What is the first step I should take when sourcing candidates?
Create an archetype of your ideal candidate
To truly source candidates effectively start by writing a clear job description. Once your job post is in place take a moment to consider the attributes that make up your perfect prospect. If you do not have a lot of familiarity with this particular search ask the hiring manager to spend 30 minutes with you to build out this criteria guide.
At a minimum the search criteria for each role should include the following:
- A list of the must have skills. Try to keep this list relatively short with a 3 to five skills maximum.
- A list of complimentary skills and other keywords that show domain expertise. This list can be more broad and will help to find people with the competency to perform the job, but may not include a must have skill in their resume.
- A list of job titles that your ideal talent currently holds. (e.g. Account Executive, sales development representative, UI Engineer).
- A target list of companies where you believe your ideal candidate works.
- A summary of the preferred educational background for the candidate. You could include a list of schools or universities to target.
Once you have a well-defined job description and candidate archetype then you’re in a great position to start sourcing. This is when it makes sense to start perfecting the following strategies:
- Run boolean searches
- Search LinkedIn, Github, Google, and other networks
- Check out professional organizations related to your open position
If all of this sounds like a lot of work and you’re on a completely understaffed recruiting team, consider a software service that can help you work more effectively.
Our team at Fetcher has helped small and large teams source candidates and recruit top talent.
