5 ways to find the right talent for your business

Blue Lynx is an international recruitment agency with over 30 years of experience matching multilingual professionals with international companies in the Netherlands. In this article, we aim to teach businesses what talent sourcing is and how it works.

You’ve probably heard it time and again - people are your most important asset.

Nowadays, the ways for finding and attracting talent to your company are becoming ever-so-sophisticated. While you have plenty of tools and resources on your side, the most important is the outcome: getting top talent to work for you.

But that’s easier said than done. As a business owner, hiring manager or senior decision-maker, you are aware of that and yet, you’re not always sure how or where to find the right people for your business.

The gatekeepers to great talent

Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not.

Yet, when it comes to finding the right fit for your organisation, talent seems much less widespread and accessible. Why is that?

Talent is dispersed over numerous channels

Those seeking new job opportunities now have multiple platforms at their disposal. LinkedIn, job boards, private networks, social media - the list is long. Focusing on one or two gives you a limited reach, focusing on all of them takes too much time.

There is a lot of latent talent

The way candidates apply has changed significantly. It’s not enough to just post a vacancy and wait for candidates to come. Now, employers often make the first step. Many professionals are not openly looking for new employment but will consider a career opportunity when it presents itself.

It takes a special approach

Attracting great talent is done in two ways: directly and indirectly. An indirect approach is when you brand yourself as a fair employer and build a great image among the workforce. The direct approach, on the other hand, is when you actively approach the candidates in order to woo them into considering your company. And that’s an art in itself not easily mastered by everyone.

Businesses don’t have the tools and time

This is perhaps the most common gatekeeper when it comes to finding great talent. Having the resources to solve your staffing challenges and run a business at the same time is difficult. Many of the global players use specialised agencies called MSPs (Managed Service Providers) and outsource the whole recruitment process. Yet, not every company can afford them.

If only there was a way to make finding candidates easier, less expensive and less time-consuming… Well, there is, actually. It’s called talent sourcing.

So, what is talent sourcing?

It is a set of activities designed to get to the best talent across a mix of channels. When they are given an assignment, talent sourcers make a list of criteria of professional and personal characteristics. They also tailor their search according to the preferred location. And then it all begins.

Finding someone who fits this carefully-made list isn’t the hard part. It’s approaching the person and engaging with the individual in a way that will generate interest and response.

Types of talent sourcing methods

What are some of the ways to start building a talent pool? How do you pick the ones that match your resources and understanding?

The general rule is to come up with a solid strategy that fits your budget and business model. This begs the question: “What should my talent sourcing strategy be?” Depending on how much you are ready to invest in it, you can do all or focus on one or two of the methods outlined below.

1. Adopt a proactive outreach

This means you will need to spend quite some time crafting your message as an employer and your approach to candidates. You will also willingly spend time on different platforms and job boards filtering and reaching out to the candidates that seem to match your requirements.

2. Focus on employer branding

Creating a great employer brand is a marathon. It’s a continued effort that needs your dedication over a long period of time. It’s not a quick fix, but it does pay off. If you build a strong brand, it will cut hiring costs and employee turnover. People joining your organisation will be motivated to work for you... because it’s you. Think about companies like Google, Apple and SAP who are some of the best in employer branding. But you don’t have to be a company of that scale. It’s enough to position yourself right with your target employees.

3. Attend career conferences and events

Some companies spend a large part of their budget on doing things the old-fashioned way. They send representatives to career fairs who give the organisation a human face and depend on the face-to-face connection with the candidates. After COVID-19, these events are mostly held online. While this is a great way to source candidates, it’s also costly and time-consuming. Ask yourself if you have the budget for it first.

4. Internal hiring and referrals

This is perhaps the oldest talent sourcing practice of all. Although searching for talent within the organisation may be much cheaper and efficient, there are two main obstacles that stand before hiring managers. First, it doesn’t meet high-volume hiring needs and second, you need to think about filling potential workforce gaps. Referrals are often biased.

5. Partner with a talent sourcing agency

The best results always come from trusting professionals to do what they are trained to do. If you are on a very tight budget, you might think that DIY talent sourcing might be the only option you have. But in reality, finding a professional talent sourcing agency opens the door to advanced tools and techniques that speed up the process. This makes it more time and cost-effective than tackling talent sourcing on your own.

If you want to learn more about talent sourcing and other talent acquisition strategies to speed up your business growth, get in touch with Blue Lynx via email or a phone call (+31 (0)70 311 7822).