When I started sourcing and teaching sourcing, I believed that Sourcers should be separate. Sourcers are nerdy, introverted, and know the technologies. (As an introvert, I get tired after speaking with two or three people, then need down time.) Making Sourcers reach out to potential candidates is not utilizing their top skills. Recruiters are good communicators, extroverted, friendly, and outgoing. The best personalities for the two roles are different.
However, I now believe that, in most cases, it is best for Recruiters to source. It is not rocket science. Everyone can learn to Google, LinkedIn, and use productivity tools.
The reasons to not separate the roles include:
- If a Sourcer speaks to a candidate, then, Recruiter, and only then, the Hiring Manager, it creates a poor candidate experience.
- In this economy, you are likely to lose the best candidates amidst all the scheduling.
- Information gets lost in the communication between the participating parties.
It is best to train your Recruiters and let them both search and reach out.
A separate Sourcing function at your company can serve three purposes:
- Looking for hard-to-find talent
- Working with urgent requisitions
- Building talent pipelines.
My partners and I offer Sourcing Services covering those needs. We generate a list of matching prospects along with contact info, and the client reaches out themselves. We have worked in all industries and across locations, and it has not been boring!
It is often hard to sell our services to the companies’ management since we cannot guarantee any outcome – not a given number of leads or placements. But almost all of our clients come back with more projects since it works well for them.
What do you think? Should Sourcers and Recruiters be separate functions? Should Sourcers talk with potential candidates? It is funny that, after so many years, we are not on the same page!