#10 How to actively hire passive Candidates

Sourcing Strategies in Talent Acquisition

Introduction to Sourcing Strategies

• The speaker, Armin Toast, introduces a series on human resources strategies aimed at advanced HR students and professionals.

• Resources such as slides and a book titled "Human Resources Strategies" are available for further learning.

Challenges with Traditional Hiring Methods

• The discussion begins with the question of what to do when job ads fail and executive search becomes too costly.

• Many companies rely on job ads for hiring but find them ineffective for specialized or strategic positions.

Understanding Candidate Types

• Three types of candidates are identified:

• Active Candidates: Actively seeking jobs, often unemployed or recent graduates.

• Passive Candidates: Employed individuals who may consider new opportunities if approached.

• Not Seeking Candidates: Individuals not looking for jobs, including those satisfied in their roles or nearing retirement.

• The proportion of these candidate types varies by profession and labor market conditions.

Limitations of Reaching Not Seeking Candidates

• Efforts like employer branding and career fairs will not reach not seeking candidates as they are not actively present in the job market.

Importance of Engaging Passive Candidates

• With active candidates scarce, employers must focus on engaging passive candidates who represent the remaining talent pool.

• Employers need to take initiative in reaching out to passive candidates rather than waiting for them to apply.

Active Engagement Strategies

• Being proactive involves two main approaches:

• How employers approach potential candidates.

• Building relationships through direct engagement.

Talent Acquisition Strategies: Active vs. Passive Approaches

The Importance of an Active Approach in Talent Acquisition

• Emphasizes the need for a competitive approach in talent acquisition, similar to sales strategies where proactive outreach is essential rather than waiting for candidates to apply.

• Discusses the passive method of posting job ads and waiting for applications, likening it to fishing, which may not yield optimal results.

Responsibility in Talent Acquisition

• Highlights two extremes in companies regarding responsibility for talent acquisition: either solely HR handles it or the entire business line is involved.

• Explains that an active approach involves all employees and managers participating in talent acquisition efforts, contrasting with a passive HR-only model.

Strategic Framework for Candidate Engagement

• Introduces a strategic exercise using a portfolio model to visualize where a company stands on the spectrum of active versus passive candidate engagement.

• Suggests marking current strategies on this portfolio can reveal whether companies are primarily passive (HR only) or if they engage actively across the business line.

Cultural Context and Readiness

• Discusses how cultural context influences talent acquisition strategies; some companies may be hesitant to approach potential candidates due to their corporate culture.

• Contrasts cultures that discourage aggressive recruitment with those that embrace competition, highlighting differing mindsets about hiring practices.

Strategic Statements on Sourcing Candidates

• Presents two opposing strategic statements regarding sourcing candidates: one advocating caution and passivity while another promotes aggressive and bold approaches.

• Encourages organizations to reflect on which strategy aligns with their values as they develop their talent acquisition strategy.

Talent Acquisition Strategies: Balancing Passive and Active Approaches

Understanding the Role of Line Engagement in Talent Acquisition

• The speaker discusses the passive nature of traditional recruitment methods, such as job ads and executive search firms, emphasizing that these approaches often delegate responsibility to others rather than engaging directly.

• A distinction is made between low engagement strategies primarily managed by HR versus those requiring more active involvement from business lines, highlighting the importance of understanding these dynamics.

Passive vs. Active Recruitment Strategies

• The conversation shifts to various recruitment strategies, categorizing them along a spectrum from passive (e.g., job ads) to active (e.g., sourcing candidates).

• Career fairs are identified as a slightly more active approach; however, they still require candidates to approach recruiters rather than vice versa.

• Campus recruiting is presented as an even more proactive strategy where recruiters engage directly with students through lectures and events.

Advanced Active Recruitment Techniques

• Social community recruiting involves actively searching for potential candidates on platforms like LinkedIn, representing a significant shift towards direct engagement.

• Talent scouting is described as a competitive method where recruiters observe professionals in their work environments to identify top talent before approaching them.

• Tribal recruiting focuses on hiring entire teams based on individual hires, showcasing how leading firms leverage existing relationships within industries for comprehensive talent acquisition.

