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Creative Sourcing vs. Deep Sourcing follow this blog post

posted by on Nov. 15, 2009

This response comes from a question posted the other day regarding the differences between Creative Sourcing and Deep Sourcing. This is a great topic to talk about and really defines the strategy in which you find yourself implementing. Well I hope this helps. Feel free to comment and post your thoughts as well.

Question: What is your definition of Creative Sourcing vs. Deep Sourcing? Creative Sourcing is the baseline or fundamental approach a recruiter will take in developing their map to recruit from. Creative sourcing falls under the umbrella of information gathering.

You’ll find thousands of answers out there to this age old question, but if you were to speak with true “sourcers” in the industry you will find that they are researchers at heart. At the world conference this question came up a lot in discussions and I tell most people the same thing; we are in the information gathering business.

Recruiting, sales, deep sourcing, workforce planning and virtually anything we will do in our jobs require us to gather information. Without this we cannot be successful. So when we talk about building talent communities or talent gateways and social media etc. these are all forms of creative sourcing.

The question to ask is “How do we create interest and engage those talent gateways once they are created?” Without getting real tactical for this explanation it would be our goal to create chatter and a sense of community within these hubs. By chatter I mean conversation regarding industry topics, eventually with the “experts” naturally rising to the top of conversations. Most call this cultivating the group. I call this deep sourcing.

So to make things a little simpler:

Creative sourcing: The process of development/branding for workforce planning. I.e. Information gathering; tactical planning; channel development; creation and development of talent communities.

Deep Sourcing: Micro managing these talent communities to maximize their potential. Making individual contact with and introducing the prospects to the specific organization we are working with.

Thoughts?

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6 comments

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  • 1 point 2 months ago

    We are in the information business.  Without information we will not perform as well as we can.  The issue of creative VS deep sourcing is a great view.  Let's look at LinkedIn, you use it to gather names, information about where people work, set up your lists and call people on that list.  BUT if you don't recongnize that LinkedIn DOES NOT have everyone you need on their pages then you are not going to the next level and getting deep into the search to really identify the "right" talent. 

    To be better than your competition you have to get off the surface and put on the scuba gear and go down a few layers where the light starts to dim.

  • 1 point 2 months ago

    "...where the light starts to dim." 

    I like that!  And might I add one more (watery) thought?  Most ocean living animals live in the deep ocean layer.

    Stop and think about that thin layer that LinkedIn represents.  I maintain that better than 95% of the available workforce is not represented on LinkedIn or anywhere else, for that matter, on the Internet!

    That's food for the microscopic plankton thought that most of us do.

     

  • 1 point 2 months ago

    The trick is to fine tune the creative sourcing into the deep sourcing and make the fill.

  • 1 point 2 months ago

    Great Post Ryan! 

    I completely agree... we are in the "information gathering business".  To stay at the top of my recruiting game, one question remains constant: "what else?" 

    What else can I do to:

    1. Find and/or share more information.

    2. Creatively source, attract and maintain top talent.

    3. Use new technology to promote my company and open jobs.

    4. Build and cultivate a deep pipeline of diverse candidates.

    5. Ultimately meet all of my recruitment goals.

    Happy Networking!

    Terry

  • 1 point 2 months ago

    Thanks Terry. It's interesting that youposted #3. Technology has certainly taken over the minds of recruiters. Though it's important to morph with the times and leverage all that we can, in the end we need to understand that we are recruiters and that gathering information and picking up the phone are the most important.

    Thanks for the comments.

  • 1 point 2 months ago

    The typo in the title gives an interesting twist on this topic...

    Creative Souring vs. Deep Sourcing

    I think 2009 has been a pretty sour year for lots of people, here's to a better 2010...