What is sourcing?

Sourcing is ultimately the actions you take to both seek and attract applicants. It’s the way you engage with the talent marketplace; your methods of outreach. It’s just one part of the extensive recruitment process, but it’s not a small one – it encompasses not just how you find them, but how you then capture their attention and create a channel of communication.

Needless to say, it’s an important piece of the puzzle. Which makes the metrics which surround it both fascinating and extremely useful for executing an effective campaign.

Key candidate sourcing metrics you should be tracking

The sourcing metrics you should be tracking will help you streamline your recruitment process and ultimately hire better, faster. Here are some items to think about:

Your most effective sourcing channels

Sourcing channels are – well, exactly that: the places you find your candidates. This might include online job boards, social media, word of mouth, employee referrals and more. You should be monitoring and collating data around where applicants come from in general, moreover where your most relevant, experienced and successful hires are found.

By analyzing and picking out the ways which work best, you’ll be able to improve conversion rates – and ultimately, put your recruitment budget in the right places.

Sourcing productivity

A great sourcing strategy on paper doesn’t mean an effective one in practice. You’ll need to measure how much effort is undertaken on your team’s part to actually get hold of the applicant once they’ve put their name in the hat – how many times they try to reach out before communication is initiated, how many emails are sent, how much time spent chasing down candidates, etc etc. The activities which go into the process itself will point out areas which need revising and/or improving.

The speed of the candidate journey

Leading on from the previous metric, which covers the activities which denote how long the process actually takes. When did this candidate apply for the job, and how much time has passed between then and their job offer being made? Our next of the key sourcing metrics is knowing how long it takes you to hire.

Track the speed at which you’re able to bring talent through the process, taking particular note of any blockers and barriers which are slowing things down. The faster you can process talent, the more likely you are to secure them.

Finally, those all-important conversion rates

Of course, the final but arguably most important sourcing metric you should be tracking: conversion rates! How many of the applications received for your job are actually relevant? Of those, how many do you manage to move to interview stage? From there, how many make it to the second round? How many offers are made (if filling multiple positions, as so many of our clients in the manufacturing space are) and, of the offers made, what percentage are accepted?

It’s important to know if your recruitment campaign is efficient and works well, but it’s also crucial to understand whether you’re making competitive job offers and finding the right level of talent.

Understanding your key candidate sourcing metrics

It’s part and parcel of what we do here at NLG. As a dedicated staffing solutions partner, whether you’re looking to fill one role or a hundred, we’re well versed in understanding what makes a campaign work.

To learn more about how, get in touch today.

And the same can be said for the talent landscape – an area that, perhaps, hasn’t had quite the credit it deserves. Yes, jobseekers – I’m talking to you.

Here at NLG, we speak with jobseekers every day. We talk “shop”, of course – tell me about your experience, what you’re looking for next, where you can see yourself working. But then there’s the real piece myself and my team love – the reality of jobsearching during a pandemic. These are the things we really want to know – how are you finding the market, how is your job search going and, most importantly, how are you doing?

It’s been as tough a ride for the world’s jobseekers over the past two years, so here’s just a little appreciation for what they’ve been through.

You’ve dealt with the unprecedented and sold yourself all the same

Jobseekers, whether you decided to look for a new opportunity pre-pandemic or whether the choice wasn’t yours to be made, no one planned for this. No one planned for a job search with so many stop-starts, so much unsurety, such little ability to talk about the future and what it may hold with this company or in this position. When everything is still happening around you, how’s it possible to talk about where you want to be in a few months’ time, let alone a year?

Yet jobseekers have made plans, set goals, and talked about them fluidly with potential employers. They’ve shown steadfast courage in their own careers, despite anyone really knowing what the future holds. All this while learning an entirely new way to interview – online, largely.

You’ve come back every time, no matter how many disappointments

For every business which had to close down during the pandemic for one reason or another – lockdowns, permanent closures, or otherwise – there’s a jobseeker who’d hoped to work for them. There’s a jobseeker who’d been waiting on a job offer, which was then left unmade – to no fault of either party. There are jobseekers out there who thought the opportunity of their dreams was finally around the corner, before restrictions left them unable to job search altogether, let alone pursue this specific role.  Yet, they still press apply the next time, because they’ve had to.

