Digging Into RecruitingBlogs.com v2.08: The Death of Sourcing

(Feb 27, 2009) Sourcing, as currently practiced, is a short term phenomenon. There is money to be made in the field today because the techniques required to find people are arcane and confusing. Additionally, with the strong exception of Avature and Broadlook's products, there are no useful tools for the automation of the process.

Meanwhile people are getting easier and easier to find.

The next waves of innovation in social networks will be all about making the membership accessible to each other. Right now, finding additional network nodes, new friends or interesting potential connections is a black art. You've got to be a Boolean Black Belt. You need a guru. There's an entire consulting industry built on specialized knowledge.


You may rest assured that this situation will not last.


The web is best when it tears down the friction that separates information from the people who need it. The folks who work hard mining data manually today will be flipping burgers in the near future. The skills required to move forward are unlike the ones being taught. Contemporary sourcing is a dead-end occupation with little in the way of transferrable skills.


Next generation recruiting is about relating intimately, not about mutual discovery. It's about fidelity and long term value exchange, not one night stands. It's about data that updates itself because the relationship is constantly working. Finding each other? Easy. Building an enduring relationship? Hard.


For a while, sourcing will be a high dollar, easy pickings income source. But, in the relatively short term, the need for the expertise will evaporate. Former sourcing luminaries will be familiarizing themselves with the alarm on the French fry machine and the relative difference between Rare, Medium and Well done.


Evaporate, as in "What air freshener scent would you like with your car wash?"


So, what do you do if you're a sourcer (or any kind of Recruiter, for that matter)?


  • Get really good at being a productive member of an online community. Join stuff, volunteer, get experience.
  • Develop repeatable methods for discovering new communities and joining them.
  • Develop community management skills (Jason Davis is a good role model).
  • Stop acting like an email address is a relationship or a list is a community.

 

I'm on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Friendfeed. Catch up with me.

 

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 12, 2009 at 12:13pm
Attention, all participants in this ongoing conversation. I HAVE AN IDEA.

You know that only a few people are addicted to social media the way we are. So why don't we form a hit squad?

Not a formal group with a lot of lame members. But a small group of committed social media idiots who pick a different posting every week or so - on any website - and take over the comment section.

I think we would have trouble choosing the posting - and this is why the idea won't work.

But the idea of a roaming band of outlaw commenters who descend on a posting and rip it to shreds and then talk about anything and everything under it for the next 2 to 5 days.

That's the stuff legends are made of.
Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on March 12, 2009 at 12:23pm
I'll bring enough "virtual" sandwiches and water to last a group of 10 of us for at least a week at a time out here. We can set up camp anywhere. You just let me know where and when. I'll be there.

Recruiting Animal said:
Attention, all participants in this ongoing conversation. I HAVE AN IDEA.

You know that only a few people are addicted to social media the way we are. So why don't we form a hit squad?

Not a formal group with a lot of lame members. But a small group of committed social media idiots who pick a different posting every week or so - on any website - and take over the comment section.

I think we would have trouble choosing the posting - and this is why the idea won't work.

But the idea of a roaming band of outlaw commenters who descend on a posting and rip it to shreds and then talk about anything and everything under it for the next 2 to 5 days.

That's the stuff legends are made of.
Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 12, 2009 at 12:41pm
I'm thinking that I would let Jerry Jerry Albright pick some of the targets.

Because I know he gets pissed off reading nonsense and it's not always fun to be the lone ranger in the comment section. That's what I was thinking of when I got the idea.

Suggested Name: The Bad Guys.

Tho I used to like Al Recruita (and owned the URL)

Now it will be best if these are really aggravating postings
that can get everybody's juices going, pro or con.

Are there enough of them?

I don't know but if the bad guys actually get going it could change the recruitosphere's culture.
Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on March 12, 2009 at 12:45pm
[evil laugh]
Permalink Reply by lisa rokusek on March 12, 2009 at 12:45pm
OH PLEASE LET ME PLAY!!!!

I can bake some cookies too, and provide beverages of your choice.
Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 12, 2009 at 12:46pm
Here's another funny idea.

If you go to www.ning.com you now have your own individual page that is above all of the individual social networks.

It's really easy to invite all of your friends in the ning system to any social network.

A small group with a lot of friends could merge two or more related networks by inviting all of their friends to both of them so that the membership was almost identical.
Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 12, 2009 at 1:40pm
In case anyone is serious, I set this up to use the event function to let everyone know the target posting.

http://thebadguys.ning.com/

Reasonable goal: target 1 posting a week.

That's not too demanding.

It would be the first commenting group in the recruitosphere.

Recruiting blogs get next to no comments. So a group that could generate 10-20 comments could really stand out.
Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on March 12, 2009 at 1:46pm
I hope you've got some minimum standards for the group here. We need to be ready to deploy with a moments notice. This will not be for the weak of heart.

P.S. Is this a secret?
Permalink Reply by lisa rokusek on March 12, 2009 at 1:47pm
Are there any sacred cows? I say let there be no sacred cows.
Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 12, 2009 at 1:54pm
Jerry, the group has to be very undemanding or it will never survive.

I am willing to let you take the lead in choosing the first target posting.

I suggest that you use the Event Function on Bad Guys to let us all know.
(We have to be linked as friends on that network).

You can also use the inmail function but the Event thingee leaves a notice
on the front page.

http://thebadguys.ning.com

We don't all have to appear instantly. Just over the course of the next couple of days.

No, it's not a secret.

There's never been anything like this and if it's fun it could draw in a lot of fellow-travellers.

@Lisa - what's the point of being a critic if there's sacred cows?
Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on March 12, 2009 at 1:58pm

Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 12, 2009 at 2:33pm
HOW TO START

1. Lets wait till we have 10 members. You cant count on everyone to show so we need some strategic depth.

2. Lets have Jerry pick the first target.

I got the idea after speaking to him.

Jerry, CincyRecruiter offered her postings anytime we want to shred them.

3. Jerry posts the target as an Event and sends it thru inmail to all of the members.

Within the next two days we all comment.

4. I say don't rush into your first comment. We want them to make some sense.
Later on it can degenerate into anything.

5. Target: 1 action per week.

You can't demand more from a voluntary membership.

If our actions are interesting they will attract comments from other people

6. I suggest that we choose a group blog or something on a social network first
so that what we do is guaranteed to be seen.

There's no point in targetting a lonely blog that no one visits
until we have a following.

7. Not everyone has to hate the posting.

If Jerry hates it you might like it. So, naturally, you're free to be the good cop when you feel like it.

http://thebadguys.ning.com

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