Recruiting Myths: “The best candidates are found through direct sourcing, not advertising.”
This bullshit is usually trotted-out by recruiters who are rubbish at producing job ads.
You might think my characterisation of this is a little harsh, so let me explain…
If your attempts at attracting the right people through job ads aren’t working, what are you doing differently in your messaging that makes headhunting more effective?
Because if your messages are enticing them to want to know more, why the fuck aren’t you doing that with your job ads too?!
The reality is your direct sourcing is probably only doing what your job ads do – and that’s only attracting people who (for whatever reason) need another job. And that’s only ever somewhere between 20-30% of your total target candidate audience.
Direct sourcing and advertising are basically the same thing. You’re trying to sell a job to attract the right person to show some interest.
The main difference is that with direct sourcing, you get to choose who sees your job ad.
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