Lots of things are fine solo but when they are paired up with something else, they are a much better product or offer a much greater result. For example…
- Peanut butter AND chocolate ala Reeses in the 80s …
- Michael Jackson’s Thriller mega hit AND the COOLEST baseball-loving kid ever at Safeco Park…
- Referring to Sebastian Wernickie’s Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics (about TED Talks) presentation AND Guy Kawasaki’s classic 10 – 20 – 30 Presentation Rule (2 minute YouTube clip) presentation to prep for that upcoming presentation that you are giving…
- Listening to any podcast episode of Two Gomers WHILE running your weekend long slow run (if you don’t mind laughing so hard you have to stop running before going into oxygen debt)…
- Free webinars to accumulate HRCI recertification credits AND thumbing through the SHRM virtual book store to stay on top of your HR professional development game…
Okay, you get the picture. Yes, there is a connection to recruiting in this post. Bear with me.
I’d say the same concept applies to your preparation for sourcing and recruiting passive candidates. Sure you can use one of dozens of great tactics to generate a list of prospect names – think of Linkedin, Boolean search strings, working with a name generation research provider, resume database mining, etc. and be ready to start cold calling away.
However, only using one source without cross referencing at least one additional source to validate your prospects, can lead you into embarrasing or time wasting territories. For example, if your primary source has enough data to suggest a possible fit but the information is dated, your targeted prospect may have moved one to a new job(s) or the contact info is no good. Even worse, you could be calling into someone who is clearly no longer a fit for your role and by the time you finish your intro, they’ve either hung up, tuned out, or been offended enough by being considered a possible fit for a position they are well above that there’s no hope in getting any referrals.
Bottom line: Don’t abandon your favorite methods for identifying talent. Instead, consider pairing a few together to better validate your contacts before you start cold calling.
What’s your “must-do” step before reaching out to passive candidates?
