Review on best practices for recruiters on sourcing, building a candidate pipeline, and full life cycle recruiting. Presented by Kristi Williams, Corporate Trainer. Visit https://www.sparksgroupinc.com for more information.

1. Best Practices for
SOURCING CANDIDATES
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2. Building a Candidate Pipeline
1. What is the difference between ‘sourcing’
and ‘recruiting’?
2. What is a ‘candidate pipeline’?
Work with a small group!
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3. Building a Candidate Pipeline
In order to build a candidate pipeline,
we have to source candidates.
WHEN do we source?
Before you have an open job to fill.
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4. Building a Candidate Pipeline
WHEN do we source?
Proactively based on insight into client needs -
•Recurring
i.e. Sparks Group client has this need at the beginning of
each quarter.
•Projected
i.e. Sparks Group BDM or AE’s prospective client has
verbally committed to giving Sparks Group their next
opportunity—target date is early next month.
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5. Building a Candidate Pipeline
WHO do we source?
Core Competency Candidates -
Varies by Sparks Group division
Varies within the Office/Admin division
Homework: Top 5 positions your team staffs?
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6. Building a Candidate Pipeline
HOW do we source?
1) Search Erecruit - make calls and tag candidates
2) Post the job without delay
3) Outbound searches on job boards
Take these steps in this order!
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7. Competitive Advantage
Source better talent in less time.
Ideally we…
 Source candidates while our competition is still
searching for them.
 Then recruit those candidates by capturing their
interest before the competition has found them.
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8. How to Source Candidates
• This ideal scenario will not be a reality unless
we are intentional about what we do and how
we do it.
 It’s NOT just about putting forth the most effort
and working hard.
 We need to work smart – smarter than our
competition.
Work SMARTER not HARDER!
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9. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
1. DO Think Before You Search
Develop a full understanding of the open position.
Best Practice:
i. Read through the job description for comprehension.
ii. Read again, highlighting words and phrases that
represent key responsibilities.
iii. Look for trends – words that are repeated
Do I fully understand this role?
Typical Day, Must Have’s, Nice to Have’s
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10. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
DO Think Before You Search (cont.)
Think about what?
• Think like a candidate – What other words might a
candidate with this experience have on a resume?
• Synonyms – What other words can you think of that
have the same meaning?
Organize keywords into like groupings!
Manage Support Sell Client
Lead Assist Promote Customer
Supervise Coordinate Market Member
Direct
Oversee
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11. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
DO think before ‘diving deep’ into search
results
Preview the resumes of the first 5-7 candidates in
search results
• These are the best, most relevant. Are they ‘spot
on’?
• Use the ‘best’ resumes for additional keyword
ideas
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12. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
Erecruit Best Practices:
i. Always sort candidate search results by
relevancy.
ii. Not good? What’s missing? What’s there
that you don’t want? EDIT and re-search!
iii. Good results? Save and try several other
variations (Go from good to great?)
iv. Good results? SAVE before you start making
calls!
Now that’s thinking!SPARKS GROUP 12

13. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
2. DON’T Start with the Job Boards
Instead, start with Erecruit.
Why? Familiar with or open to Sparks
Group -
Applied to a Sparks Group job postings
Referred to Sparks Group by
candidates/clients
Sourced by other Sparks Group recruiters
Warmer! More likely to say ‘yes’!
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14. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
3. DON’T Run Simple Searches
• Simple search string = the ‘most relevant’ may
not be so relevant
• Avoid digging through 100’s of resumes for
the ideal fit
Invest extra time up front in your search string
=
More on-target candidates
Saves time now and the next time!
Now that’s working SMARTER, not HARDER
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15. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
4. DON’T Limit to Exact Job Titles
• Countless titles for the same role - cannot think
of them all!
• Consequence? Miss candidates with the right
experience and qualifications
• How do we use job titles? As a resource for
additional key terms!
• Resource for ideas on similar job titles:
http://www.onetonline.org/help/online/search#keyword
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16. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
5. DO Include more than Skills
(i.e. software programs, databases, programming
languages, operating systems, etc.)
• Candidates may have a skill listed in ‘skills
summary’ but any evidence they’ve used it?
• Pair skills with responsibility terms
(i.e. administer, configure, create, manage, reconcile,
coordinate, design, etc.)
“Integrated local corporate Active Directory data
sources with SharePoint contact lists…”
“Created employee directory using SharePoint…”
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17. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
Best Practice:
◦ Remember “verbs” from your days of learning
grammar in school? Action words!
◦ The best candidates have put their skills into
action
◦ Pair relevant verbs with skills
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18. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
6. DON’T Limit to the Last 30 Days
• Posted resume yesterday –
“I’m just putting feelers out to see what’s
available.”
• Posted resume 60-90+ days ago –
“Looking for the ideal fit and waiting until I find
it.”
“I am in a contract role so leaving my resume up
there.”
The moral of the story? Available, qualified
candidates may have 31 to 365 + days “old” profiles –
and most recruiters don’t call them.
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19. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
7. DON’T Overanalyze Resumes
• We place PEOPLE not PAPER
• Scan through the resume
More keywords in search string=
More highlighted words =
Easier to scan
• Use the “10-second rule” - can’t definitively rule out
a candidate in 10 seconds? Pick up the phone!
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20. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
8. DON’T always Submit the First 2 -3
Candidates
•Odds are against the 1st few always being the best.
Or the most interested. Or the most closeable.
•Not ‘First in, First Out’ basis (FIFO), but ‘Best in, First
Out’ basis (BIFO).
•‘First in, First Out’ isn’t truly “selection”
#Goal:
Get candidates in front of your clients ASAP,
while being selective
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21. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
9. DO See Beyond this Candidate and this Role
• Candidate isn’t an ideal match?
They may know someone who is!
• Too junior or too senior for the role you’re working?
Might be perfect for a position you need to fill a week or
month from now!
• Is your team working other positions that might be a fit
for this candidate?
• Good candidate, no open job? Talent market!
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22. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
DO See Beyond this Candidate and Role (cont.)
Erecruit Best Practice:
◦ “Tag” candidates who aren’t for ‘now’, but might be for
‘later’
◦ Tag prior to modifying a search string or you’ll lose track of
the ‘not right for this job’ candidates
#Goal:
Find the ‘not now’ candidates with ease
when a need arises that fits!
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23. Sourcing Do’s/Don’ts
10.DO Seek to Continually Improve Your
Candidate Sourcing Skills
• Many recruiters get comfortable – resort to
doing what they’ve always done.
• Insanity, “Doing the same thing over and over
again and expecting different results.” -Albert
Einstein
• Go beyond meeting your KPI’s - invest in
getting better at your ‘craft’
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24. A final thought…
“There are no candidates out there to fill this
role.” REALLY? If you go fishing in the ocean
and don’t catch the type of fish you were hoping
to, would you be justified in assuming there
were no fish of that type in the ocean that
day? Of course not! Just because YOU didn’t
catch the fish you were looking for, it doesn’t
mean they weren’t there to be caught. Don’t let
someone else catch the fish you need!
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