You’ve faced down countless stats and beaten innumerable predictions

It’s one thing to throw yourself into a job search with a ton of motivation day in, day out; it’s another thing entirely to do so while constantly hearing stats and expectations for your industry, for the economy, for jobseekers themselves – few of which have been particularly positive, at times! Jobseekers over the past couple of years haven’t had it easy when it comes to the mental challenge of finding a new role. To continue to apply for positions, show up to interviews, and give their absolute best in the face of many unpromising numbers about jobs being talked about constantly on the news and social media… That’s something worth celebrating.

You’ve adapted, pivoted and reskilled

When the profession you’ve spent your career honing was unable to provide employment opportunities, you thought about where the skills you have could add value elsewhere. You’ve adapted countless resumes to reflect transferrable experience. You’ve learned new skills to break into a more “pandemic-proof” industry. Over the last couple of years, jobseekers have had to adapt in very much the same way organizations have done. Where many could have seen it as a door closing, jobseekers are expanding their skills, knowledge and experience in new ways in order to see this as a door on its way open.

You’ve persevered despite all of the above

So hats off to you, jobseekers. And, if you’d like to talk about opportunities here in the manufacturing world, we may have an opportunity or two to discuss – get in touch.

Why is that?

While it’s impossible to say entirely, one thing’s for sure: the way you job hunt will need to shift in order to stand out from the crowd. If everything around you is changing, it’s time to adapt. In an ever-evolving job market, that may just mean trying something new, taking a different approach.

Here are our top three new approaches to take to your job search during the pandemic (and after, for that matter!)

Reverse engineer your job search

Stop looking for job opportunities – start looking for amazing organizations you’d like to join. Instead of trawling the job boards and throwing your name into the hat, begin compiling a list of companies you’d be proud to work for; businesses whose values align with your own, and where you know your skills could add value in one way or another.

Next, do your research. Do you share any connections with their decision makers on LinkedIn? If yes, someone who formerly worked there, chat to them to learn about their culture and what it was like. If you know someone who currently works there, all the better – how are things, what are the future plans and goals, and how might you fit within them?

There may not be an open position that’s going to be a perfect fit right now, but your aim should be to develop an understanding of – and ideally, a relationship in some way with – a company you could work for at some point. When you feel it’s a fit, make a professional approach with your value proposition at the forefront, and see what happens.

Highlight relevant skills AND complementary ones

At this point, standing out from your jobseeking peers is crucial. Invest in your application package and take the time to understand what it is that a potential employer is looking for. Read each job advert you apply to carefully; comb their website for some buzz words and key attributes to mention.

Next comes all recruiter’s favourite piece of advice: tailor your resume.

And when doing so, instead of just inserting the odd key phrase here and reordering your skills, add some new ones. Think about the skills you know they want, and logically work out which skills you have that are going to really complement these. Try to touch upon both what the hiring organization wants and what they may need. It’s these additions that will stick in the minds of the individual reviewing the applications. Yes, it’s more effort per application – but your conversion from application to interview will thank you.

Solve problems and offer ideas

Now that you have their attention, instead of talking about how your skills fit the job advert so perfectly – talk about why. What problems are you going to solve for the business? What improvements can you make? What challenges can you help them overcome? Further to this, what ideas can you bring to the table? Where do you see room for innovation?

Jobseeking now should be more than a focus on whether or not you tick the boxes. It’s about the value you can add. The what, why and how of yourself as a key new hire.

Jobseeking during the pandemic with NLG

The great thing about all of the above? When you partner with a staffing agency like NLG, we do exactly this for you. We work closely with every candidate on our books to identify the most suitable opportunities – live vacancies or not – and work together to proactively approach your job search.

The pandemic has changed a lot, but the value of a solid recruitment partner has never been more evident.

We’re excited to help – don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team of fantastic consultants today.

The truth is, there’s a huge difference between being busy and being productive. The busy vs productive debate is ever-raging.

Being busy isn’t always a bad thing – in fact, for some, it’s a huge motivator. But they key is to ensure that to achieve optimal performance, you’re getting those things you need done, done. Those who are busy may find themselves frantic, starting one thing and jumping to another; those who are being productive are finishing what they started.

