How Sourcing is Separate (and Different) From Recruiting - Part 3

By Jessica Miller-Merrell

This is a three part series on phone and internet sourcing. Check out part 1 and part 2. 

We’ve probably all seen the lines between sourcer, recruiter and hiring manager get blurred. There seems to be a lot of confusion in our industry about the responsibilities of each party and how it all fits together. For some, it’s that the jobs aren’t so clearly divided in their organization, and for others it’s a matter of understanding what exactly sourcing is and what it isn’t. Whatever the reason for the confusion may be, there’s no doubt that it can stall the process, cause chaos and leave people frustrated, especially the person in that sourcing role. 

This seems to be a topic that I’m hearing a lot about lately, one that is causing real headaches for sourcers who find themselves in awkward situations where there role is unclear again and again. If fact, I recently spoke with a sourcer who shared that it feels as though they are having to re-educate managers on an ongoing basis.

Rather than dealing with confusion and frustration on a regular basis, recruiting teams would be wise to address the issue, determine where each party stands and establish hiring process standards. However, individual sourcers can also take action themselves to help clear up the confusion. Take a look at these five steps for doing so – and reinforcing those standards – in your organization.

Define responsibilities

Often times it’s just simple confusion about a sourcer’s role that ends up causing chaos. You can clear this up by developing an official process document to use as you work with the hiring team, highlighting what your responsibilities are, showing how those tasks fit in the larger process and what a typical timeline looks like.

Go a step further

In addition to defining your role, work with your team to include their roles in the process document as well so there’s an explanation of and information on everyone’s role in the hiring process. If you decide an all-encompassing process document is too farfetched or you don’t have the support of the team, try an informal meeting. Don’t be too hard on those who don’t understand the process. After all, we usually don’t know what we don’t know.

Maintain ongoing communication

As nice as it would be to share the information once and know that everyone will absorb and use it, that’s not realistic. Communicating with your hiring managers and recruiters on an ongoing basis reinforces and reminds them of your role. You can also help people avoid making assumptions by being available to answer questions and provide them with insights and information into how you are sourcing their talent.

Provide weekly reporting and metrics

The best way to head off frustration and confusion is for all parties to be knowledgeable about what’s happening. Make this happen by providing reporting that goes beyond just candidate source. Include sources by platform, social network, etc. and consider evaluating the percentage of your candidates sourced who receive interviews and are extended offers, and later on, their turnover, all of which helps demonstrate your value.

Use multiple communication channels

Meet your hiring team where they are and become a valuable resource for them. Share your favorite articles or information about new tech tools with your team, host a monthly or quarterly webinar talking about your what’s working and how sourcing is growing, evolving and changing, and always ask for feedback as well.

This is a two part series on phone and internet sourcing. Check out part 1 and part 2. 

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Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a workplace and technology anthropologist specializing in HR and recruiting. She's the Chief Blogger and Founder of Blogging4Jobs and author of The HR Technology Field Guide. You can follow her on Twitter at @jmillermerell.