I’ve attended a lot of conferences and nothing has confused me more than the argument that “I am a sourcer not a recruiter” or vice versa. Both are actions to the same end and the blurred line between them has always, well, been blurry to me. I have been relatively quiet on the subject up till now. Shocker, I know.
This is going to be one of those short but not so sweet posts to explain my feelings on the topic. I am quite sure you will disagree with me depending on where you are at this point in your career but some of us old-timers remember when sourcing and recruiting were just one in the same.
There is an interesting yet minor superhero in the DC universe that came about in the early 80’s called Firestorm. He shifted an interesting paradigm within the universe. Firestorm was formed from a nuclear accident in a lab, of course he was… The difference was that he was not a Bruce Banner accident, letting him turn into the Hulk. It was two men, well, one older man and one boy that formed a collective conscious within one body. Ok, let me explain this, There was an older Professor, Stein, conducting an experiment with nuclear fission that concluded in an accident while the young quarterback Raymond was visiting the lab. The accident ended up allowing the duo to combine into the super hero Firestorm. The physical body was that of the younger Raymond (we are selling comics here folks) but Stein was able to guide the young Raymond while they fought evil across the land. They, in turn, needed each other to accomplish this.
It’s becoming clearer that recruiters and sourcers need to start coming together in a clearer way in order to land and vet the best candidates for their clients. But only if it is done in a precise manner.
Usually (in my experience) a ratio of one full time sourcer to three recruiters is ideal. Since the sourcer will only be working on roles that are typically harder to find, the req load should be sufficient but not overwhelming. The sourcer should work on finding and qualifying candidates who have not applied or have been referred to the company and get them over to the recruiter for processing and closing. Recruiters should be responsible for applicants and referrals and communicating with the sourcers and managers on the status of open roles and allow the recruiter run the process. This would include setting interviews, making offers, and closing the candidate.
The tighter and more process driven model would increase the work flow is more strategic increasing the likelihood of a not only a good candidate experience but also one for the managers and recruiting team overall.
Let’s keep this conversation going. How is your team structured? What sourcer/recruiter ratio has worked for your team?