Employee Referral Programs: A Powerful Tool

• Employee referral programs are highlighted as highly effective; current employees refer candidates they know, incentivized by bonuses upon successful hires. This requires collaboration between HR and business lines for success.

Strategic Considerations in Specialist Hiring

• The discussion emphasizes the need for companies to adapt their hiring strategies based on the complexity of roles being filled—simple hiring may suffice for general positions but not for specialists.

• Companies must evaluate how far they can go in their recruitment efforts when faced with challenging mass hiring scenarios or unique specialist roles that demand tailored approaches.

Best Practices in Specialist Hiring

• The speaker introduces best practices derived from real-world experiences with companies facing difficult hiring situations, stressing that these should serve as inspiration rather than templates to copy directly.

• An example is provided involving a hiring manager seeking an international tax lawyer—a role characterized by high difficulty due to its specialized nature—illustrating the complexities involved in such hires.

By structuring your notes this way, you can easily navigate through key concepts discussed regarding talent acquisition strategies while also having direct access points via timestamps.

Setting Up a Project Team for Specialist Hiring

Importance of a Dedicated Project Team

• The discussion begins with the need to establish a project team specifically for hiring an international tax lawyer, emphasizing that this task requires more than just posting a job ad.

• It is highlighted that all project team members should allocate at least 10% of their working time to focus on this specialist hiring project.

Workshop and Employee Value Proposition

• A workshop will be conducted to gather insights from current job incumbents (other lawyers) to develop a compelling employee value proposition.

• Understanding what makes the position attractive is crucial; identifying three key reasons why qualified candidates would be interested in the role is essential for effective recruitment.

Defining Requirements and Criteria

• The focus will be on establishing "gold criteria" or key requirements for candidate selection, aiming to keep these as minimal as possible.

• Emphasis is placed on competence over experience; potential candidates may lack certain skills but could have the ability to learn them.

Referral Workshop Strategy

• A referral workshop will be organized where participants can leverage their networks (e.g., LinkedIn) to identify potential candidates for the position.

• The goal of this workshop is collaborative identification of suitable candidates through personal connections, enhancing outreach efforts.

Active Sourcing and Candidate Engagement

• It's important that individuals from the business line, rather than HR, approach potential candidates since lawyers prefer being contacted by peers in their field.

• Preparation and coaching are necessary for colleagues involved in active sourcing activities, as many may not have prior experience in this area.

Managing Candidate Conversations

• When reaching out to candidates via platforms like LinkedIn, it's vital to allocate sufficient time for discussions; initial calls often extend beyond expected durations due to candidate interest.

• The speaker stresses that traditional hiring methods (like simply posting ads and waiting for applications) are inadequate for specialist roles. A strategic approach is required instead.

Conclusion: Hunting the White Whale

• The metaphor of hunting a "white whale" illustrates the challenges associated with specialist hiring; it requires careful planning and resource allocation.

• While some companies may find this approach new, those experienced in executive search understand its necessity and effectiveness.

Executive Search Strategies in HR

The Necessity of a Competitive Culture

• Companies must cultivate a competitive culture to successfully implement executive search strategies, including poaching talent from other organizations.

• Active sourcing should align with internal compliance rules; HR departments need to embrace this approach as legitimate and acceptable.

• Employee readiness is crucial; if regular employees and managers are not on board with active sourcing, the strategy will likely fail.

Challenges in Active Sourcing

• Convincing business lines about the effectiveness of active sourcing can be challenging for HR professionals.

• HR specialists must demonstrate seniority and assertiveness when guiding hiring managers through the active sourcing process.

Shared Responsibility in Hiring

• It is essential for HR to communicate shared responsibility with hiring managers, emphasizing that both parties must collaborate effectively for successful recruitment.

• Establishing successful cases early on can help build confidence among hiring managers regarding the effectiveness of active sourcing strategies.

Scaling Successful Strategies

• Once initial successes are achieved in active sourcing, they can be scaled up; demonstrating past achievements helps convince others of its efficacy.