Perfectionism over purpose

Feeling like you’re never going to reach the end of your to-do list today? It’s no secret that perfectionism is what often keeps many of us busy, at the detriment of overall job performance. If you find yourself consistently busy but unable to actually tick items off the list, it may be that the level of perfectionism you’re aiming for is actually barring your way toward productivity.

Being productive means going in with a purpose. Before you begin a task, know what you need to get out of it. This will of course depend on the nature of your work. Does this task need to be completed properly, but fast? Does it require a higher level of concentration? Is it something you can simply delegate? Don’t let unrealistic or inconsequential standards block productivity here.

Productivity through prioritization

One of the things which differentiates A-players is the ability to prioritize effectively. It’s inevitable that tasks are going to pop up throughout your day or week which may throw things somewhat off course; the key is in how you deal with them.

Prioritize tasks by urgency, importance, and essentially make strong decisions in what can wait. In doing so, you’ll set yourself on a road to actually achieving the things which count toward your own performance or that of your company/employer. Like we said, being busy doesn’t have to be bad, but “busy doing nothing” is. If you’re constantly run ragged with things to do, but those business-critical tasks aren’t being met, it’s going to lead to longer term issues – so take stock, and prioritize accordingly.

Accountability at all costs

One of the final, but most pertinent differences in the busy vs productive debate comes down to knowing your limits.

Particularly when you start a new job, you want to say yes. You want to take on more responsibility, grab new tasks with both hands, and really prove yourself to your new employer. But, in doing so, you might just end up doing yourself a disservice. While setting expectations high isn’t a bad thing, it’s as important to deliver to them consistently.

If you’ve taken on too many projects or tasks, you’re going to find yourself busy, frantic, and possibly on the way to burnout – all of which lead to less chances of success. They say that a busy person says yes quickly, while a productive person says yes slowly; they’ll get it done, but not until after some thought about how and where it’s going to fit.

Either way, whether you’re busy, productive, or both, it’s important to take accountability for the things you’ve said you’re going to do. If you find that you’re taking on more than you’re completing, or handing tasks back to whoever or wherever they came from unfinished, it’s time to work out why.

Busy vs Productive

If you’re feeling either busy, productive, both, or even neither in your current role, but feel it may be time for a change, check out our jobs page to see some of the great positions up for grabs currently.

Needless to say, it’s an undertaking you’ll need to be prepared for ahead of time.

Which is why, in many cases, it’s already too late. When hiring becomes a definitive need instead of a would-be-nice or even a slightly more urgent must-do-soon, your chances of a successful hire with longevity become far more narrow. Not only that, you’re now in a potentially tight spot with critical business outcomes on the line – all of which could have been avoided.

At this point, it’s too late to start recruiting. Of course, that’s exactly what you still need to do – but it won’t be easy. Here’s why it’s already too late to start recruiting.

You’re feeling the effects of this individual’s absence

While we as business leaders can’t see every upcoming hurdle and plan for every eventuality, what we do need to be is cognizant. Cognizant of the workforce we have, the gaps we see, and the potential challenges posed should someone in a specific role or responsibility leave. If you’ve been unable to get down to doing some solid succession planning and a crucial member of the team ups and leaves unexpectedly, it can be tough to manage. Things only get worse as, while you’re busy scrambling to fill the space left and ensure that productivity doesn’t decrease in their absence, hiring either doesn’t get the focus it needs to find the right person, else it takes a backseat altogether. If you’re already feeling the effects of there being no person able to fulfil, if even for the meantime, the duties of the job you’re trying to replace, this recruitment campaign could prove to be a tricky one.

You misjudged the talentscape and your person isn’t available

You know how we’re always preaching about how candidates need to do their research ahead of an interview? You, the employer, also have a responsibility to know what you’re coming into. The talent marketplace is an ever-evolving, fast-moving place. Skills shortages happen unannounced. The keys that keep you competitive come and go in popularity, requiring constant adaptation. Whatever the reason, the fact of the matter is, you’ve begun a recruitment campaign and swiftly found that the person or people your business needs simply aren’t available. Whether they’re not looking, non-existent, or simply not interested in your offering, this slip in judgement means that you’re already late in the game.

