4 Steps To Better Candidate Sourcing

Recruitment brings up a wide range of intense feelings in both candidates and employers. And, they are not always positive.

As an employer, finding quality candidates can be time-consuming, complicated as well as costly. On the other hand, most candidates find the recruitment process daunting and sometimes, even demoralizing. But, it does not necessarily have to be this way. There are simple ways to improve your job postings, boost your applicant rates, and end up with a talent pool of qualified and motivated candidates.

One of the effective methods for building your talent pool is by sourcing qualified candidates and engaging them in your job openings. You can source the desired candidates on various platforms like online job boards, social media networks, your existing recruitment database, employee referrals using an employee referral program, as well as recruiter network.

To be successful at candidate sourcing, here are four effective candidate sourcing steps that you can implement in your sourcing strategy right away.

Step #1. Choose your words carefully

The first and foremost candidate sourcing step you must immediately implement is the right usage of words and engaging language.

The first thing a hopeful applicant will read is your job listing. So, it is important to word your job description carefully for the best chance of attracting good applicants. Jobsoid has a rich library of over 500 job descriptions, each written by HR Experts of the industry.

Another thing to pay attention to is how your company presents itself online. In short, how you portray your employer branding. The language and content your team uses on your company website and social media is often the first thing a potential candidate finds when researching the role. Make sure it is error-free and consistent with the style and tone of the recruitment process, from the listing right through to the interview.

Step #2. Keep a personal touch

The second and most important of the candidate sourcing steps you ought to follow is maintaining a personal touch in your candidate sourcing techniques.

Generic, copy-paste language is so common in job postings that just by personalizing your job description according to your job requirements you can stand head and shoulders above the competition. By relying on the generic language, you are essentially making a bad impression on your applicants. You indirectly put off a message that you don’t care. In this case, how can you expect your candidates to care about you?

That is the reason why next time you reach out to passive candidates, make your message personal to them. Use active verbs and more casual, friendly language to make them realize this is not a bot approaching them. Use user-friendly email addresses instead of noreply@companyname.com or jobs@companyname.com

You should make your applicants feel a little more valued, and a lot more likely to consider your company for their next job move.

Step #3. Make a connection

The next effective step for better candidate sourcing is engaging candidates in your sourcing and recruiting process.

While you are humanizing your recruitment process, why not humanize the sourcing and interviewing process? Many times, hiring managers often confuse making a connection with tailoring each and every conversation for every candidate whom your source and those who apply for your open roles. Instead, you should try to get to know your potential candidates to determine whether they are a good match for your company culture.

When sourcing a potential candidate, use it as an opportunity to sell the office experience: the culture, mission statement, and values. By doing so, you are already making the candidate feel like they are a part of your team.

Step #4. How to say No

Rejection is as much a part of recruitment as hiring. And while everyone would jump at the chance to congratulate successful candidates, notifying unsuccessful ones is often a neglected task. Any job applicant will tell you that most companies will send out a generic rejection email with no application feedback, or worse, stay silent.

Candidates have taken the time in crafting their application. It is only polite to spend some time letting them know why they did not quite make it. By all means, be brief and honest in sharing specific details about what they could have done better.

You should think about the long-term goal. You want your company to be known as compassionate and attentive, not blunt and ignorant.

So what is the underlying message of all of these points? You should treat your candidates like the human beings they are. At the end of the day, one of them might be your future colleague; it pays to be thoughtful.

Using an applicant tracking system, Jobsoid can help you focus on your candidate sourcing efforts extensively. Jobsoid’s advanced tools like sourcing plugin, candidate management, recruitment campaigns, and a lot more. You can follow these candidate sourcing steps and revamp your sourcing strategies by signing up for a Free Jobsoid account.