How do you identify great talent? What a tough question. Talent is (by definition) "an ability". How do you decide if someone is able to do an outstanding job?
Some years ago, when I was a hiring manager in the corporate world, someone smart taught us that it's good to hire someone if he/she has all three of the following qualities:
1) Has the skills/experience necessary for the job;
2) Is interested in the job & company;
3) Is a good fit with the company culture.
It's difficult for a sourcer to assess these qualities just looking at online resumes and profiles, or having a quick phone conversation. The recruiter, the hiring manager and the team need to explore these points during the interviews.
So what can a sourcer do? We typically assess a person's ability to do what will be required at the future job by looking at the past experience and performance. Internet sourcers use the skills keywords from job descriptions to verify the necessary experience.
Is there something to look for besides that? Yes, of course, and it's a very interesting subject. I'll just talk about one aspect here. One of our clients was specifically looking for candidates with high scores on tests. While this type of accomplishment definitely cannot guarantee good work, it does show talent (i.e. "ability").
So, here are some Google search strings that are likely to bring up profiles of talented people who are Java Engineers. I am posting these examples here to show how sourcers can craft some of their search strings to look for talent. Here they are:
brainbench -site:brainbench.com ~certif java ext:pdf ~resume -job
intitle:resume | inurl:resume brainbench -site:brainbench.com ~certif -java
intitle:resume | inurl:resume "iq * * 110..200" java
site:linkedin.com inurl:pub | inurl:in mensa java
site:linkedin.com inurl:pub | inurl:in percentile java
intitle:resume | inurl:resume percentile java -brainbench
intitle:resume | inurl:resume winner java C++ | smalltalk
intitle:resume | inurl:resume "first prize" java
intitle:resume | inurl:resume -participated java lead accomplished delivered
intitle:resume | inurl:resume java "ivy league" -jobs
There are more examples, looking at specific tests such as SAT etc. The Google numrange function may come in handy there.
(Notes: Brainbench is a site that runs tests on different subjects; Java Engineers may post the scores in their resumes. I have used some advanced Google search syntax in the strings. Any questions, please let me know.)
-Irina
Host,
Boolean Strings Network - Please join!
My profile is
here. My blog is
here.
You need to be a member of TalentBar to add comments!
Join TalentBar