‘Why fish, in the same pond like others, when the big, wide ocean with so many more fish is within reach…..’

Many employers are realising that they are now actually weighed down by weary recruiters who have reached a dead-end when it comes to sourcing fresh job candidates.  And why not, as the small pond of Internet job boards and resume banks are fast running dry.  No matter what the job criteria, it turns up the same pool of jaded candidates who are approached by various recruiters left, right and centre.

This has spawned a new breed of ‘strategic sourcers’ or ‘power sourcers’ who have quickly realised that the job boards only account for a meagre 10 per cent of the entire working population.  The vast ocean is still out there, calling your name and asking to be tapped.

Process: What these sourcers actually do is cast their web wide beyond the traditional sources like job boards, online postings, classifieds ads and job fairs because while these may spurn copious resumes, the results are often unsuitable or even dated or inactive.  Instead, the sourcers identify and uncover talented candidates hidden in untapped nooks and corners by using proactive techniques.

The most common mode is directly cold-calling possible candidates who are otherwise not accessible in any public forum like the Internet.  They also source the Internet, but rather than the ubiquitous job boards, they turn to harder-to-reach places like personal homes pages, alumni groups, blogs, social networking sites and other forums.  Apart form this, sourcers also regularly tap their own private databases and contact networks to track down new names.

This throws up a motley collection of potential candidates that are literally fresh from the oven.  As in the words of Maureen Sharib, a top telephone names sourcer, “ That person, many times, has never been contacted before by anyone from the ‘outside’ world offering them what you have to offer.  That person, many times, is flattered you took the time to seek them out and many times will listen attentively to what you have to say”.

Candidate sourcing activity typically involves generating a list of untapped, suitable candidates with their name, job title, job function and contact information.  This is usually done by contacting people who hold specific titles in (specific) organizations.  This is why sourcers are also known as name generators.  Sourcers also offer some preliminary screening where they contact the candidates to determine whether he suits the job requirements and also whether he is interested in new job opportunities.

The organization has to apprise the sourcer of the particulars like job description, list of target companies you want him to penetrate (optional), special instructions, if any and other accoutrements.

Weighing pros & cons: Professional sourcing brings several advantages like heightened research skills, focused search abilities and layered knowledge of various candidates.  The solid experience coupled with an instinctive intuition keeps the pipeline brimming with additional volumes of latent talent.  Simple put, sourcing is nothing but primary research, which was earlier done by recruiters themselves.  But, transferring this time-consuming burden to professional sourcers frees the recruiters to now concentrate on the screening processing and interviewing of the candidates sourced.

It pays to leverage the considerable expertise of outside name generators, especially when your recruiters are struggling to find new leads or have no hope of finding them.  But, there are a few important things to consider before bringing in professional sourcers to complement the efforts of your recruiting team.  The quality of the sourcer, reputation and experience in sourcing is quite critical.  It is advisable to check out the sourcers’ and ensure that they implement best practices.

Also, consider the current recessionary climate and tightening purse strings before taking on the additional costs that professional sourcing is bound to incur.  Still, some experts argue that external sourcing successfully fills hard-to-place positions only at a fraction of the cost of the long-drawn out traditional recruiting venues.

All said and done, at the end of the day, sourcing can only generate some good leads.

Recruiting will only happen when the middle of the road prospects are subtly persuaded to accept job offers !

 
To Survive redundancy – get off the Bench

 

To compensate for the high attrition rates and the need to meet tight delivery schedules, almost 10-20% of the workforce in IT companies comprise of ‘benchers’ who act as understudies, training to step into a project in a moment’s notice, But since project availability is often unpredictable, an employee can face months on the company bench before he gets any real work to do.  While this time can provide valuable learning ground for employees, in a grim economic situation such as now, the bench is certainly one of the most uncomfortable places to be in.  With companies cutting back on salaries and laying off workers, the benchers are the first ones to be affected.

Being left on the bench when you know you have the skills and technical capability to make an impact can be highly frustrating.  Your best bet to staying safe on the job is to get off the sidelines and into the thick of the action.  And that calls for immediate action from the moment you are benched.  Here are some positive steps that you can take to that effect.

Be Vocal:  You need to get noticed, and the best way to do that is to communicate effectively with your teammates, peers and supervisors.  Grab opportunities to make presentations and display your technical skills and talents.  Discuss your goals and accomplishments with your boss.  If you have done worthy work in a past project, don’t hesitate to toot your own horn.  It is easy for others to forget the good work you have done in the past, especially if you have had the misfortune to be on the bench for sometime.  Don’t hesitate to suggest new ideas and solutions.  Meetings are a great opening to get noticed by people that matter, so become an active, involved participant.

Create Opportunities:  Don’t wait for a project to come in  your line of expertise.  If your company has projects in other domains, look at the how you can transition into those domains, look at how you can transition into those domains.  If there are no other projects, see if you can come up with a new business idea for generating revenue.  Many companies encourage benched workers to work on other internal projects which may include generating white papers, mentoring developing new products and optimizing customer delivery.  Smooth any rough edges to your performance and skills.  Express an interest in the projects of other teams and if necessary, learn the skills needed using your own time and resources.  And remember, this is not money down the drain.  The wider and more expansive your skills base, the more valuable you will be to your employer.

Become dedicated: Make the best use of the time you have and do your work with utmost professionalism and dedication.  When you are consistently punctual and professional in your work, your manager will have the confidence to put you on to important projects,  Don’t wait for the organization to push you into training programmes to your boss.  Most large organizations are willing to train employees who are on the bench, but you have to show the initiative, enthusiasm and make it clear that you are eager for new training and skills development.

Understand: What gets measured gets managed.  Make an effort to find out how you are being measured and assessed by asking for informal feedback and reviews from your peer group and boss.  Unless you understand how your performance is aligned to organizational goals, it is difficult to demonstrate your potential and capability.

Meet People: Internal networks can help build your profile and reputation within a large company where people often don’t know many of their other colleagues.  If you have peer support  groups or forms, play an active role in them, asking for advice, expressing views and the like.  Very often peer groups help you find openings both inside and outside the organization.  It may also be a good idea to link up with employees in other departments for possible openings-but always keep your boss in the loop, for some bosses tend to get territorial and don’t like their staff being poached upon even if they aren’t exactly busy !

Getting noticed at work is probably the best way to survive being made redundant.  So don’t idle away your time at the bench.  Use it instead to promote yourself to a more satisfying job and permanent position !