Gone are the days in which recruiting was as simple as pumping out a role description and placing it on a job board. Employers of today need to be proactive in their recruitment efforts if they hope to secure the best candidates. Adopting a multi-channel sourcing strategy will allow you to maximise your search for the perfect candidate.
The fact is, we are in a candidate-driven market, spurred by the pandemic and the great resignation. Employers are finding that they must go out and actively search for the right candidates, rather than the other way around. Expanding your organisation’s sourcing options allows you to find top candidates and beat out competitors in the race for talent.
What is a multi-channel sourcing strategy?
Simply put, multi-channel sourcing is a recruitment strategy where an organisation finds candidates from a number of different sources, rather than just one. While finding active job seekers is a good start, a well-rounded sourcing strategy should also be targeting passive candidates.
To attract passive talent, a multi-channel sourcing strategy should also include implementing a referral program, partnering with external recruiters, or utilising a candidate sourcing and outreach platform to build a strategic long-term candidate pool.
Ultimately, multi-channel sourcing involves collaborating with external recruitment providers, platforms, and software to manage and coordinate several talent sources. Focusing on multiple sourcing channels helps to both speed up and improve the recruitment process by optimising an organisation’s talent pipeline.
What are the benefits of multi-channel sourcing?
For the organisations of today, there is no reason to limit the number of candidates by focusing on a single source. Online job boards, social media, and the software available mean that pursuing a multi-channel sourcing strategy has never been easier, or more effective.
Reducing the time to hire is one of the most important benefits of this strategy, as it empowers organisations to tap into as much of the recruitment landscape as possible. This allows employers to cut down the time to hire, as suitable candidates can be found much faster.
The volume of candidates received will also increase when employing multi-channel sourcing. The combined use of social media, job boards, the organisation’s website and referrals maximises potential candidates and allows for out-of-state or international talent to also apply. The utilisation of recruiters as part of this strategy also gives employers access to candidates who are not active job-seekers. With access to existing networks and industry knowledge, the best recruiters are able to ‘headhunt’ top candidates from other organisations, thereby widening your talent pool even further.
What are the best recruitment sources?
There is no one recruitment channel that is perfect for every organisation. Each has pros and cons, which is why employing a multi-channel recruitment strategy is so effective in covering all bases. Here are some of the top sources to use in yours:
Job Boards
Online job boards such as Seek can help you to find a large number of candidates. For a set cost, job boards allow for the wide distribution of a job opening. The downside to this, however, is that you may find that you need to filter the relevant, high-quality candidates from the rest. We often describe this situation as being applicant rich, but candidate poor. You should determine the value you get from posting on a job board, not from the total number of applicants, but the number of actually relevant candidates received.
Passive Candidate Outreach
Finding and interacting with potential employees who aren’t actively looking for a new job is known as passive sourcing. These passive candidates can be found, engaged with, and recruited by savvy recruiters and hiring managers to fill open positions in your company. Strong employer branding can help with this, positioning your organisation as a great place to work. Potential candidates can become interested in working with you before there is even an opening available. When you begin actively recruiting, you’ll have a group of qualified candidates ready to apply.
Recruiters
Another powerful tool in your hiring arsenal is external recruiters. With large, pre-existing networks of contacts from which to draw candidates, recruiters can take much of the leg-work out of finding the perfect candidate. Unlike the previous two channels, you won’t have to vet the applicants yourself, and any candidates that make it to your desk are guaranteed to be high-quality. Because you don’t pay a recruiter until a candidate has been placed, this can also be a less risky option compared to others; unlike paying for a job ad that gets zero traction. The downside is that recruiters charge a set fee based on the overall salary of the position, so filling senior roles may end up costing a lot. This is, however, often offset by the shorter time to hire reducing empty chair time and its related costs.
Find the best recruiters at competitive rates with TalentVine’s recruitment marketplace. After posting a role, recruiters specialising in your industry will submit bids to work on the role in a silent auction.
You can pick those to work with based on rates, reviews, past performance and more.
LinkedIn and Consumer-Facing Social Channels
When a new or vacant position opens up at your organisation, plan to post an advertisement across social media. This includes LinkedIn, which is great for any organisation to easily find skilled talent. Consumer-facing brands can also reach out on platforms like Twitter and Facebook, where they likely have a large following. Social media allows you to reach a targeted, already engaged audience for relatively little investment. Include a link in the post so that applicants can apply directly on your career site. Even if your ideal candidate isn’t in your audience, posting a role to social media can lead to referrals as your followers share the link with relevant professionals in their own networks
Referral Program
In addition to being your most valuable assets, employees can also make for excellent recruiters. Many will have extensive networks in the industry and can spread the word about how great your organisation is to work for. Whether it’s friends, former colleagues, clients, or other relevant connections, you can be sure to find many relevant candidates in these employee networks. Consider offering incentives for your employees to provide referrals, such as gift cards, time off, or something else.
Key Takeaways
In the current hiring climate, it can be difficult for employers to find top talent. Utilising a multi-channel sourcing strategy is important for any organisation that wants to find the best candidates. Doing so reduces the time to hire, increases the number of relevant applicants, and subsequently gives the organisation an opportunity to hire better candidates. Job boards, social media, external recruiters, referral programs and HR tech software are just some of the possible sourcing channels available and can help in building a well-rounded sourcing strategy.
TalentVine allows you to find, connect with, and manage multiple recruiters within the platform. Our in-built Applicant Tracking System allows you to keep track of all candidates in your omnichannel sourcing strategy, streamlining the recruitment process for you and your organisation.
