Sourcing with AI in recruitment marketing software: There’s no such thing as “the one”

September 3, 2021

 

iCIMS Staff

3 min read

The concept of “the one” is instilled in us from a young age: one perfect career, one soulmate, one best friend. Sometimes, this single-minded approach leads to unrealistic expectations and disappointment. It’s no different in talent acquisition. Many sourcers and recruiters believe that only one candidate can stand above the rest and lose hope when they drop out of the running or turn down an offer.

The truth? That’s negativity bias, defined as the “propensity to attend to, learn from, and use negative information far more than positive information” (NCBI). TA teams’ perception of losing “the one” can cause them to downplay the possibility of finding equally or even more qualified talent in their Candidate Relationship Management software.

In July, iCIMS released AI-enabled talent matching in the iCIMS CRM, which can enable your teams to discover talent prospects similar in skills and experience as the “ideal” candidate they may have lost. AI recruitment marketing software can allow recruiters to create more robust talent networks, convert top talent from prospects to qualified applicants, and delight hiring managers by consistently sending them candidates that meet their expectations. In short, the idea of “the one” can turn into “the many.”

Here are some of the ways AI recruitment marketing software with talent matching can reverse a scarcity mindset when it comes to sourcing:

Myth: If the perfect candidate drops out of the hiring process, we’ll have to settle for someone less qualified.

Reality: There may be several equally qualified talent prospects in the CRM.

It can feel like a huge loss when a seemingly perfect candidate says goodbye or walks away from the offer. TA teams may even think they need to go back to the drawing board and start the sourcing process all over again. It can feel like a grind. The recruiter might think that they’ll never find anyone like that candidate.

There’s no need to jump to conclusions just yet. AI-enabled talent matching in iCIMS CRM can help teams get ahead of pitfalls by surfacing hidden gems: candidates with similar skills and experience as the former top candidate. Recruiters and sourcers can work to avoid this situation altogether. Using matching to identify and nurture multiple candidates, teams can encourage more to apply before a candidate even drops off.

Myth: It’s really difficult to fill a top performer’s shoes.

Reality: While everyone is unique, plenty of talented people in your database could be a great fit.

Turnover can leave a big gap on teams, and, using traditional sourcing methods, the cost of replacing someone great can often be high. iCIMS CRM users can be proactive in nurturing talent with similar qualifications as top performers. With AI-enabled talent matching, your teams can use current employees’ profiles to surface similar prospects and then add them to their talent networks. Backfilling doesn’t have to be as much of a scramble when recruiters continuously nurture qualified talent networks.

Myth: Hiring managers are too picky; it’s tough to find candidates they like.

Reality: You can help make stakeholders happy by asking them to identify their “ideal” candidate profile.

Imagine if your teams could find candidates they know hiring managers will like before they’ve even seen them. Recruiters can start with a strong prospect, candidate, or employee they’ve reviewed and then let AI-enabled talent matching find similar profiles. Your teams can build pipeline and prepare to send their top talent to hiring managers faster by taking bulk action on the list, like adding them to talent networks or campaigns and inviting them to apply. As a result, they’re on their way to building stronger relationships with stakeholders and gaining more credibility as talent advisors.

It’s natural to stress out about building pipeline for hard-to-fill roles but recruiting and sourcing teams can work more effectively when their CRM provides access to a variety of qualified talent prospects. With AI-enabled talent matching in iCIMS CRM, you can automatically highlight candidates similar to those you thought were true . Instead of focusing on scarcity, you can cultivate an abundance mindset, understanding that the idea of “the one” was holding back your talent acquisition.