It’s a day that nerds everywhere have circled on their calendar. From cosplay to collectibles, movie trivia to marketing, May 4th is a special moment every year.

May the 4th is a date that Star Wars fans started loving because it sounds like you are saying “May the Force (be with you)” with your mouth full of gumdrops. Regardless of some of you rolling your eyes, a commemorative day was born.

This May 4th, sourcing specialists need all the power they can summon to find the best job candidates. Strategies are more important than ever with the U.S. unemployment rate at 4.1 percent – a 17-year low for six consecutive months. Sourcing has never been more difficult for prospecting and filling employers’ funnels with qualified applicants.

In the spirit of being strong with the Force, how can you develop an effective sourcing strategy to fill candidate pipelines?  

• Get an EVP ASAP. It goes without saying in recruitment marketing, but an employee value proposition is sacrosanct. Without those vetted and verified brand pillars, your sourcing team doesn’t have surefire messaging to tell a candidate why they would want to work with them. Yes, an EVP is more of an employee brand asset, but who are your brand advocates? Employees and your sourcing specialists. If they are armed with the reasons why the brand is great, they can sell that to passive candidates for quick consideration.
• The winner gets the … Silver? The best tool of any sourcing specialist is a valid and evolving database. Every open job demands a certain ratio of applicants to hire, to the “one.” With every chosen one a company hires, there are 10, 20, maybe 50 that were not. That’s where the database becomes fertile soil for the second chance. Help create a “follow-up” or “second chance” campaign. Use a drip campaign to keep a candidate interested in the brand and encourage continuing engagement and re-application. You never know how many of them will eventually win the Gold.
• Make diversity evident. My earlier post on diversity hiring practices, did not discuss how important it is to publicize your track record. While you never want to “toot your own horn,” it is OK to whistle a little tune occasionally. Furthermore, a diverse workforce that is inclusive and involving makes its own music. Candidates are very selective – for good reason – so give them every reason to want to work with you. If that means sharing pictures and videos of a “non-homogenized workforce,” do it.

Sourcing specialists are good at what they do, but even the most seasoned of young Padawans need a little counsel. And regardless of how much the Force is with you, remember the Golden Rule of recruiting: “Do or do not. There is no try.”

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Radancy is the leading cloud-based talent acquisition software provider intelligently solving the most critical challenges for enterprises globally and delivering cost-efficient outcomes that strengthen their organizations. The Radancy Talent Acquisition Cloud, powered by rich data and deep industry insights, optimizes the entire candidate journey, enabling enterprises to hire the most qualified talent faster, while reducing costs and driving higher ROI, recruiter efficiency and an improved candidate experience.

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