“A List of 20 Proven “Creative Recruiting Sources” That Most Are Not Using
Below you’ll find a list of sourcing approaches that would have to be classified as “creative” simply because so many corporations don’t have the courage to try them.”

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Proven by whom to do what? Hire large numbers of quality people quickly and effectively? If so- I’m dubious.

As Jim Shaw wisely said (referring to traditional methods): “Maybe it’s because those “traditional and well-established” sources are effective.”

Fundamentally, sourcing/finding decentcandidates is NOT the current main problem. IMHO, the current main problem is getting managers to hire the kind of candiates they can reasonably expect to get with the level of compensation, benefits, etc, they have to offer. Experienced recruiters need to educate managers to get over their priveleged, entitled mentality, i.e., help them realize:
“They (and their companies) AREN’T that special.”

Cheers,

Keith “Been Super Work-Busy” Halperin

Newspaper ads, check, did that in mid 70′s

Recruiting at non recruiting events, Check, Oh, God does this mean i have to go back to those things called the Chamber After Hours and those 5:00 AM Business Breakfast thingys, sponsor Symphony events and do those 4th of July flag waving, cow chip tossing contests. Oh Lord.

Direct Mail, check, i know those post cards and letters are still here someplace in an old filing cabinet when we stuck them in 95′.

Consumer Products, check, somebody find those signs we put on the city buses and in taxi’s and the airport and all that stuff we used to put on bulletin boards in college laundries and don’t forget those flyers we paid kids to put on car windows at the mall and football games and concerts.

And while we are gasping in awe at all this new creative stuff somebody call the Donut Stop and tell them we will start sending donuts to companies with our business cards in the box every Friday morning again.

Anybody seen my bell bottom jeans, hippie beads and i’ll be right back, running to the salon to have my hair straightened, parted in the middle and find a headband.

Creativity rocks on man, farmhouse! Peace Out!

Dina Hemmi
http://www.Turningpointsearch.net

I suspect it didn’t make the list because Dr. Sullivan’s management students didn’t THINK to do it! I’m sure Dr. Sullivan learns more from his students (as all good teachers do) than they do from him!

I envy Dr. Sullivan’s access to the brain trust though I am doubly pleased that even they didn’t think about phone sourcing. It shows just how creative, unique and elegant it really is!

“Something is elegant if it is two things at once: unusually simple and surprisingly powerful.” – Matthew E. May.

Maureen Sharib
Phone Sourcer
513 899 962

The fastest growing websites in the world are Social media sites, being innovative using these can make you stand out and be infront of the right people. Job boards again will always continue to deliver as long as there is unemployment, again there is more to how you use a Job board rather than just posting a job and hoping for response.

@ Dr. John A lot good ideas, but some of these are a huge time suck. Most IT recruiters have a huge req load and going off the beaten path to find one candidate can cause a disruption in candidate flow. And what if that one candidate decides NOT to make a move?

And, video games? Web design companies should have Flash based games on their careers page because it would attract the right kind of candidates.

“more than 90% of corporate hires come from traditional and well-established recruiting sources (i.e. referrals, job boards, the career site, direct sourcing, college career centers, social media, and career fairs).” And ” Seventy-five percent of all hires come from the same five sources.”

Maybe it’s because those “traditional and well-established” sources are effective.

Thanks for the great article!
Geraldine

Thank you for sharing a great article regarding Creative Recruitment Sourcing. Very insightful and informative.

Best Regards
Sean Rego

Other opportunities: recruiting on your local newspaper website. Check out the demographics of the readers and you’ll likely find above average incomes and education. Look at the Business section to recruit for Managers/Directors/Executives or Accounting/Finance or Sales professionals. Sports tends to be well suited for IT and Engineering professionals. Every recruitment campaign I’ve run for clients in these areas has received in the realm of 5x the industry standard response rate and in one recent case drove over 100 people to a company’s Career site in a week.

Behavioral Targeting: there are vendors out there who follow people’s behavior on the web and can figure out who IT professionals are, for example, by the conferences the register for, sites they frequent, industry groups they are members of, etc. Can also be used for diverse talent, nurses, and other professionals.

“if everyone else uses the same sources as you do, your firm simply cannot gain a competitive advantage over your talent competitors. Being a unique user of an effective source does provide a competitive advantage.” ~Dr. John Sullivan, 2012

Thanks for the message, though.

Maureen Sharib
Phone Sourcer
513 899 9628