We’ve enlisted the help of the Master Sourcer himself, The Sourcing Dude, to answer some questions that are at the forefront of many of our minds. In each issue of The Source, The Sourcing Dude will respond to some of these questions.
If you have a pressing issue you’d like the Sourcing Dude to answer, please email us and we will bring it to the SourceCon shrine for consideration.
BIG NEWS: over the fall, the Sourcing Dude got hitched! His new bride, known to us only as the Sourcing Dudette, has been described by the Sourcing Dude as ‘the last remaining piece of the puzzle’ for him. Apparently she is also a whiz at research and sourcing, which is what captivated the Sourcing Dude so much. She has agreed to step in and respond to this month’s question. Please give a warm welcome to the Sourcing Dudette!
“Sourcing Dude, what are your thoughts on some of the new social media tools with regards to sourcing? Do you think it’s worth your time to use a resource like Twitter for doing internet research and finding candidates?”
As many new social media tools have become available, it is tempting to want to jump on the bandwagon and do what everyone else is doing by using these resources in your recruiting practice. However, I will caution you against using anything and everything. Each company, team, office, etc. will find that different resources will be of use to them. Choosing to implement the use of a resource simply because “everyone else is doing it” is wrong because your needs will be different from other teams’ needs. My husband, the Sourcing Dude, would suggest that you evaluate new tools as they become available. Take them for a test run, see if they produce any value, and if they don’t, don’t be afraid to discard or set them aside for later use. What works for one team may not work for another. Don’t be afraid to select only one or two social media tools to throw into the mix of your sourcing strategy as well; sometimes less is more.
I definitely think that social media tools such as Twitter can POTENTIALLY be helpful in assisting your sourcing efforts. Make sure you use them wisely – come up with a plan of attack, decide how you want to use the resource before you dive head-first into it, and stick to your plan. Make sure you see it through to completion once you have decided to add a strategy to your sourcing arsenal. And above all – stay focused. It is very easy to get off-course when using social media tools for recruiting purposes!
Make sure you follow the Sourcing Dude (and Dudette!) on Twitter as well: @SourceConDude