Challenges in Sourcing Six-Figure Talent

In August and September 2010, Aberdeen Group surveyed more than 400 organizations in order to determine Best-in-Class practices in talent acquisition strategies. The study, Talent Acquisition Strategies 2010: Candidate Experience and Relationship Management Come of Age, showed that the top pressure organizations face is shortages of key skills in the talent pool - cited by 47% of the sample. And as organizations recruit for higher level positions – those “six-figure” jobs – these pressures are compounded. Consequently, effective sourcing becomes critical to ensure that quality candidates are filtered though the clutter of a crowded talent pool of unknown quality. This Research Brief highlights the challenges of sourcing quality candidates for these critical high-paying positions, where making a bad hire can be costly in the short term and the long term.