You find yourself ready to recruit, but you’re not sure who for

At this point, it may be that you’ve survived without backfilling a role for a while but know you need something different altogether. It could be that you simply find yourself in a position financially to add talent to the team, but are unsure of what will take things to the next level. The fact is, if you don’t know who you need to hire, your campaign will simply be more ineffective.

With efficiency in mind – both in terms of time and costs – coming into a hiring campaign with moving goalposts just isn’t going to perform.

And that’s really part of the beauty of partnering with an agency like ours. With recruitment being what we do year-round, through changing seasons, shifting talent pools and ever-evolving markets, you could say we’re always ready. We’re never too late to the game – we’re always in it.

Get in touch to talk recruitment solutions by NLG today.

But today, we’re not talking about sustainability in the physical sense. Sustainable recruiting is far less tangible; it’s a strategy, and one which you should be thinking about if you’re not already.

Making a new hire shouldn’t be a snap decision, but a well thought-out process with your long-term goals in mind. Sustainability means to get the most out of things – so why should your biggest asset (that’s you’re people, of course) be any different?

Here’s a rundown of your guide to sustainable recruiting for the rest of 2021 and beyond.

What is sustainable recruiting?

Sustainable recruiting means looking at least three steps – or months, even years – ahead. Sustainable recruiting is a little like succession planning, only from the opposite side. It’s about making a hire whose impact will be significant today, but with their next few steps already in mind.

Retention of top performers is the key to any sustainable business. Sustainable recruiting ensures that you have the top talent on board, then performing, then moving into another position which challenges them and continues adding that same value, if not even more, to your organization. Sustainable recruiting means getting the most out of each and every staff member.

How do I go about launching a “sustainable” recruitment strategy?

Realistically, much of the process of sustainable recruiting happens before your job goes live on your careers page. It’s all about the planning.

When you sit down to set out what it is you need when hiring, think further than the current needs of the business. Think about the long term goals, whether financial or otherwise. Think about challenges you were facing when this job became available, and whether you might be able to find someone who can help change those. Consider what the team wants to achieve in the coming months and find someone who you can see helping along that path. You’ll find that this thorough planning helps you identify the key skills and attributes which will carry through the background, experience and personality of the eventual successful hire.

Questions to ask when launching a sustainable recruiting strategy

While we’d never say that living in the moment isn’t the way to go, in some cases it makes sense to think ahead. Here are some questions to ask yourself as an employer before, during, or after every interview you conduct:

• Does this individual’s skills not just complement but also expand those on our existing team?
• Does this person embody the values and principles that our business holds in high regard?
• Do we see a strong fit with the company culture?
• Can we see a long-term commitment from this individual? Does their background denote stability?
• Do they have the capacity to learn new skills?
• Do they have the desire to progress?
• Do their long-term career goals match with the path we’ve set out for this position?
• Can we provide them with a path which fits their needs and wants in terms of development?

Essentially, sustainable recruiting is about more than just what you need here and now; it also means finding a match between the journey you’re on, and that of who you need along for the ride.

Your sustainable recruiting strategy for 2021 and beyond

Having a strong staffing partner you can trust to talk through the long-term hiring strategy, the short-term business needs, and everything which happens in between, couldn’t be more important. We’re helping manufacturing businesses across North America build sustainable recruiting strategies to see out the remainder of the year, whether you’re looking for long-term hires or highly skilled temp workers to meet your needs.

To talk more about how, get in touch today.

But it goes deeper than flexitime, work-life balance and treating each other with respect at all times. Company culture can, oftentimes inadvertently, be driven by less desirable concepts. So, it’s important to keep some of these more in-depth questions in your back pocket. Accepting a new job is a huge decision – make sure you have all the information you need to make a sound one.

What’s the company’s financial position?

While there’s no doubt that the company is busy – you wouldn’t be interviewing for this role, if they weren’t – it’s important to dig a little bit deeper. Without crossing any boundaries, you should be asking questions around the financial positioning of the business you’re potentially going to join. Is growth happening? Has that growth been consistent? Does the long-term business plan seem realistic? It’s also important to consider where they stack up against their competition (who you should have done some research on before the interview, by the way). Is this company sustainable in their marketplace?

