Recently I posted a piece about namby-pamby sourcing, part of which was about being afraid of your own shadow in these troubled times. In it I stated that one way to improve upon scaredy-cat sourcing processes was to keep a journal about your daily sourcing routine. That way you could “see” and... [full article »]

A young recruiter form the UK ventured into a networking group (RBC) I belong to and asked where he could find technicians who work at BMW or Mercedes franchise dealers. He said the manager or the service receptionist names were easy to find, but he needed to find the guys working on the cars.... [full article »]

I have a 10-month-old granddaughter. She just started crawling. What happened in the beginning was interesting to watch. The task at hand was to get her knees up under her and her backside lifted. Watching this was a comedy of errors and a lot of fun. A week or so of this... [full article »]

I wrote a post awhile back in the MagicMethod group here on ERE called “Get a Group, Get a Blog, Get a Website” and I know at least one person (Sam Medalie) followed my advice and started two groups here on ERE - the informative “Finding Passive Candidates” group and the ever-interesting “Interviews With Hiring... [full article »]

Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing intended as a technique of conservation. After capture, the fish are unhooked and returned to the water before experiencing serious exhaustion or injury. According to the Wikipedia definition, using barbless hooks makes it possible to release the fish without removing it from the water (a slack... [full article »]

I’d forgotten the fun of Internet search. I had a job come in during January. The position was for a senior-level manager in the R&D software group of a major storage business. The customer told me in the specifications that the person we were looking for was “an uber-geek who has the capacity and the desire... [full article »]

If you routinely call gatekeepers and get lines like, “You need a name to be transferred to anyone,” it could be that you are routinely doing or saying something that is causing that gatekeeper to view you as a threat to her company’s infrastructure. Effective communication skills allow you easy entrance to most any gatekeeper’s psyche.... [full article »]

When I was a baby sourcer, I was filled with all sorts of terrifying fears about what I would say, what I would do, what would happen IF that Gatekeeper asked me any questions! I laugh now at my (mostly) unfounded fears, but I understand this is a common thread that runs through all telephone... [full article »]

I get asked quite often, “How many names do I need to order to make this work?” The answer is deceptively simple: “Usually 30 to 50 names will effect ONE immediate hire,” I warn. It’s a big “usually” because it depends on the veracity of the names sourced, of course; but it also depends on the... [full article »]

“We learned to be patient observers like the owl. We learned cleverness from the crow, and courage from the jay, who will attack an owl 10 times its size to drive it off its territory. But above all of them ranked the chickadee because of its indomitable spirit.” - Tom Brown, Jr., The Tracker [full article »]

The best companies are having trouble attracting employees. Not only are companies in different industries vying for the same candidates as the current crop of college graduates emerge, but these candidates themselves present different challenges from only a couple years ago. The 80-million strong Millennials (also known as Generation Y/Echo Boom) are acutely discerning job seekers,... [full article »]

I get this email newsletter put out by David DeAngelo that touts his “Double Your Dating” portfolio of tricks on how men can meet women more effectively. I admit that I usually read the whole thing. Why? The guy is a genius at understanding human nature and ways of putting that understanding to work. There are... [full article »]

I like lists; on-the-go literary distillations that tell a story. Here’s another one about sourcing. The best lists are presented with a pinch of intrigue, turn of phrase, and/or dash of humor. They hold our interest captive for a few fleeting moments and then leave us sated with pointed information. [full article »]

“How long does it take to effect one immediate hire using you?” the caller asked. What he was asking was really a complicated question that required some answers from him before I could answer. “What position is it you’re trying to fill?” I asked. [full article »]

Most people hate the idea of rejection. It causes the phone to slip in their clammy hands as they break a cold sweat, a lump to appear in their throats that makes it hard to breathe yet alone speak, and a knot in their stomach appears that feels like it could come up at any... [full article »]

I had a job earlier this month where I was tasked with identifying business development people out of specific financial institutions. The customer wanted people involved in the protection and retirement businesses of their respective insurance organizations. The search parameters were as follows for target titles: [full article »]

The product is names sourcing, a subject that some people equate with pulling resumes off the job boards and searching the Internet with brilliant Boolean to discover those tantalizing names contained within a search engine. Some call it Internet research because most participants engage it in only this form. In its most productive form, a few... [full article »]

I know I’ve promised you step-by-step sourcing instructions, but before we get started, there are a few housekeeping things I’d like to get off my chest. Lately, potential customers inquiring about my service have been asking me, “What do I say when I talk to these names you’re going to give me?” At first I didn’t... [full article »]

Recently, Raghav Singh wrote an excellent column entitled “Measure What Matters.” It was a formula for judging recruiting effectiveness, and Raghav seemed to boil all the rhetoric down to one stunning fact when he said, “The clearest measure of an organization’s success is the number on the bottom line…anything that makes more money for an... [full article »]

“What is it you do, and how do you do it?” I wish I had $25 for every time I have been asked those two questions. Yeah, $25. If I’m going to invest my time, you’ll quickly find out about me, and I want to get paid. But more about my per-piece sourcing rate in another... [full article »]