Direct sourcing has always been a staple of Recruitment Processes Outsourcing programmes. Today, it’s gaining traction as a contingent workforce solution. According to Staffing Industry Analysts, 52% of Managed Service Providers expect to increase their direct sourcing efforts.
Melissa Carnahan, GDN Senior Director (Toledo, Ohio US)
The goal of Pontoon’s Global Delivery Network – a powerful engine of purposeful delivery experience for our clients – is to support our programme teams in delivering both MSP and RPO services. While we carefully tailor each service, we have proven the benefits of direct and targeted sourcing campaigns for speed to hire and quality of talent.
Data-led and tech-enabled sourcing and screening strategies provide customers with fast access to top talent for permanent hires across all job types and geographies. Pontoon’s Global Delivery Network stands at the core of our RPO sourcing solutions. Pontoon’s GDN operates 24/7 to match and screen candidates, finding top talent that perfectly aligns with our clients’ needs. We do that by mixing human expertise with AI, automation, and data analytics to drive speed, efficiency, and cost savings.
For one of our RPO customers, the GDN team created and implemented a strategic sourcing strategy using an automated data-mining bot to speed up the process of qualifying CVs. The sourcing solution led to a 190% increase in CV submittals. It also reduced time-to-fill to eight business days and delivered 20% annualised cost savings to the client. The customer also appreciated our commitment to targeted sourcing and persona mapping — both of which helped to attract high-quality applicants.
While both direct sourcing and targeted sourcing focus on engaging candidates directly, they differ in approach and scope. Direct sourcing encompasses the entire workforce, while targeted sourcing embraces a proactive approach to identifying and engaging specific candidates or demographic groups who possess the desired skills, experience, or qualifications.
The benefits delivered to our clients through targeted sourcing in both RPO and MSP programmes include, but are not limited to:
Implementing targeted sourcing demonstrates a company’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social responsibility. It enhances our clients’ reputation as organisations that prioritise equal opportunities and care about marginalised communities.
By targeting specific groups, Pontoon’s GDN can tap into diverse talent pools that may have been previously overlooked in our customer’s hiring strategies. This increases the potential for finding highly skilled individuals with unique perspectives and experiences.
Targeted hiring campaigns contribute to building a diverse workforce, which has been shown to enhance creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. Diverse teams bring a broader range of ideas and perspectives, leading to better decision-making and overall business performance.
For example, for one of our RPO customers, a global IT company, Pontoon used job profiling and market mapping to launch an innovative media campaign and sourcing strategy that encompassed Facebook group promotions, LinkedIn advertising, and female influencer videos. We also co-created an IT skills academy where new hires were onboarded and upskilled on the job. As a result, we hired and upskilled 200 female-identifying IT professionals in just four months.
By relying on our extensive RPO experience with permanent hiring and meeting client’s diversity goals, we can easily implement our knowledge, tech, and strategies to drive the MSP direct sourcing arm.
Pontoon’s GDN is instrumental in helping to drive direct sourcing initiatives for our clients. By leveraging client-branded talent communities created from vetted candidates with relevant experience, Pontoon Direct elevates contingent hiring solutions to enable fast access to talent that is already engaged with our client’s brand. Sourcing for repeating skillsets allows us to deliver talent with accelerated speed compared to traditional agencies.
The benefits that we deliver to our clients through direct sourcing in MSP include:
By engaging candidates directly, we build relationships with them that translate into a better quality of talent. Understanding the candidates’ qualifications, motivations, and cultural fit, we can match them more accurately to job requirements. In a traditional, supplier-based MSP model, the client is one of the many options that a candidate might consider. In a direct sourcing model, we turn Employee Value Proposition into Contingent Value Proposition. We attract the candidates that are not only the most qualified but also the most motivated. These hires are more likely to stay with the company for longer, improving retention rates and contributing to the client’s long-term success.
On one of our client’s accounts – discussed in more detail below – we noted a significant tenure improvement, from 5 months in December 2021 to 8 months in December 2022.
By launching direct sourcing as an addition to the traditional supply chain, we streamline the recruitment process. Proactive sourcing from a client-branded pool of candidates with pre-identified, repeating skillsets speeds up the access to high-quality talent.
For one of our UK customers who was expanding their scope into the US, Pontoon deployed a direct sourcing model that would seamlessly integrate with the customer’s contingent hiring. We leveraged sourcers, screeners and a recruiter in our Toledo Hub to support candidate attraction, sourcing, and screening. Our sourcers tailored specific candidate outreach strategies to tap the right pockets of talent, depending on the role requirements and desired seniority.
Importantly, speed did not impact the quality of candidates. The submit-to-offer conversion rate for this particular client improved almost two times, with 15% of directly sourced candidates getting offered, compared to 8% agency-sourced candidates.
With the orchestrated sourcing, interviewing, and screening process, resumes began coming through from the direct sourcing channel much more quickly. Last year, Pontoon’s average time to submit amounted to just 5.39 days.
Filling 20% of the customer’s requisitions directly resulted in over $256K annual projected cost savings in 2021. In 2022, we almost tripled this figure, saving our client $694K.
Apart from increasing candidate quality, speed to hire, and cost savings, direct sourcing allows Pontoon to deliver a more personalised and engaging experience for contingent talent. By maintaining direct communication, promptly addressing inquiries, and providing transparent information, we create a positive experience for the candidates and nurture their interest in working for our client. This, in turn, attracts top-quality candidates who are more likely to be engaged and committed throughout the hiring process.
The more candidates are excited about the job during the hiring process, they more they are motivated to stay once they become employed.
Pontoon’s interconnected network of four global hubs strategically located in the US, EMEA, and APAC unlocks seamless access to a global talent pool. Pontoon GDN’s capabilities allow us to tailor our clients’ hiring strategies, proactively engage with top candidates, streamline the selection process, ensure unwavering compliance and continuous improvement.
By leveraging direct and targeted sourcing within Pontoon’s Global Delivery Network, we empower clients to secure high-quality talent and gain a competitive advantage in the market.
Ready to learn more about how Pontoon can support you? Do not hesitate to reach out.
