Online Resume Sourcing

Tips To Better Results

Online resume sourcing can be a tricky time consuming business. Too many recruiters spend hours to find little in the way of solid results. Here are a couple of sourcing tips to make your time count.

1) Distinctive On-Target Keyword Choices

Whether you use online resume searches or a Google resume search, it is critical that you choose distinctive keywords. This means the more specific the keyword, the more on target the resumes you will find. This is not always true but it is an accurate rule of thumb.

For example, suppose you are looking for an HR manager who has worked in the safety belt manufacturing industry.

If you search on the word safety and HR, you will get thousands of HR managers because many have responsibilities that include safety. A better choice would be HR and 'Safety Equipment' or better yet HR and 'safety belt' and manufacturing.

2) Broaden Your Search

Just to prove this is more an art than a science (and there really is no such thing as easy sourcing!), sometimes you need to expand your search. This may seem to contradict the previous tip but it does not.

In the previous example, it may be that since Safety Belt Manufacturing industry is such a narrow industry there may not be too many HR managers with that background. So we need to broaden the search.

This means searching on something like HR and "safety equipment' and manufacturing.

3) Think Laterally

When doing online resume sourcing, sometimes you need to think outside of the box and look at things from a different perspective. Rather than focusing on specific keywords or your job description, focus on the skills required.

In the example above, is there anything specific about safety belts that an HR manager would need to know? Probably not, even if the HR manager were responsible for plant safety. It is likely there are similar jobs or manufacturing operations that would lend a great deal of insight on the core functions of the position. Possible there may be other functions that are equally if not more important.

In the example above with the HR Manager position at the safety belt company, instead of the specific industry of safety belt manufacturing, what the HR manager might need to know is about safety and injury prevention on sewing machines used to manufacture the safety belts. Or maybe if the shop is a union shop and it is important to know how to deal with a union shop.

4) Focus on Competitors.

When you have tried all else, look for candidates who have worked in the position at other companies that are your competitors. So as to dance around the legal aspects of taking people from your competitors, which is fraught with risks, (sounds like a good topic for another web page!), let's focus on finding people who have worked at your competitors in past positions.

In the search above you would search for HR and 'Name of Company'. You can use a little bit of Boolean logic and some "OR" operators to speed up the search process. What you are basically looking for is someone who held the position in the past at one of your competitors or left that job to get a promotion.

Conclusion - Online Resume Sourcing

The point is when you've gone narrow and gone broad, there comes a time to go outside and then to specific competitors. It is an iterative process but done correctly online resume sourcing is an inexpensive and effective technique for locating talented individuals.

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