The digital age was supposed to simplify our professional lives. But today’s recruiters are feeling the pressure of information overload.

Blogs, social and business networking sites and videos on YouTube have all added a layer of complexity to sourcing passive candidates. In fact, these online networking sites have created a need for sourcing specialists, a distinctly separate, but equally important role from a recruiter.

Recruiting firms would do well to look at the new staffing firm model, where sourcing specialists work hand-in-hand with recruiters to provide well-researched, qualified candidates based on a variety of resources – both online and offline. This allows the recruiter to focus on income-producing activities.

To truly stand out from the pack, successful firms must embrace sourcing as a separate role. It will require a bit of internal restructuring, but the end result will provide a sensible, systematic and specialized approach.

Social media sourcing specialists need some basic resources and tools to get started.

Candidate resumes 2.0: enhanced profiles
If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine what sourcing in online business networks will say about someone. Sourcing specialists can find A-player candidates on Web sites like LinkedIn and Naymz, where prospective candidates are quite active in “passively” promoting their skills, work history, education and associations. Naymz even rates members’ reputations with a “repscore.”

Recruiters can search profiles by company, position, title, etc., and get detailed information on people who are either linked directly to them or through other people. Both sites are great places to find top talent.

Here’s a tip: For a bit of added flavor, use social networking Web sites after you’ve sourced business networking sites. Search social networks like MySpace or Facebook to gain some “real” insight on a candidate.

With 20 million members and growing, LinkedIn is the online coffeehouse for busy professionals. Naymz might not have the star power of LinkedIn just yet, but it is quickly gaining worldwide popularity, as professionals are empowered to manage their online reputations. Neither are fads, nor dying movements. Link yourself in, find out what’s really in a ‘naym,’ and see why both are playing a significant role in the way top talent is sourced.

The sourcing specialist’s toolbox.
By now, you have probably heard the term Web 2.0 muttered about ad nauseam. From Web sites like YouTube to the expanding blogosphere, the recruiting industry must keep pace.

So what else can a social media sourcing specialist do?

Communicate Your Culture.
Cultivate your “recruitment/employment brand.” How you court today’s top talent greatly influences their perception of you and the hiring company. Increasingly, these courtships are taking place in YouTube videos and blogs. The idea is to attract and engage candidates. In fact, check out the following YouTube videos:

1. The Wise Guys
   – “A Quick Comedy about 2 Recruiting Legends,” hits high on the likeability factor. The recruiters establish trust and transparency as to their character. They look pretty cool and seem like reasonable guys to work with. To view the video, go to: youtube.com
2. Connected Ventures
   – In the company’s own words, “We did this video one night after work. We are a company called Connected Ventures, a group of friends who work for: Vimeo, CollegeHumor, Busted Tees, and Defunker... and, we're hiring: connectedventures.com/jobs.shtml.”
My favorite comment posted about this video is, “Okay, two questions: 1-Where do you people work? 2-Can I have a job? To view the video, go to: youtube.com
3. Be an Expert.
   Candidates have lots of questions. Monitor questions posed on sites like LinkedIn, and offer timely answers. The more you get out there, the more recognition you’ll receive. Simply put, you’ll earn candidates’ respect. Candidates will view you as their “go-to person” for specific industry information and employment trends.

Harnessing the power of social media
What we know is that social media tools have created multiple avenues for sourcing. What’s not-so-clear is how to manage the information overload. Sourcing in a Web 2.0 world demands different technological capabilities.

A Web 2.0-enabled Applicant Tracking System (ATS) will help recruiters make the most of their specialized sourcing efforts. For example, a Web 2.0-enabled ATS can capture candidate information from LinkedIn, and instantly import the data into a recruiter’s database. As sourcing specialists import candidate data, make sure your ATS can detect duplicate records, ensuring that your database never gets polluted with unnecessary records. Keeping a clean database is a crucial part of sourcing in a Web 2.0 world.

A new world order
As with any profession, we are faced with the challenge of information overload and never-ending, but vital administrative tasks. With the proliferation of online personal media and networking sites, recruiters now have access to professional information they wouldn’t have had before. One of the best examples I mentioned earlier is NAYMZ, which allows anyone to look at a person’s professional reputation.

There is a new world order that all businesses need to face. Content is king, and it’s online. For recruiting and staffing firms, that means a new working model must be established. The most efficient, cost saving structure will involve a sourcing specialist providing initial research to a recruiter. If you believe, as I do, that the three priorities at a recruiting firm need to be profitability, retention of people and a good business model, your next hire will be a Social Media Sourcing Specialist.