Redefining the Passive Recruiter/Passive Sourcer

Read a post on Boolean Blackbelt “Passive recruiting doesn’t exist” and it has pierced my long founded assumption of Passive recruiting/sourcing as opposed to Active recruiting/sourcing. Let’s redefine the two terms

Active sourcing / recruiting : Reflects a conscious effort towards finding a candidate
Passive sourcing / recruiting: Reflects a laid back approach towards finding a candidate.

Differentiators between the two breeds…

	Active sourcers/recruiters	Passive sourcers/recruiters
Job post	Well made adverts designed to attract candidates. Responses reviewed and adverts refined accordingly. Will respond to all / most of the candidates. Spread the posting across job boards, universities, social communities and other sources	Post jobs and wait for responses. Candidates not responded to. Rely on Print and Job board adverts.
Social Media	Active on social media with sizeable and quality networks. Publicise their company, jobs and themselves. Create / Participate in communities, where candidates are active.	Social media is for personal use
Job board search	Use alerts to keep a tab of which new candidates are posted in their domain. Extensively search job boards, for candidates and referrals.	A weeks search, max a month. Skim through the results.
Agency reliance	Carefully choose the requirements to be given to agencies. Mostly fill the requirements on their own.	Agencies are their best friends. Rely on agencies to fill most of the requirements.
Employee referrals	Push jobs to employees and impress upon them to refer.	Policy is published. Wait for employees to refer
Friend networks	Build friend networks within competitor companies, and keep a tab of what’s happening there	Not bothered about what’s happening with the competition
Mass emailing	Will send customized mailers	Make a draft, and send to all.
Telephone/internet sourcing	Utilise both, depending on the situation	Mostly internet focused. Telephone utilized only for interviewing.
Reason for contacting candidate	Events, birthdays, seminars, referrals, jobs… etc	Only for a job
Candidate network	Build a network of candidates, within their domains and geographies proactively.	Search for candidates when required. Don’t spend energy in building a network.

A Passive sourcer/recruiter will be an inbox recruiter as aptly described by Sarang Bramhe “A Recruiter 1.0 is one who gets a job requirement; post it to various job boards, newspapers etc and waits for his inbox to deliver goods. It’s a classical case of recruiter who “Post and Pray” to get good resumes and fill in the requirement”

An active sourcer/recruiter will work towards expanding his network by increasing his reach across multiple channels (colleges, SPOCS, associations, social networks, Phone sourcing... etc. And strengthen this network by being in touch on a regular basis. This sourcer may
even help the candidate with jobs with other companies, if required.

More than how they utilize the sources, it is the basic approach towards finding candidates and filling positions, that marks them out as passive or active sourcers. At the centre of this approach lies the willingness to keep candidates engaged and build an active network of candidates within the scope of requirements available.

Who are you???? Active or a Passive sourcer/Recruiter!!

