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It’s a simple fact of life that HR Pros are sometimes tasked with recruiting and even sourcing. And while sometimes this additional responsibility can be overwhelming, sourcing incredible talent can be really fun. Sourcers get to do fun “detective” work that makes succession planning and compensation models look downright dull. And it’s not as hard or as geeky as you think. While you may not be able to become a sourcing ninja overnight, you can use a little ingenuity, some help from marketing or IT and your own creative mind to implement the best sourcing hacks. Here are few to get your creative juices flowing:
Rename your WiFi
Are you a hospital, retail location, restaurant or other customer facing location? Do you work near your competitor or a local watering hole? Then this hack is for you. Simply rename your WiFi to something clever like “Know how to Code? Leave your resume at the desk.” As Sourcing Monk points out, you can do this on a personal device or use careersite addresses and symbols in the name as well.
Get your WiFi name involved in your sourcing game with this simple trick:
Alternate Hack
Think your company will find this a little too radical? What about offering free WiFi that directs people to your jobs page or a featured job you’re having trouble filling? Or go rogue and rename your personal device WiFi next time you stop by Starbucks.
Get Emails from GitHub
GitHub is for people who know what they’re talking about when it comes to engineers. As most sourcers will tell you, classic Boolean will not get you very far on this site. However, if you can get your hiring manager to identify the language and the proficiency level (and maybe even give you a sample script) you can use this (relatively simple) hack.
First, search Github for users pushing code in the language you’re seeking. Locate a username (or make a list if you see more than one viable candidate.) Many sourcers have found you can use the API to find email addresses by entering this string:
https://api.github.com/users/xxxxxxxx/events/public
Replace the xxx’s with the person’s Github username and then Ctrl/Cmd + F for email.
Alternate Hack
If this seems just a touch too technical, get your hiring manager or IT department to assist. They might enjoy a little detective work and you’ve just learned a new skill. Feel like this is easy stuff? Here are more Github hacks to try!
Have you ever considered using Github in the #candidate sourcing process? Why or why not?
Become a Prophet
Maybe you don’t need to source engineers or developers. After all, they aren’t the only people out there who need jobs. The US unemployment rate is at a steady 5%. How do you source a great PR pro, office manager or accountant? Well, there’s a Chrome extension for that. You might be surprised to learn that sourcers use Chrome all the time to find out information that’s hidden in plain sight. There are a couple of extensions that can not only help you source, but actually boost your business prowess (depending on what email client you use).
Chrome extensions you need on your browser if you want to ace your sourcing game:
First up is Rapportive, which allows you to connect on LinkedIn with just about anyone. It was purchased by LinkedIn, which drastically decreased its usefulness for anything else, but being able to see a picture to put with a name or instantly check out candidates when they email is still very useful. The other extension is called Prophet and it is the belle of the sourcing ball.
First, download the Prophet Chrome extension from parent company HiringSolved. When you view a person’s profile on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook an arrow will appear in the top right corner of your screen. Click it to display a list of all the social profiles and websites associated with that person. It will also display a list of possible email addresses for this person, based on the information contained within their social media accounts. Then simply click “Find Email” and you’ve got it! Read more sourcing hacks from Sourcing Ninja.
Alternate Hack
Of course, you can always reach out on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter individually, but this may decrease your ability to get through. Don’t worry too much, because 85% of employees surveyed said they would be willing to talk with a recruiter. If you aren’t friends with the person, you’ll have to do it publicly and if your ideal candidate is already hired, you may be out of luck if his or her boss sees the message.
Avoid Keywords
Say what now? Yep, some candidates who are incredibly talented don’t keep up on what they should or should not say in their online profiles or resumes. You might label these folks the ultimate passive candidate. 75% of 18,000 full-time employees surveyed considered themselves passive candidates. Candidates with very little online footprint won’t be found with a standard keyword search. For example, candidates with a high security clearance. For this hack, fill in the blanks (literally) as this recruiter did:
For someone like Pete, those are exactly the type of candidates he’s looking for, so he makes logical assumptions about sparse profiles. For example, if the profile indicates the candidate lives in the D.C. area and works at Fort Meade, he knows she’ll have to have a certain level security clearance. Recruiters relying solely on keyword searches will miss these candidates. (LinkedIn Talent Blog)
Alternate Hack
Use the phone and dial the last name on the list, not the first. While it may seem counterintuitive, so much sourcing has gone online lately, that potential candidates can be surprised by a phone call. And many busy recruiters and sourcers are not taking the time to scour the bottom of the list (which is not the same as the bottom of the barrel). So take the time to reach out and connect with someone who may have been overlooked a thousand times before.
Of course, the ultimate sourcing hack is making sure your recruiting process and candidate experience is up to snuff once you’ve sourced that perfect candidate. About 11% of job seekers said they would decline a job offer from an employer with a bad reputation–even if they were unemployed. So reach out to ClearCompany to get a demonstration of how we’re helping millions of candidates and thousands of companies connect!
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