Why Use a Direct Sourcing Strategy for Talent Acquisition

Many companies today are turning to direct sourcing as a strategy for independent talent acquisition. Direct sourcing helps managers find and compliantly engage talent.

Organizations are increasingly relying on the growing pool of people working as independent contractors, freelancers, and self-employed professionals. Independent talent provide access to specialized skills managers struggle to find. Furthermore, businesses can realize significant cost savings as well as increased output by engaging independent talent on a project basis.

Direct sourcing eliminates the need for a third-party intermediary

With direct sourcing, managers use their own resources along with integrated technology like an online marketplace to more easily find, engage, and onboard independent talent when and where they need it most. Without direct sourcing, managers may opt to go through a third-party staffing or consulting firm to find and engage independent talent. This can be a frustrating experience because these third parties often don’t specialize in recruiting independent talent specifically, and their services can be costly. Managers may also turn to their own networks or devices to find independent talent. This approach also poses issues because it can result in a high risk of worker misclassification.

Direct sourcing, on the other hand, creates a more frictionless and direct relationship between buyer and provider—that is, hiring managers and independent talent. With direct sourcing, managers can source talent internally, without having to rely on a third-party intermediary to fill talent needs.

Direct sourcing gives you a competitive edge

Direct sourcing is a simple concept, but the details of implementing a full direct sourcing strategy can quickly become complex. When initially discussing direct sourcing with company executives or coworkers it may be helpful to start by helping them understand the many benefits of a direct sourcing strategy. For example, with direct sourcing, managers can build a pool of talent that has already been vetted or engaged by your company, making it easy to find and quickly deploy skilled workers needed. Direct sourcing also provides flexibility in talent acquisition, because most recruiter functions are performed in-house.

From another perspective, independent talent want to easily search for, find, and apply to projects that align with their interests and skills. By investing in technology and programs that meet these needs, companies become optimally positioned to attract and retain the very best independent professionals—a useful advantage in today’s competitive talent market.

Keep in mind that a direct sourcing strategy will take different forms at different organizations. Variables include company size, talent needs, and available budget. Your company may be on board to build an internal, streamlined program for independent talent engagement, or they may choose to work with procurement and HR business partners to identify existing vendors that can perform needed services.

Talk to our team to learn more about how to incorporate a direct sourcing strategy at your company, or request a demo of our marketplace.