Casting a Wider Net

I've spent much of my career helping employers determine where to advertise their opportunities, and one thing has remained remarkably consistent even as recruiting technology has changed: organizations often assume that reaching more people is the same as reaching the right people.

I understand why that happens. When a position is difficult to fill, expanding advertising seems like a reasonable response. If one job board isn't generating enough qualified candidates, perhaps adding three more will improve the situation. If applications slow down, increasing the budget or broadening the audience may appear to be the quickest way forward.

Sometimes those decisions are appropriate. But I'd rather understand why a recruitment campaign isn't delivering the desired results before recommending additional spending.

For example, an employer might be receiving hundreds of applications while its recruiting team struggles to identify individuals with the required experience. On paper, the advertising appears successful because it has generated substantial activity. In practice, the team is spending time reviewing candidates who were never particularly likely to meet the position's needs.

A different employer may receive only a small number of applications, but several of those candidates are highly relevant to the position. Depending on the role and hiring objectives, that smaller response could represent a more useful outcome.

This is why I believe candidate sourcing needs to be evaluated in context. Application volume matters in certain situations, particularly when organizations are recruiting for large numbers of similar positions, but it's only one measure of effectiveness.

I want to understand whether the right audience is being reached, whether the opportunity is being communicated clearly, and whether the channels being used make sense for the occupation, industry, geography, and circumstances of the candidates.

Recruitment advertising is an investment. The objective should be to use that investment thoughtfully rather than simply purchasing more exposure and hoping the results improve.

Effective candidate sourcing involves a series of connected decisions. Before choosing advertising channels or launching outreach, an organization needs to understand whom it wants to reach, what makes the opportunity relevant to those individuals, and which approaches are most likely to generate useful engagement.

I look at several considerations when evaluating or developing a sourcing strategy.

When I'm working with an organization on candidate sourcing or recruitment advertising, I begin by understanding what it needs to accomplish. A business trying to build a pipeline of skilled professionals has different requirements from an employer preparing to open a new location or a company struggling to fill positions across several geographic markets.

I want to know what has already been tried, which sources have generated useful candidates, where recruiting teams are experiencing frustration, and how the organization currently measures success. In some situations, the issue may be that the audience hasn't been clearly defined. In others, the audience is understood, but the advertising strategy isn't reaching it effectively.

From there, I can examine relevant labor market information, evaluate potential recruitment channels, and consider how the organization's employer messaging fits the audience it's trying to attract. I also look at practical considerations such as budget, timing, advertising formats, geographic targeting, and the resources available to manage candidate responses.

My background in recruitment advertising is particularly useful here because I've worked through the evolution from traditional classified advertising and print media to job boards, digital campaigns, and increasingly sophisticated recruitment technology. That experience has reinforced an important principle for me: the newest platform isn't automatically the best choice, and the most familiar platform isn't necessarily the right one either.

Sometimes a relatively straightforward adjustment to media selection or candidate targeting can improve the relevance of an organization's recruiting efforts. Other situations call for a more coordinated strategy involving multiple channels, stronger employer messaging, or changes to how campaigns are evaluated.

I also believe clients should understand how their recruitment media dollars are being spent. When I manage placements, I explain the selected channels, the proposed investment, and the applicable media pricing arrangements so clients can make informed decisions.

My goal is to recommend advertising and sourcing approaches that reflect the organization's actual needs rather than applying a standard media plan to every situation. I want clients to understand what I'm recommending, why I believe it makes sense, and what we should examine to determine whether it's delivering useful results.