As the pandemic subsides, and economies get back on their feet, more and more organizations are shifting to a contingent + permanent workforce model. As a result, organizations are now openly searching for direct sourcing solutions to embrace this agile model of working.

Infact, research suggests that direct sourcing initiatives will be amongst the top two focus areas in the coming years, after talent pool development. Similarly, SIA also suggested that 62 % of the organization would utilize some form of direct sourcing plan in the near future.

If you are also planning to ride the direct sourcing wave, then here are a few things you must take into consideration.

1. Sourcing Model

2. Talent Sourcing and Engagement Strategies

3. Talent Onboarding

4. KPIs

5. Tools and Technologies

1.  Sourcing Model

Your direct sourcing model can either make or break your sourcing strategy. Therefore, you must remain cognizant of the sourcing model you adopt during your staffing process.

To start, ask yourself if you want to opt for the MSP-driven model, or would the traditional staffing model suffice?

Generally, traditional models are haphazard and slow. These models do not follow a standard set of rules and regulations. Due to this, hiring managers end up choosing the staffing agency of their choice without any standard due diligence of the staffing vendor and their processes. This largely degrades the quality and speed of hiring.

On the other hand, MSP-driven sourcing models are strategic in nature and follow a standard set of rules and practices. MSP providers use the Vendor Management System (VMS) to,

• Collect staffing requirements from the clients
• Broadcast requirement to staffing agencies
• Evaluate the received proposals
• Finalize the vendor
• Ensure hiring and onboarding
• Collect timesheets and payment approvals
• Oversee vendor performance

As the complete sourcing process is strategically organized and collaborated, the time-to-hire in the MSP model is low and the quality and compliance are high.

  2. Talent Sourcing and Engagement Strategies

The next level is to work on your talent sourcing and engagement strategies. It includes finalizing the talent sourcing channels you want to use, establishing your brand presence on these channels, associating with diversity partners, broadening referral networks, and running social media campaigns. All these talent sourcing and engagement strategies help you in reaching and engaging with the target talent base.

Read More: Five Reasons You Should Use Internship as a Hiring Tool 

3. Talent Onboarding

Talent onboarding is a field that is often overlooked in the direct sourcing space. This is where many sourcing strategies go wrong. You do not want your contingent workers to stumble between different departments to gather work or company information on their first day. You need to build a proper onboarding plan where the hires are not left hanging for information. Therefore, you must plan in advance the onboarding flow to ensure new hires are apprised with all the relevant information at the time of joining. 
Here are a few points that you can take care of while formulating onboarding strategy,

• Share the company vision and mission statement
• Inform about the company’s culture
• Provide an in-depth training of company products and services
• Add ice-breaking activities to help them bond with their teams.

  4. KPIs

Once you are done with the platforms and strategies, next, outline all the key performance indicators that will determine the success of your sourcing efforts. Charting out the KPIs channelizes your sourcing efforts and keeps a check on the progress. Few of the frequently used KPIs are time-to-hire, cost-to-hire, program spend, no. of referrals, sourcing channels, deadline adherence, additions in the talent pool.

5. Tools and Technologies

From planning to implementation, tech is a crucial part of every sourcing strategy. Be it collaborating with staffing agencies, onboarding new hires, timekeeping, or payroll management, every step in the sourcing process demands the involvement of some of the other tech tools.

Therefore, while planning you must list down all the probable tools that you will need to implement your direct sourcing strategies. In addition, while purchasing, ensure these tools can be seamlessly integrated with other tools. This ensures that all your processes are synchronized and streamlined.

Here are some of the tools that you will definitely need during the sourcing process.

• Vendor Management System
• Talent Engagement Tool
• Social Media Management
• AI-led Screening Tool
• Job Advertising Software
• Email and SMS Engagement Tools

Winding It Up

Key to a successful contingent workforce is to plan your sourcing strategies right. From collaborating with staffing vendors to getting the right tools, every step is crucial in building a successful direct sourcing strategy. These direct sourcing tips not only help in getting your strategies right on the paper but also while you implement them.

If you are new to the direct sourcing model and want assistance in sourcing the right talent for your needs, we are just a call away.