If the financial position is becoming uncertain, it will undoubtedly trickle down from the stressed management uppers to the team itself, and the company’s culture will suffer as a result.

What is the staff turnover like?

If there’s a revolving door of talent incoming and talent outgoing, something’s broken – and you probably don’t want to be next in line to find out what it is.

There’s a right way to ask questions about the company staff turnover rate; it can be a slightly taboo subject, but it’s an important one nonetheless. Ask questions around the longevity of careers, with a view to building your own here – is there a route to progression, and what does it look like?

You should also consider asking questions about why this role in particular has become available. It can be very telling; whether it’s a replacement for someone who’s left, or were they promoted perhaps? Is the company expanding, hence the need for this position? A strong company culture and a low turnover rate go hand-in-hand – so get digging.

What would your staff say about working here?

This one may sound bold, but it’s a great way to get an instant screenshot of the culture. How did the interviewer respond? Was it with a nervous laugh, or a broad smile? Did they have to think about it or did the words come naturally? Do they appear to be considering what it’s like to work here at all levels, across all departments – or are they only referencing their own?

It’s one thing to ask someone what they think their company culture is all about – but what would the masses say? What words would the team at large use? While you can’t ask them directly to compare, the way this question is answered will tell you a lot about the company culture in general.

Questions to ask about company culture

Determining your cultural fit within the companies you’re interviewing for is as important as matching your skills and experience to the needs of the job. Here at NLG, we represent only those clients who we know value company culture as heavily as we do. To learn more about the live vacancies our team is currently trying to fill check out our jobs page here, or get in touch today.

Knowing how to retain top performers doesn’t come down to a few tricks or quick fixes. It’s a process which should start the day your new hire begins, and is ongoing throughout their journey to becoming a top performer.

Take a personal interest

Top performers don’t necessarily want to be seen as that and that only – they’re human too. Taking a personal interest will help drive towards their longevity within your business. Ask about their personal life (to a polite and non-intrusive degree), and do what you can within the bounds of their role and responsibility to flex their job to suit this. That could mean offering flexible shifts, giving them more access to resource thus relieving some pressure, or helping them work towards personal goals. The further you engage, the more likely they’re going to stick around.

Allow them to contribute beyond their day-to-day duties

There’s a reason they’ve become a top performer – they’re doing things well. And that means, in all likelihood, they have some ideas and information to share. By asking your top performers to contribute feedback, ideas and thoughts toward future improvement and/or change, you’re giving them the recognition they deserve alongside a path to shaping their own future and legacy within the company.

Keep their role challenging and progressive

It’s sometimes easy to fall into the “they’re really good at this task – let’s keep them doing it,” trap. But, if your top performers are doing the same thing day in, day out, they may become complacent and ultimately bored. Keep their roles fresh and challenging, offering opportunities to learn each and every day.

Invest in their professional growth

Speaking of learning, one key in how to retain top performers is to invest in their professional development. Whether it’s a vocational qualification, more traditional schooling or an online course, it’ll go a long way to letting them know you appreciate their education and career here.

Customize their benefits package

One-size-fits-all is a thing of the past. Your competition might be able to offer these individuals a similar salary and the same great career prospects, so make sure your organization – who knows them well already, giving you an edge to work with – is going above and beyond to curate a benefits package which suits them and their lifestyle.

Talk about the future

By reiterating that you see a future with them in it (and one that they have the opportunity to shape with their own hands), you’ll stave off those wandering eyes. Talk about the future regularly; ask where they see themselves, what they’d like to achieve. Be transparent with top performers about business goals, large and small, all the while reassuring them that they feature front and centre. Talking about the future and their place in it will naturally see it become more of a reality.

How to retain top performers

Retaining top performers is one thing – finding then hiring them, an entirely different ball game. Engaging with a manufacturing staffing and recruiting specialist like NLG, one with experience at all levels of the manufacturing sector and its many offshoots and intricacies, is going to bring you that much closer to sourcing your next generation of top performers.

To learn more about what we do, visit our website or drop President and CEO Andrew Lavoie a direct message on LinkedIn.