Mark Tortorici – He’s kind of cool, he’s edgy, he’s funny, he’s smart. That’s exactly the introduction I was expecting from Shannon Pritchett when Tortorici came up to the stage to talk to us about “Reality Bites” – more specifically when sourcing strategies stop working and what to do to fix that. For somebody who has been doing training since 1997, you better stop what you’re doing and read this!
Let’s take a deeper look.
I am a Hunter. I am Casa Nostra. I follow all the industry leaders and have a refined craft. I have mastered the craft of sourcing! But then, Reality Bites, it all comes crashing down. Sourcing is a multi-faceted art form. Just when you think you’re at the top of your game, it changes. As a matter of fact, it is constantly changing. There is no one correct way to source. Not all requisitions and sourcing strategies are created equal. There will be a time where it will all come crashing down, and you will have to come up with a different strategy. Remember, sourcing is a multi-faceted art form.
What? Not all sourcers are created equal? Just because you memorize a string doesn’t mean you’re going to be awesome? We are sourcers. The second we learn about a sourcing solution, we become so excited that we start dancing to the fine tunes of The Knack’s “My Sharona.” We get some quick hits and find some success, and all we can think about is U2s “All I Want Is You.” Love and comfort kick in while we listen to Big Mountain’s “Baby, I Love Your Way.” But boom, we hit a wall. We feel like we can’t get to candidates, we start to lament about the good old days, Violent Femmes-style, thinking why can’t we just get a candidate to respond.
Learning about a string or set of strings does not guarantee success. The what, where, and how you search will define your success. Yes, the 90s were cool, but we need to create better versions of our sourcing strategies. Let’s take a look at a few examples.
Resume Searches
Google has TONS of resumes. For example, let’s search for a .NET developer with WPF experience. Remember, the entire job description does not need to be put into a string. A simple string works just as well. Voila – 7400 resumes! But is this realistic? Hmmm. Let’s add keywords for location. Location changes everything. Don’t count on candidates to declare their location on a resume. They don’t want to let you know where they’re at. Boom! Down to 97 resumes. This may not be the best route to search. In that case – FAIL! But, no fear – there is a solution. Try searching Indeed. Add the location and voila! 442 resumes. Better than 97.
So, when should you use resume search? It depends on where you search and what you search. Not all types of candidates can be found via resume search. Some independent contractor roles and perhaps some management roles can be found via resume search. However, there are many “perpetual contractors” in these searches which may not be the exact fit for your company. And you will probably not find too many qualified folks for executive searches.
The Role
Diesel Mechanic in Des Moines, Iowa. What? No problem! Your first instinct might be to run away, but then you end up going with your comfort zone – LinkedIn. You run a quick string on LinkedIn and voila! 41 results. Well, first of all, not a lot of people. And, just because there are matching words on the page doesn’t necessarily mean they are the correct profiles. In that case – FAIL!
Instead, try using Yellowpages.com, Google maps, or even Yelp. Enter the words and voila! A bunch of diesel repair shops. Now, I know this may be a very strange concept to some of us but what if we CALL THEM? Remember the phone? You can also run a simple search on Facebook or Indeed. Yay! 112 resumes on Indeed. Call directly into the shop and ask for the person by name. That’s what we call cold calling. It works! Want to find their contact details? Run their name in a people search like Pipl or Thatsthem and see what you come up with.
This strategy works for specialty roles as well. Looking for a Director of Radiology? Why not try using NPINO.com instead of LinkedIn? A specialty site with names of doctors – imagine that! What about a full stack javascript developer? The quick and easy route would be to check Github. Times are tough when there are only 12 results. Did you know that people don’t use job titles on Github? Instead, try searching for things they develop in the language they use. 243 results. Much better! Use your people finding tricks to find their contact details or use Github to find their email address through their comments.
Aside from the many specialty sites and search tools like Intelligence Search and Data Miner, believe it or not, Facebook has tons of people! Those people will differ from those you find on LinkedIn. But how do you know which site is right for your search? Tortorici suggests a rating system. For example, when to use which sites? Put together a rating system that works for you. You can still make twitter work if you know how to. Use Facebook in connection with other search methods. Try Indeed and specialty associations.
To summarize, use the right tool for the job. The search will change from job to job. Don’t get stuck in a rut. If something goes wrong, try something else. Hardships give us ideas to help fuel our future success. Are you struggling with an email? Personalize it to the candidate. Are you nervous making a call? Play the candidate’s favorite music in the background like that search firm did with Pritchett. How did he know her favorite group is Dave Matthews Band? He checked her out on Facebook. There is so much data that connects us now, and we must use it to our fullest potential. That’s how we can take a bite out of reality!