Many companies are looking to build out internal sourcing teams strategically aligned within the organization due to the value sourcers bring to an organization. We will dive further into this in the next article “The Sourcing Impact on the Business,” so be sure to stay tuned. Being able to source is a skill and a talent that takes practice. With unemployment at an all-time low, candidates do not just come running to opportunities anymore. Companies have to find new ways to attract talent and retain that talent as well. In this article, we will look at the job market for a sourcer and how to position yourself to stand out.
Now for a little background on me. I have immersed myself in the talent acquisition world since October 2014, and in these four short years, the market has changed dramatically. Since the beginning when I first stepped into the staffing agency world and being wide-eyed to a world I have never seen before; I soaked in as much as possible. I was eager to network with like-minded individuals in my area, as well as those who were in a similar role to that of mine. This would allow me to develop the skills needed to succeed in this industry quickly. I was not aware of the SourceCon community, and recruiting/sourcing was an entirely new world for me. When I did take a moment to do some research, I found some interesting details regarding the job market. I came across an abundance of recruiters, but not many sourcers. When I drilled a bit deeper into my investigation, I was able to uncover a bit more regarding the world of sourcing and talent acquisition.
Sourcing was utilized across agencies and some corporations, but many companies appeared to be pouring money into job boards like LinkedIn, Monster, CareerBuilder, Glassdoor and Indeed. They were using the “post and pray” method. Large corporations had large recruiting functions that would comb through the applicants, but they did not need to source passive talent, as they were attracting what they thought was the best talent. No blame to the recruiters in these roles, as they didn’t know any better at that time. It seemed like the only sourcers in some of the large corporations were information gatherers or sourcing in procurement and dealing with vendor relations on supplies.
These are the numbers across various job boards just with filtering sourcer and the United States:
- LinkedIn – Just shy of 2,000 postings
- Monster – 706 postings
- CareerBuilder – 300 postings in the last 30 days
- Glassdoor – 3,880 postings
- Indeed – 717 postings
- Google Jobs – A lot of postings!
- ZipRecruiter – 710+ postings
If you were to look back across the same job boards a few years ago, these numbers would be a lot smaller. I would estimate those to be less than half of where they are now. With the rise of niche tech jobs and various skilled labor roles in today’s market, it makes it a lot harder to “post and wait” on applicants because those same applicants now can have four to six job openings a piece to filter through rather than just one. Great talent is becoming harder to find, and companies are starting to see that.
Some of the companies who are looking to build out their sourcing function include the likes of Lowe’s Home Improvement; they are local and remote opportunities for their sourcing functions as well as talent brand analysts who support managers delivering an attractive brand that will strengthen talent pipelines. The brand analysts use a sourcing, research, and analytical mindset in order to develop the strategy on how Lowe’s attract talent. Walmart eCommerce, Amazon, Gartner, Discover, and Wells Fargo have all recently opened up new roles for sourcers that are strategically aligned to support business functions, whether it is on the professional, technical, or skilled labor side. Agencies are also opening new sourcing roles as well, like ManpowerGroup Solutions RPO and their CORE services function or other national firms like Modis. The staffing world is very competitive, and the ones who have the best pipeline of talent, as well as the most engaged pipeline will come out on top. Agencies will use sourcers to boost up their respective pipeline of talent as well as to keep the talent engaged ready to go for their clients.
With building a sourcing function companies can target passive talent more effectively, than that of a talent network or simple job board ads. This is where it is crucial to be a sponge and soak up as much knowledge as possible, whenever possible because a great sourcer in this market will have the ability to indeed dictate the job market.
One thing I always do is set up job search alerts, not only through specific companies but also through Google Alerts as well. This is an excellent way for you to stay up to date with what’s happening in the industry and always be in the know of when new roles come available. I also use this for research purposes as well, because now after reviewing the postings, I’ll know what companies use what tools. This comes in handy in many purposeful ways.
It is also a good thing to have a well-developed resume ready to go for when those dream jobs do come available. I love keeping one a working document that I keep up to date almost on a weekly or monthly basis. As I complete projects at work or develop new skills, or learn a new platform, I can always keep track of it in real time. This helps, so you are then able to go back and make specific edits when you need to. You’re also not stuck with trying to remember what you did four years ago.
I also keep a few versions that I run through Grammarly, which helps me be prepared for a few roles that may have my interest. This allows me to have specific resumes tailored to the position and company. Grammarly is an excellent tool because it can make great suggestions that MS Word can’t begin to process. Grammarly also comes in handy for me when constructing the first initial outreach and introduction note to the manager as well. I want to make sure I am not missing a glaring grammatical error, and I also want to make sure the tone is correct.
There are several resources in helping you build the perfect resume to land that dream job. I like to use Resume Refresh, to make edits from my working resume to help condenses a more targeted resume. I have used this writer several times; he is available no matter where you are. He will do a phone consultation with you where it is a general conversation, nearly like an initial phone screen. From there he constructs the perfect resume for you. Another option is to use LinkedIn’s ProFinder option, which will allow you to view local resume writers.
There is no better time to be a skilled sourcer. Companies will do all they can to attract the best ones and be able to build that dream TA team that delivers. The SourceCon community is also accommodating when it comes to sharing jobs, as well as helpful tips for job seekers. Happy sourcing and happy hunting.