Image by Aaron Stillman.

Solitude has a sound and I love it.  It’s the gentle whistle of tall pines as they reach high in an un-wasted effort to catch the wind.   It’s the hushed rush of moving water battling solid rock on its perpetual quest for lower ground.  If there is one thing I love more than the sound of solitude, its catching fish.  If there’s one thing I love more than catching fish, its catching big fish.  I love catching big fish so much in fact, many times I’ll sacrifice solitude and go to my local Blue Ribbon Fly Fishery, the Provo River.

“Blue Ribbon Fishery” is an actual designation.  It’s only given to special waters meeting specific criteria.  It’s a combination of many things including sustainability and fish count.  Yes, they actually count the fish.  In other words, a Blue Ribbon designation is like hanging a great big sign reading, “The Fish Are Right Here”.

One of my favorite spots on the Provo is also the favorite of countless others.  The pull off is a parking lot, the path to the river is broad, beaten and worn by the endless parade of soft bottomed boots.  Just because it’s been verified there are fish in the water and the numbers confirm it can sustain the pressure, there is not a guarantee you’re going to catch a fish.  You see, the fish on the Provo are a bit more sophisticated than in other rivers around.  The fish on the Provo are fished every day, 365 days a year.  They’ve seen and experienced it all, day after day.  With experience comes wisdom, even with fish.  So if you want to catch a fish on the Provo, you have to fish it in a more sophisticated way.  You’ll have to pay extra attention to the small details, namely the hatches, fly sizes, leaders and most of all – PRESENTATION.

LinkedIn rose quickly as a premier place to source for talent and I would argue, earned the status Blue Ribbon Talent Sourcery (yes, it’s a word now, I just made it up) based strictly on the sheer numbers of “fish in the pond”.  But that’s not the only criteria for Blue Ribbon status.  What about Sustainability?  Well, After all of these years I still find myself going back time and time again with high levels of success.  Though now days the pull off to LinkedIn is an expensive license, the path is broad, beaten and warn by the endless parade of Boolean searches.  Just because there are 414 million professionals on LinkedIn, doesn’t mean we’re going to recruit our next placement.  The people on LinkedIn are becoming more sophisticated because they are used to being fished every day, 365 days a year.  Yep, they’ve seen and experienced it all and with experience comes wisdom.  So in order to recruit on LinkedIn, you’ll have to source in a more sophisticated way.  You’ll have to pay extra attention to the smallest of details, namely business cycles, timing, custom messaging and most of all – PRESENTATION!  (Which will probably be the topic of future posts.)

So, for my Sourcing Friends, I’d like to ask, is LinkedIn still a Blue Ribbon Talent Sourcery?

My follow up question.  What are other Blue Ribbon Sourceries?  Would they be Facebook, GitHub, job boards, Etc.?

I’m open to all suggestions except your own ATS.  Your ATS better be your go fishing hole, it’s like having your own private pond where you stock, feed and raise your own future.

 

Copyright © 2016 Ward E Wilson

 

The thoughts and ideas I express here are strictly my own, I do not speak for my employer or others, unless explicitly noted.