Episode 20

Talent Sourcing as a Research Function

About this Episode

In this episode of Offer Accepted, host Shannon Ogborn sits down with Ashby's own Liz Smith to explore innovative sourcing concepts. Liz shares insights from her experience, emphasizing the importance of tailored hiring approaches that align with the specific needs of roles and industries. She highlights the use of market mapping and leveraging cross-disciplinary insights as her keys to success in sourcing and recruiting.

The discussion also touches on the vital role of strategic thinking in talent acquisition, showcasing how it meets the changing demands of businesses and candidates. Liz's expertise illustrates the significance of understanding industry nuances for achieving hiring excellence, positioning strategic sourcing as essential in driving organizational success.

This episode offers an insightful look into effective talent sourcing strategies, providing valuable takeaways for those aiming to enhance their sourcing practices in today's dynamic job market.

Topics

Sourcing

This Episode's Guest

Liz Smith

Talent @ Ashby

Liz Smith brings over eight years of talent acquisition experience, including significant roles at Google and in executive search, and is now working on the talent team at Ashby. Before her time in recruiting, she held roles in teaching, writing, and editing.

Key Learnings

  1. Embracing Innovation in Talent Acquisition - Liz discusses the evolving landscape of talent acquisition, highlighting the importance of innovation and cross-disciplinary learning. She notes the unique opportunities in each sector, from startups to large corporations, for innovation in sourcing and recruiting. Liz advocates for learning from other departments by observing their work to enhance sourcing strategies and better understand team dynamics and job roles. 
  2. The Strategic Power of Market Mapping - Market mapping emerges as a crucial strategy in Liz’s toolkit for addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in recruiting. She explains how market mapping broadens the sourcing function beyond industry competitors, thereby enhancing the representation in candidate pools. By strategically identifying potential candidates from a wider array of companies, recruiters can overcome the limitations of traditional sourcing methods and push beyond the achievements of their competitors, fostering a more inclusive hiring process.
  3. The Art and Science of Sourcing - Liz dives into the intricacies of sourcing, emphasizing it as both an art and a science. She discusses the importance of being open to conversations with candidates who may not perfectly fit the job description but possess valuable skills. This openness to exploring different profiles and backgrounds is key to expanding networks and uncovering potential candidates in often missed places. Liz's approach showcases the nuanced skill set required in sourcing.

Hosted By

Shannon Ogborn

RecOps Consultant & Community Lead @ Ashby

Shannon Ogborn is a Recruiting Ops expert with nearly ten years of experience at companies from Google to Hired Inc and more. She’s shining a spotlight onto what makes a recruiting strategy one of a kind.

Other Episodes

Redesigning Hiring Assessments to Improve Selection Accuracy

Redesigning Hiring Assessments to Improve Selection Accuracy

In this episode of Offer Accepted, Hebba Youssef, Chief People Officer at Workweek and creator of I Hate It Here, shares how realistic, role-relevant hiring projects can lead to more confident and accurate hiring decisions. Shannon and Hebba explore why assessments should test for day-one skills (not teachable ones), how rubrics drive fairness, and why introducing projects early in the process saves time and prevents bias. Whether you're rethinking your assessment strategy or just starting to use projects in your hiring process, this conversation offers tactical guidance and a refreshing dose of clarity.

Listen to this episode
Maximizing Recruiting Outcomes with Marginal Gains

Maximizing Recruiting Outcomes with Marginal Gains

In this episode, we chat with Luke Eaton, Head of Talent Ops @ Welltech to discuss how to maximize your recruiting process with marginal gains.

Listen to this episode

Join the Hiring Excellence movement

New episodes every month - subscribe here so you never miss out.