is one of the reasons I started up a networking group a while back. I have watched groups all over the world discuss sourcing and related activities and I wanted to provide a platform for people with an interest in sourcing in my part of the world. I also wanted to promote sourcing and research as a specialist role, rather than an admin task that was treated only as an entry level position.

The Australasian Researchers Network is a community of people interested in sourcing, online search and search strategy. Until recently sourcing in Australia and New Zealand has been quite niche, and even now it’s still a growing subsection of the recruitment industry, although with all the interest in “social recruiting” it’s getting more attention.

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Social Media, Technology & Resources, The Sourcing Function

Falling In Love With Sourcing

by on Apr. 13, 2010

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Many people seem to fall into working in the recruitment industry. I know this is the case with many recruiters and sourcers, and it certainly was for me. That said, I also fell in love what I do for a living, and I am passionate about promoting sourcing as a career. Here are a few things that got me hooked on, and continue to keep me hooked on, sourcing.

Tools and Tricks
I have always had somewhat of a fascination with computers and gadgets and this translated into a fascination for the Internet and the information it holds. This pushed me to learn more about the Internet, manipulating search engines, and the tools that can be used in a variety of ways. Thus, when I saw a job ad titled “Love using the Internet for Research” I knew that this was a role where I could really put the skills that I had built to good use. Four years later it’s still one of the things I enjoy most about sourcing. It’s also about using these tools and tricks in “the hunt” and the challenge that comes with using your skills to dig deep and find the information and candidates that others couldn’t.

Making a Splash
Sourcing is a growing industry, especially here in Australia where it is still relatively new. This is a great chance to not only make your mark on a sourcing role, but within the industry as a whole. Because this is a relatively small industry, people are very approachable and generally easy to get in touch with; they are usually on the Internet in a variety of places and in my experience are always happy to talk.

Knowing “Stuff”
As I mentioned above I developed a fascination for the Internet and the information it holds; this is due in part to the fact that I love knowing tidbits of information and have a good memory for seemingly useless facts. I love the knowledge gained from researching on the Internet and talking to people online and off. The nature of sourcing also pushes me to learn more, and an integral part of the role that I am in is about keeping track of new tools and trends in the world of sourcing and beyond.

Innovation
I have always felt that sourcing is, by definition, about innovation. Sourcing is innovation in recruitment. It’s about experimenting with tools and ways of finding and building relationships with people. The sourcing community is full of people who are constantly innovating and looking for better ways to do things.

Making Connections
This is what it’s all about. I don’t just mean making contact with individual candidates, but making contact with groups and communities in the industry that you work within. Four years ago when I first started sourcing I don’t think I would have listed this, it was all about the research for me. Over time I have grown more confident talking to people and people have become more skilled in using the Internet as a communication tool. Making connections ties all the things I like together – using technical skills to find people, both candidates and like minded people in the sourcing world; making a splash by connecting with great people in the industry; learning new things through talking to people; and finally fostering innovation through the connections and conversations you have with others.

Those are some of the reasons I love sourcing, and and have chosen to pursue it as a career, even after having stumbled into it by accident. What are a few of your favorite things?

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