This is a continuation of the series, The Vision of Pipeline Sourcing – Part One and Part Two.
Engage
We are almost ready to execute our vision for pipeline sourcing. We’ve communicated, we’ve influenced, and now we must ENGAGE. For pipeline sourcing to be successful, there must be a commitment from all parties.
- Commitment to the agreed pipeline sourcing process,
- Commitment to the service level agreements with follow up on interviews,
- Commitment to the philosophy behind pipeline sourcing.
Once the commitment has been made by recruiters, HR, hiring managers and senior leadership, only now do we know there will be engagement. Engagement is required.
Why must there be engagement? Without the commitment of all parties to be engaged, you will spin your wheels in frustration.
As we know the window of opportunity for passive candidates is very narrow. You’ve connected with a person who was not looking for a new opportunity.
Once the call has been made, and the sourcer has worked their magic, there is a finite amount of time to keep the candidate engaged before their excitement or interest begins to diminish. It’s essential when sourcers pass candidates onto the recruiter or hiring manager; there is a sense of urgency, otherwise, the window of opportunity closes, and the organization loses out.
Not only do we lose out on a great candidate. We potentially damage our employer brand and reputation of the sourcer.
Engagement is critical; it’s vital to ensure all parties agree with the steps/ processes and most importantly the SLA’s because without them the pipeline becomes a useless list of names.
Execute
Whew. We finally made it. We can execute the plan.
Executing the vision becomes ten times easier now we’ve worked through the process of bringing the vision of pipeline sourcing to reality. To achieve you need to have the right tools. We are not going to go into details on how to select the right tools for your organization; this is a separate article. Just remember in the planning stages it’s imperative to have the right tools to source, engage and manage candidates effectively.
Once the tools and process have been established, the pipeline sourcing team is building lists of profiles, reaching out to candidates, screening and passing amazing candidates to recruiters and managers.
For candidates who are qualified and engaged with the organizations brand, as mentioned before the interest of a passive candidate is short. If a candidate isn’t going to be spoken to by the business, it’s important to make sure candidates are entered into CRM tool and has regularly scheduled drip campaigns keeping them warm and engaged with your organization, your brand, and potential future opportunities. This provides a constant reminder to the potential candidates in your pipeline. Making it easier to re-engage when an opportunity comes available.
Report
Reporting measures success, failure, and most importantly opportunity. In establishing your vision for pipeline sourcing, you may set ambitious goals for the first couple of years, understand, it takes time to build, develop and cultivate a pipeline. Good pipelines take time to mature.
If you have an excellent CRM tool, it will be easy to determine and establish what to measure. Measuring the number of candidates in the pipeline, candidates screened, shortlisted, managers interviewed, hire, etc. These are just a few options an organization can choose to measure. In the beginning, the funnel of a pipeline will be very healthy on the top half, as people are being screened, evaluated and engaged, the bottom half of the funnel will continue to grow stronger.
Additionally, you can report the number of engaged candidates in each of the target geographies, how much pipeline sourcing has reduced TTH (time to hire), number of directly sourced candidates due to pipeline sourcing, etc. There are many ways to report, and as you go through your journey, you will identify what is most important to your organization.
Reporting can be intimidating because early on the results may not yield what was expected. It’s essential to not waver on the commitment or engagement. Without either, pipeline sourcing will not be successful.
Finally, make sure you broadcast all SUCCESSES. This will build momentum, enthusiasm and most importantly future commitment from leaders.
Again, as organizations continue to fight for a scarce resource called “talent,” it is imperative to have “The Vision of Pipeline Sourcing” and how you want it to work for your organization.
I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of a team that took this journey. We’ve had many lessons learned, which has allowed us to become more effective in what we do with the commitment of the organization, which has been exciting, as we’ve seen the many successes as our pipeline continues to grow.
If you would like more information on how to help build your vision for pipeline sourcing, please feel free to reach out.