It was a pleasure to sit down and record this interview with Sharon Newey from Superfast Recruitment recently.

Click here to listen to our full discussion on YouTube.

Here is some more info on our discussion:

In this episode, we sit down with Vanessa Raath, a globally recognised Sourcing Talent Trainer, to explore the future of recruitment and talent sourcing.

Vanessa specialises in helping companies move beyond their reliance on LinkedIn by teaching innovative sourcing strategies that embrace new and emerging technologies.

She shares insights into the changing role of traditional job boards, the integration of AI and automation in recruitment, and the growing importance of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok for finding top talent.

Vanessa also highlights common pitfalls recruiters face when adopting new technologies.

She provides practical suggestions on training recruitment teams to leverage these tools effectively.

Whether you’re an experienced recruiter or new to the field, Vanessa’s expertise offers valuable guidance on staying ahead in the ever-evolving world of talent sourcing.

Below is a summary of all the gems Vanessa shared.

Challenges in Sourcing Talent

The global talent market is highly competitive, with companies fighting over a small pool of candidates. To stand out, recruiters need to think beyond traditional sourcing methods and platforms. This global crisis affects countries, not just those with historically poor education systems.

The best approach is to specialise in your niche, building communities and networks within your specific recruiting area. This allows you to understand the candidate market better, speak their language, and make quicker client placements.

Looking Beyond LinkedIn

Don’t rely solely on LinkedIn and local job boards. Start searches on search engines to access the entire internet. Cross-reference findings with LinkedIn, but remember that candidates update other social platforms more frequently.

Ask your candidates where they spend their time online. For instance, data architects might be on Kaggle, while UI/UX designers could be on Behance or Dribble. Find candidates where they spend their time, as these profiles will likely be the most up-to-date.

Use LinkedIn to gather additional information, such as education history, but don’t end your search there. Learn about Chrome extensions and how to find email addresses to reach out to candidates in different ways.

Building Communities

Community building is the future of recruitment. Create specialised groups on platforms like Facebook or dedicated community platforms. This approach allows you to gather like-minded individuals who share your vision.

Covid has accelerated the rise of communities, and it’s become easier to run them. Consider moving to dedicated community platforms like Guild, Circle, or Heartbeat. Building a community requires specialisation and getting people to buy into your vision. It’s about thinking outside the box, using technology to assist you, and bringing on board natural leaders, respected industry figures, and influencers to help build your community.

Embracing Technology

Use technology to streamline administrative tasks, freeing up time for human interaction. Learn to write Boolean strings, use Chrome extensions, and find email addresses efficiently. However, maintain oversight to ensure accuracy. When implementing new tech, ensure proper change management and buy-in from the team. Often, managers make decisions about new tools without considering the needs of those who use them daily. This can lead to unnecessary spending on tech that isn’t fully utilised. Instead, drive tech adoption based on the demands of the people using it.

Personalised Outreach

While AI can help find candidates, the human touch is crucial for personalised outreach. Craft tailored messages that resonate with candidates, avoiding robotic-sounding communication. Platforms like LinkedIn can detect AI-generated content, potentially limiting the reach of your posts. The human element comes into play when connecting with another human being, writing personalised outreach messages that feel genuine and tailored to the individual candidate.

The recruitment industry is constantly evolving. Be willing to change your approach and learn new techniques. Staying adaptable is key to success in this dynamic field. The pandemic has accelerated changes in the industry, and candidates are now more resilient and know exactly what they want. Our storytelling and approach need to adapt accordingly. Remember, change is the only constant in life, and there aren’t enough recruiters willing to embrace it.

Leveraging AI in Recruitment

Explore tools like ChatGPT to enhance your recruitment process. Identify repetitive tasks that AI can handle, allowing you to focus on building human connections with candidates. AI will change the way we all work, not just in recruitment. It may impact the skills we’re hiring for in the future.

The technology has been available for some time; the differentiator will be how companies embrace it. Get hands-on experience with AI tools, try to break them, and figure out how they can help you in your day-to-day work.

Human Connection in the Digital Age

Despite technological advancements, people still buy from people. Use technology as an enabler to be more human-like in your interactions, focusing on relationship-building and engagement. Identify aspects of your daily and weekly processes that are repetitive or time-consuming, and find ways to automate these.
Remember, people go into recruitment because they love working with people, not because they love admin.

Remove the friction in your processes to allow more time for human interaction. Technology should empower us to do better and be more human-like in our approach to recruitment.

Finally

Visit Vanessa’s website here to learn more about how she can help you hone your sourcing skills