Recruiter Insights: How I Source Candidates Today

A guest post by Mandeep Grewal, an executive recruiter.

The recruitment industry has changed significantly with technology. When I started in the executive search business in 2000, we relied mainly on company websites (which were minimal in detail) and “calling into companies” to figure out who did what.

Today, especially with LinkedIn, we look at the online database first before looking at our own database. LinkedIn has levelled the playing field for recruitment firms. No longer can we tell our clients that we have a proprietary database and special access to a certain pool of candidates. Nowadays, every recruiter has access to virtually the same people. Our “proprietary databases” have been relegated to storing resumes and tracking searches.

Where recruiters can add value today is becoming sector or industry specialists and knowing who to call to solicit referrals for top talent in the market.

Mandeep Grewal is Deputy Managing Partner at Rosenzweig Company, Toronto. Mandeep has 15 years of experience in executive search. He was previously a partner at Korn/Ferry International. His search specialties include real estate, finance, insurance, banking, private equity and infrastructure. He holds an MBA from Schulich School of Business, York University and an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University.