Combine AI with Traditional Sourcing Methods for the Best Mix
It can be difficult for a recruiter to keep up with all the changes, tools, and technology entering the sourcing industry every day. The most influential example of technological advancement is the entry of AI into the world of candidate sourcing. Rather than looking at these advancements, process adjustments, and new technologies as a challenge, view these sourcing changes as an opportunity to find your niche. Supplement your sourcing strategies with these unique ideas:
Invest in Automation Tools
Modern sourcing strategies have been rocked by innovative technology. Leveraging AI to find and attract passive candidates is getting easier and more cost-effective every day.
AI technology crawls the web and collects and analyzes a massive amount of candidate data. This technology searches through anything from resumes to social media activity. To do this manually in a timely manner wouldn’t be feasible. Based on the data it collects, AI tech predicts which passive candidates will be open to new career opportunities, and which likely won’t, making it easier for recruiters to prioritize those candidates.
Have no fears, AI isn’t going to make recruiters obsolete. Strong sourcing strategies require efforts from both humans and technology. Integrating AI into your sourcing strategy takes minimal effort and often has a significant payoff.
Interested in hearing more about AI in recruiting? Join us at SHRM Nashville on April 8th to hear IQTalent Partners CEO David Windley moderate a panel discussion on the current and future states of AI in sourcing.
Pick up the phone
AI technology can do many time consuming and less personal aspects of sourcing, but most candidates crave connecting with an actual human. Highly effective sourcing strategies include human interaction and assistance from AI tech, which means calling candidates is still effective and necessary.
You’d be surprised by how few recruiters call candidates in this day and age. Calling candidates can be a way to stand out. Many candidates respond to being called on the phone positively. Candidates recognize and value the time and effort it takes to have a customized conversation rather than send a canned email.
Be warned that this isn’t a great approach for every candidate. Some candidates, especially younger ones, may find phone calls inconvenient and dislike the impromptu nature of phone conversations. Young professionals who grew up texting have grown accustomed to having time to construct a message and feel caught off guard when recruiters call them without warning. Try scheduling phone calls via text using a chatbot. This way it’s more likely candidates will pick up the phone and the conversation will be more beneficial to both parties.
Use LinkedIn’s Connected app
There’s a fine line between automation and SPAM. While automated messages are convenient to speed up communications, and in some cases the hiring process itself, you want to be careful you don’t push candidates away by sending them too much.
If you’re a recruiter you’re probably using LinkedIn and its accompanying mobile app, but are you using LinkedIn’s Connected app? Connected is different from the original LinkedIn app and has some features that are super convenient and useful, outside of AI and automation. The app itself even discourages automated messages it deems as SPAM. Using AI and automation to maximize communication and provide value to candidates is one thing, but flooding a candidate’s inbox with generic or irrelevant messages is another. Using communication apps like LinkedIn Connected is a great way to bridge the gap by engaging candidates in ways that AI and automation simply can’t. While AI is a great tool for sourcing, it’s not an end-to-end tool, and it simply won’t solve all your sourcing issues. AI is most effective when used hand-in-hand with human interaction via tools like the Connected app.
There are two main differences between Connected and the primary LinkedIn app:
- Connected is all about notifications. When you open the app, you’ll see your notifications first. At the bottom of the screen will be options to respond with a comment, like, or send a message. It’s a fast and straightforward way to stay engaged.
- Connected also gives you smart notifications. Along with the traditional notifications such as job changes and work anniversaries, you can also see what’s called smart notifications. Smart notifications tie to your calendar and your contacts’ calendars. They show you updates based on events in your life as well as updates based on events in your contacts’ lives.
Ask recent hires for feedback on your InMail messages
Auto-responses might be a convenient tool for recruiters to create immediate touchpoints with candidates, but AI and automation can only lift so much. For example, you can automate a thank-you response for application submissions on a job posting and maybe even set up a chatbot to engage and screen candidates further, but the underlying task is to follow-up with a personable message filled with genuine human connection. Candidates don’t want to talk to machines and auto-responders the entire time — they want to communicate with a physical person that knows the job and can fill them in on how they meet the qualifications for the position. While AI and automation can easily determine how qualified for a given position a candidate is based on the information in their LinkedIn profile, testing for culture fit and soft skills are traits AI and automation cannot seamlessly mass-analyze (yet).
Candidate engagement is the missing link to the AI and automation sourcing mix. Get honest feedback on your inMail messages by asking recent hires if your messages resonate with them. You can ask them about your tone and style of writing as well as if they’d respond to the message. More often than not, recent hires have interacted with their fair share of recruiters and will be willing to give real feedback.
Recruiters are finding talent using new methods every day, and it can be challenging to keep up. While AI and automation simplify tasks, they can’t manage the entire sourcing process. Embrace these new options for your sourcing strategies and find what works best for your organization.
This article was originally published on the IQTalent Partners Blog.