Related Posts

10 Myths – Passive candidate sourcing 
Beliefs of a passive candidate sourcer

Passive recruiting doesnt exist

Social Media for recruiting- Post and Pray approach

10 Myths – Passive candidate sourcing

Guess, you already know about them, recruiters weigh them in gold, hiring managers love them, they are difficult to find and they don’t change jobs easily… this is how generally “Passive candidates will be described. Love to be one
Lets try and unravel some myths about approaching these species
Myth 1: Don’t Sell the Job - They are picky, they are sensitive! You may end up offending them by selling the job
The more passive the candidate, the more selling is required. Bland Job adverts or unenthusiastic pitch is never going to land you a passive candidate. If you just brag about the job and its benefit, the likelihood of you convincing the candidate is quite low. The key to selling a job to a passive candidate is to find out one reason, for which he will change the job.
Myth 2: Passive Candidates are not looking out – They are happy with their current job and are not looking for a change.
Just check how any on Linkedin, don’t check “interested in job opportunities”. They are always looking out
There is never a perfect situation. Some irritant in the job will always be there. They may not be interested in moving out for a reason. Find the reason and irritant. You might find the irritant is more important than the reason not to move for some.
Myth 3: Your Call is going to irritate most Passive candidates
Being wanted is flattering!! Yes, they may not be expecting your call and may be taken aback, they may be busy and you may have intruded at the wrong time. If approached professionally, no passive candidate will get irritated. Give them time to get comfortable and don’t forget to follow up.
Myth 4: A “NO is the end of the conversation
The likelihood of the passive candidate saying not interested is higher than the active candidate. I have seen a lot of times, this NO is just a natural response to not being prepared for the call. Always try and understand why they are not interested to change a job. Make them comfortable enough so that they speak atleast 5 sentences. After that you wont have a problem. The first five are the most difficult. Control the conversation and the “No” is easy to encounter.
Myth 5: Calling Passive candidates is not ethical
That’s an internal battle for you to fight. If you don’t feel happy in what you are doing it won’t be good enough. I don’t see anything wrong in offering a change for the better to a candidate. Even if it means, opening the eyes of the candidate.
Myth 6: Always Email First : Don’t want to make an unsolicited call
Safe bet!! Email first, candidate is aware that you are calling, or at least you can say, “I had informed”. The only challenge with this approach is in deciding what information to reveal in the email. I would not want to give a solution, without understanding what’s bothering the candidate but still believe that a well worded email or voicemail wont hurt.
Myth 7: Always Be Honest with the Passive candidate
Won’t dare to say this in public but I am a Sagittarian. Never give a false picture to the candidate about the role and related information. You don’t always have to be honest about is how you found his contact information. Don’t say anything that will make them suspicious.
Myth 8: Passive Candidate will perform better than active candidate
Well, they will be more valued for sure by the recruiters, but can’t say if they will perform better. Assuming that passive candidates are currently performing better than their colleagues, leading to high satisfaction and hence not looking out, it is but logical to assume that they will perform well in the new company. Run a sample.. hire the best performers in your competition, and you will find they may struggle in your company. Apart from skill, it is the company’s culture, policies, procedure, environment, that will determine successful performance.
Myth 9: Job boards don’t have Passive candidates
Hidden in CV’s are references, which could be excellent passive candidates, and also a contact for a ruse to connect. Apart from the references, I personally believe, all candidates who have not update their CV, for more than 3 months have turned passive. Had they been serious, they would have got a job by now.
Myth 10: Passive candidate search is only effective in hiring senior level requirements
For senior level requirements, you don’t have an option on the job boards. Passive is by and large the only source for fulfilling these requirements. For other requirements, job boards, would generally give a decent response. That doesn’t mean, you can’t look beyond them to find more candidates. Definitely try the job boards’ first, easy thing to do. Don’t compromise on the quality of candidate, if you don’t find your best match. Remember, Passive is always an option, albeit a challenging one.

Care to add more!!!

Related articles

Redefining the Passive Recruiter/Passive Sourcer  

Sourcer / E recruiter Assessment- Hiring Freshers  

Beliefs of a Passive Candidate Sourcer!!

Name generation/Resume sourcing -- Costs and service

In response to Jay Floersch's question on Linkedin, there are mixed feelings to outsourcing Name generation/Resume sourcing. ?

Question
"Have you worked with a name generation or resume sourcing service? I'd like to know what your costs and experience has been."

Links
Linkedin Question
Jay Floersch Linkedin Profile

Rogue Recruiting

SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN has written a wonderful article on the extent these so called "Rogue recruiters" or "Extreme recruiters" will go to fill their open positions. Their tactics can be unconventional, paparazzi-like and some say borderline unethical. Sounds quite similar to telephone names sourcing. Read the article here

Links
Article: "Snack Vendor or Undercover Recruiter"
SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN

Five Barriers to Phone Sourcing Success

Moises Lopez has posted an artice on the most common mistakes that are made while names sourcing
1) Being “unprepared”
2) Not preparing a formal script
3) Let your assumptions control your call
4) Simply talk too much and not listen.
5) Not putting yourself in a positive mindset

Simple but effective pointers,You will find the complete post on Recruiters Lounge

Links
Linkedin profile: Moises Lopez
Moises Lopez Blog:
Article: Five Barriers to Phone Sourcing Success

Funniest names sourcing tactics

Stumbled upon this old post on Funniest names sourcing tactics by Maureen on Recruiters Lounge.

If you cant laugh, be prepared to raise your eyebrows....:)

Jolly reading!!

Links
Funniest names sourcing tactics

Who Killed Kenny the names sourcer

Joshua Letourneau has posted an intriguing article "Who Killed Kenny the names sourcer" the effects of international names sourcing training on the US Names Sourcer.

He cites the increase in supply of trained and relatively cheaper names sourcers as a reason for decreasing names sourcing rates, something which may drive the US names sourcer out of business.

