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 Paul DeBettignies on March 1, 2009 at 11:04pm

The tools that we have to source are so wide and varied from the social networks, to the job boards, CRM, ATS and other specialty tools. They all have there place and deliver unique value. It really depends a lot on your requirements, business process, budget and openness to accept change.

I agree with Robert 100%. I would add indusry or skill set sought and in some cases location.

I do hope that at some point either a producer of tools, software, the next big thing or someone, anyone within our industry puts together a well run, respected and affordable recruiter training program.

Makes no difference how many people I can find through whatever tool I use if I cannot develop a relationship with someone. Too many recruiters/sourcers/wannabe's are relying tools to do the work for them and when the economy hits the fan they are some of the first out the door looking for a job.

If we could train, develop and grow our own talent as well as we seem to find it we would all be much better off.

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Permalink Reply by Amitai Givertz on March 2, 2009 at 8:30am

On the subject of stirring the pot John Sumser is indeed, long in the tooth, a rather practical cat...

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Permalink Reply by Rob McIntosh on March 2, 2009 at 9:33am

You are all right and you are all wrong

The wonderful thing about human nature is our ability as a species is to think (and over think) about what the future may hold.

We all said the earth was flat…..now we know it is not
Lots of the world brightest scientific minds at one stage believed in a "steady state model", until later it was proven that the world actually originated from the “Big Bang Theory”

I say one day recruiting as a profession will go the way of the dinosaur as well, the issue with the statement I just made is when I put a date next to it 

The same can be said of Sourcing which is just the specialization of a part of the recruiting function. The real question is the when and what form does it evolve too and now take on……..Relationship Managers; Community Developers; etc?

We have a tendency sometimes to think too much in absolutes (this vs. that) vs. the way the world really works which is more of our ability to evolve and adapt by taking the best of the old and applying it to the needs of today.

Sourcing is not dead because it was it has always been here, it is just a specialized part of what recruiters do. Some companies and individuals decided to become specialized like outplacement companies are specializations of the recruiting function and the same can be said for the different tools that a recruiter/Sourcer/Relationship Manager/etc can leverage to identify, attract and romance talent.

So when I think of predictions of the future, I occasionally refer back to this video to keep me sane in my crystal ball gazing left hand brain

Recruiting 2337

Rob

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Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on March 2, 2009 at 9:41am

Since Doza was bounced from LI does this mean all the predictions are wrong?!?!????

Robo, weren't you and I talking about this 10 years ago?

Will call you today...

Rob McIntosh said:

You are all right and you are all wrong

The wonderful thing about human nature is our ability as a species is to think (and over think) about what the future may hold.

We all said the earth was flat…..now we know it is not
Lots of the world brightest scientific minds at one stage believed in a "steady state model", until later it was proven that the world actually originated from the “Big Bang Theory”

I say one day recruiting as a profession will go the way of the dinosaur as well, the issue with the statement I just made is when I put a date next to it 

The same can be said of Sourcing which is just the specialization of a part of the recruiting function. The real question is the when and what form does it evolve too and now take on……..Relationship Managers; Community Developers; etc?

We have a tendency sometimes to think too much in absolutes (this vs. that) vs. the way the world really works which is more of our ability to evolve and adapt by taking the best of the old and applying it to the needs of today.

Sourcing is not dead because it was it has always been here, it is just a specialized part of what recruiters do. Some companies and individuals decided to become specialized like outplacement companies are specializations of the recruiting function and the same can be said for the different tools that a recruiter/Sourcer/Relationship Manager/etc can leverage to identify, attract and romance talent.

So when I think of predictions of the future, I occasionally refer back to this video to keep me sane in my crystal ball gazing left hand brain

Recruiting 2337

Rob

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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 2, 2009 at 9:47am

Macca had to stick his head into the tussle.

Okay, listen pal, we know that you were in charge of sourcing at Microsoft. And Shally has told us that you guys used to divide the work between sourcers (researchers) and networkers (recruiters).

Papa is saying that recruiting (networking, selling) will exist when the sourcing aspect of recruiting has gone the way of the dinosaur. Especially telephone sourcing. Because he knows that everyone is going to be findable online.

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Permalink Reply by Rob McIntosh on March 2, 2009 at 9:55am

Steve - Not sure if I have time to chat today as I am visting some fast food chains just in case

Michael - Of course, as I have been away for such a long time as I need to hear the sound of my own fingers on the keyboard jumping in as the 95th person in dicussion that should have finshed 90 responses ago...........but heck, you know all about how to keep a "jump the shark" situation going ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 2, 2009 at 10:02am

We all have to keep our brands in the public eye.

Rob McIntosh said:

I need to hear the sound of my own fingers on the keyboard jumping in as the 95th person in dicussion that should have finshed 90 responses ago

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Permalink Reply by Rob McIntosh on March 2, 2009 at 10:04am

Arr.....Michael.

Then we are in agreement that it is all about the brand so Susan will be pleased !

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on March 2, 2009 at 10:08am

Glen Cathey, Boolean Black Belt, tells us WHY sourcing (even Internet!) is very much aliiiive...here. And you know what? It makes sense!
******
Hear Glen tell us more LIVE on the March 11 TalkSourcing segment of the Recruiting Animal show!

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Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on March 2, 2009 at 10:10am

Reporter: "Mr. Sumser, if you were a dinosaur, what kind of dinosaur would you be?"

Sumser: "Did Animal send you? Get the f#*@^6%#$ out of here."

I'm thinking ankylosaur - can you see the resemblance?

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on March 2, 2009 at 10:14am

LOL!
ROFL!
ROFLMAO!
Hey how much snow you got there Steve?

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Permalink Reply by bill josephson on March 2, 2009 at 11:33am

That is why I Earn tens of thousands in a fee.. cause I don’t just provide a name, but I provide a developed candidate, (not an applicant), and then follow through the full process from beginning to end, no matter the length of the process – constantly babysitting client and candidate, looking for the Signs that can “close” or create that process to fail. Always remembering that at the same time, the process is to Assist for the betterment both our client and candidate to the best of our ability.
One thing is for sure, the Recessions come and they always help Redefine the Recruiting Structure - bringing it back to what it really is.. no doubt that this will happen as well.

Good post. This is the world I live in.

Bill