Steve's Blog (for Jobseekers & those hiring)

I’ve been out of touch on the blogging for a little while now, focusing on my latest gig:  I have taken a sourcing gig at a local Silicon Valley networking company (not Cisco).

While very exciting, it has had it’s share of challenges: learning a new company, it’s products, it’s norms, it’s people.  Still, I’m having as much fun as I can while I learn this business.

Now, on to the subject at hand: Sourcing

Specifically, candidate names sourcing is what I am blogging about today.  The question is what is it?  Why is it important and how would or could it impact me as a job seeker?

Let’s start with the basic definition of sourcing.  According to Dictionary.com, the root for sourcing, source, is defined as:

3.  a book, statement, person, etc., supplying information.

4.  the person or business making interest or dividend payments.

5.  a manufacturer or supplier.

6.  Archaic . a natural spring or fountain.

8. to find or acquire a source, esp. a supplier, for: Some of the components are now sourced in Hong Kong.

10. to seek information about or consider possible options, available personnel, or the like: a job recruiter who was merely sourcing.

The definition that I believe is most striking is # 10, which references being able to seek information or consider possible options.  Much of the activity I have seen or experienced when sourcing leads back to the goal of obtaining critical details for making intelligent and well-informed decisions.  Usually, this starts with gathering candidate contact information, or their detailed profiles or resumes.  A resume or profile is then only useful once it has been analyzed and digested to determine if the candidate provides the right “fit.”  Work samples and other representations of capability and skill may do the same, but usually it all leads back to what information a resume or profile provides of the candidate.

To gather and manage this information, the “Sourcer” “wears different hats” depending on the specific task at hand.  In some instances, he or she becomes a detective who must distill usable and relevant information from all of the useless “noise.”  In other instances, the sourcer must become a clearing house for data, using his or her judgment and experience to prioritize details as appropriate.  The sourcer must also act as an ambassador for the company or firm that he / she represents.  In this role, the sourcer must be able to represent the company well enough to keep the candidate engaged, and hopefully sell that person on the merits of working here (versus at other companies), and on some level, convince or influence the candidate’s continued interest in pursuing employment with such firm.

So what does all that mean for me as a job-seeker?

If as a job-seeker, I am trying to get noticed by a company, and specifically by the recruiter and (hopefully) by the sourcer that supports them, I would want to figure out what will get their attention.  The simplest things such as having a properly formatted resume, that is detailed where it needs to be, yet concise enough to not confuse the reader is critical.

• Is the resume organized?
• Does it outline needed and relevant information?
• Is the language in such a state that a layman can understand the content, but not so simple that it prevents an experienced person from your discipline from being engaged and interested?
• Does it demonstrate where you add value?
• Does it accurately describe scope and display your specific actions and the resulting outcomes?
• Have you run spell- and grammar- check?
• Have you visually reviewed the resume line-by-line?  By the way, typing in the word form for from may not show up on a spell or grammar check.

If you have not touched on all of these points, you may want to get to work.

It’s written and looks great!  Now what?

So now your resume is top-notch and ready to go.  what do you do with it?  Tape it to the back door of the bathroom so that hiring managers see it on the way out?  Do you hand it out to everyone you know?  Do you take out a full-page ad in  the newspaper and plaster it there?  Perhaps not.

Some actions that may help:

1) Get your resume into the hands of those with DIRECT INFLUENCE on hiring decisions. Ideally, this would be the hiring manager, but if not this person, how about those that this person trusts? (members of their team, clients, their mentors, friends, family, colleagues, etc.).  If not, at least the recruiter and/or sourcer hiring for this role.

2) Sometimes the resume may not do it for you. In other words, no “superstar” needs a resume (would you ask Bill Gates or Michael Jordan for theirs?).  It might be more valuable to get to know the “right” people in whatever firm you are looking to work for, talk yourself up, or better yet, convince them with work samples that you are exactly what they need for the role they are filling (even better if the role does not exist, and you can convince them to manufacture a job for you), and allow them the opportunity to chase you.

3) Conduct informational interviews to gain access and networking contacts. Once a rapport is established, get your resume reviewed with the intent of obtaining feedback on it’s content and suitability for getting noticed, and eventually hired.  Even if the folks you come across may not help you get hired in this firm , parlay this into an opportunity to gain access to their networking contacts to deepen your visibility and exposure.

4) Don’t be afraid to tailor, tinker, adapt and improve. The resume should be a fluid thing that will adapt per the conditions of what you are submitting against.  I like to use the example of the contractor bidding on a services contract or construction project.  For each submittal, the contractor compiles the most favorable information that is relevant to the project or contract at hand.  The intent being to respond directly to the needs outlined by the purchasing company, providing a concise and convincing presentation that will hopefully influence the buyer to want to pay for the contractor’s services.  The submittal of a resume should be no different.  You control the information and will solely benefit from being selected, so you should also have the capability to determine what information is relevant and worthwhile to present to your prospective employer.  The caveat here, though, is to remember that you must still provide a factual and honest account of your work experience and how you can provide value to a prospective employer.  Still, it is at your discretion to determine how to prioritize this information, and what specific details to highlight or emphasize.