Recently Jeff Weidner, had posts on reducing costs of names sourcing.
Part I How Low can the Cost of Name Generation
Part II How Low can the Cost of Name Generation

I would suggest you read this article along with Jeffs posts.

Links
Part I How Low can the Cost of Name Generation
Part II How Low can the Cost of Name Generation
"Who Killed Kenny the names sourcer"

A special place for good candidates

In his new podcast "Where to Find the Top Recruiting Prospects" Lou adler talks about brilliant candidates and where to find them. His concept of diminishing returns and their mindset as they go about job hunting from one stage to another is appealing and makes a lot of sense.

Starting from tiptoing to the last stage of posting their CV on the Job board they are looking out for a smart recruiter to help them. Amazing Podcast

Core sourcing

Tools to find phone numbers

Jim stroud has filled up a desperately needed space talking about technology that helps Sourcers...

Find below a tremendous post on "50 ways to find a telephone number"

Thanks Jim:)
Coresourcing

Names that Guarantee a hire?

Louise UK Recruiter type pad gives us a benchmark for number of names to look at for an immediate hire.

eg:
Outside Sales Reps 30 - 50
Inside Sales Reps 20 – 30

Read this post "How Many Names Do I Need For One Immediate Hire?" to find more

Telephone Names sourcers: Rating Scale

In a response to a question "What is the difference between a Level 1 Research Associate and Level 2 Research Associate?" on Linkedin Maureen Sharib has posted her Telephone Sourcing Experience Metrics Model

The model has five levels and uses the following parameters
Type of industry
Target companies list
Management tier
Type of information required
No of Names generated

"All the following levels are predicated on the assumption that the telephone sourcer already knows how to use the web to generate the early information upon which her telephone results will be built." Maureen .

Interesting Gatekeeper responses

Internet has been my forte. Just recently I have started picking up the tricks of Names sourcing using the telephone. Though most of the responses are from sales people and not names sourcers, I found this Linkedin question and answers to the same quite helpful. Following is a valuable comment (Linkedin Answer) from the other side of the table.

"WHAT WORKS FOR ME? Several people who responded first have already said it but let me just confirm that what they say is true! I will do my best to assist anyone who tells me the truth right off the bat, who gets to the point and doesn't waste my time. Someone who remembers speak with a respectful tone (and not talk down to me) because I am getting nothing out of helping them - they are benefitting. And when they call during a time that I am on a deadline and don't have the time to talk - I appreciate people who are willing to send me an email stating what they need and why they are contacting our company and then I can forward it out to our management team." WHAT WORKS FOR ME? Several people who responded first have already said it but let me just confirm that what they say is true! I will do my best to assist anyone who tells me the truth right off the bat, who gets to the point and doesn't waste my time. Someone who remembers speak with a respectful tone (and not talk down to me) because I am getting nothing out of helping them - they are benefitting. And when they call during a time that I am on a deadline and don't have the time to talk - I appreciate people who are willing to send me an email stating what they need and why they are contacting our company and then I can forward it out to our management team. Helen Laloo- Executive Assistant,

Sourcing Sins

Maureen Sharib talk about the ten deadly sourcing sins and why people fail at sourcing
Here is the link to the post: Ten Deadly sourcing skills

Also an enlightening comment be Ibrahim
"I don't have to be haughty or threatening just very polite, patient and sweet and yet utterly scary because I like to apporach the gatekeepers in foreign languages. I am sure that this might not be an option for you in the US but in Germany (and many other European countries) the saviest of gatekeepers will be put off their game (which they usually master in one language only) and give you anything you want just to be rid of you when you ask them nicely in French or English": Ibrahim Kerem Ergun

Internet vs Telephone Sourcing

Internet sourcing has been happening from offshore locations since a long time. Names Sourcing using the telephone has picked up. Can they both come together?

An interesting post on Linkedin by Sarang Bramhe from OS2i

Telephone Research Vs. Internet Research - what would you recommend? What are the pros-cons and in what areas these work best? What is the best way they can co-exist?

Offshore names sourcing

Perceptions take a long time to change... this one just refuses to die...

A interesting thread started by Jeff Weidner on ERE How low can the cost of a name get?

"Cultural issues and language barriers will not be barriers for much longer. These companies will find ways to offset those issues, they will shift their training tactics from a "how and what to do to" to a cultural training and language training."-Jeff Weidner