Sourcing talent in a hybrid model: 3 questions to ask yourself

December 22, 2020

 

iCIMS Staff

4 min read

While I acknowledge the transition to remote work was a struggle (I still cringe at the awkward Zoom snafus that continue to plague my daily meetings), I like working from home.

Virtual work issues lie in learning a new structure and routine and finding ways to turn my work life off and separate it from my home life. But after about nine months, I have a pretty good grip on it. And it turns out I’m part of the majority who wants to stay virtual.

3 in 5 U.S. workers working home during the pandemic would prefer to work remotely as much as possible.

– Gallup Panel, 2020

As someone in the HR field, I wanted to dig into what this meant for talent sourcing in a hybrid model. I found out that there are three main questions to ask when determining your future sourcing strategy:

1. What does remote work mean for talent sourcing?

With a significant uptick in virtual work environments, sourcing and recruiting professionals are looking to attract top talent who expect flexible work options.

Example: Google announced a flexible work week pilot to kick off in 2021. The pilot will allow for in-office “collaboration days” for all employees and flexible work from home options or office work options for the rest of the week. We expect Google to set the tone for many other corporations from now on.

The good news is that these expectations can work in your favor as it grants recruiters a larger talent pool. Sourcing candidates worldwide is now an option for businesses who may not have previously opened the doors to global talent. The new sourcing process presents your organization with opportunities to diversify your team and attract the world’s best talent with effective recruitment marketing software– whether they live in Los Angeles, Tokyo, or London.

2. What’s a smart talent sourcing strategy?

Sourcing involves a strategic process that considers the types of employees desired and the channels that resonate with your target groups. The 2020 pandemic reset necessitates that you build out your hybrid work opportunities and clearly define what virtual work means for your company.

Example: At my company, we know we are a fully remote organization until summer 2021. At that point, we will re-evaluate the situation for a safe return to work. We also know that we will have the option to return to the office, as it will not be mandatory at that time.

Questions your organization should answer to help build out your sourcing strategy include:

• What does remote work mean to your company?
• Are you allowing employees to be remote only as workplace restrictions are in place?
• Are you going to allow employees to stay remote even after full office opening commences?
• Will current employees have the option to work remotely full or part-time once your office reopens?
• Are you going to hire talent globally and allow them to work remotely full-time?

You will need to iron these details out before you begin posting and sourcing for open roles. These questions will undoubtedly pop up in interviews and phone screens, so it’s best to get ahead of them now. It’s also important to outline expectations in job descriptions and company communications to current employees, so you don’t miss out on attracting or retaining top talent.

3. How do you implement your new sourcing strategy?

To implement your sourcing strategy, you can use an intelligent, connected candidate relationship management solution that integrates with the rest of your TA/HR tech stack.

Example: With the right sourcing tool, you can:

• Build talent pipelines and diversify your networks and sourced candidates
• Engage candidates with multi-channel marketing campaigns
• Use machine learning to surface the right talent for the job automatically
• Streamline sourcing and stay in touch with past employees
• Grow your talent pools with virtual career fairs
• Reach sourced candidates via one-to-one and one-to-many text campaigns
• Track candidate engagement to prioritize interest
• Share employee-generated video testimonials

Interested in learning more about today’s sourcing strategies and how to overcome virtual hiring challenges? Check out “Power Your Business with Virtual Hiring.”