Ed Note:
At recruitDC, we want to actively support our sister organizations across the country, whose aim is to bring great training and content to recruiters in their local area. With the advent of ATAP, a national movement is underway, but the local organizations are the lifeblood of the grassroots movement. 

Today, we wanted to share some info on Source Houston, which is taking place next week, on April 20th. To purchase your tickets, visit their Eventbrite site

Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States, and there or over 2.1M people in Houston proper with another 4M people in the surrounding suburbs.  Almost 30,000 people here in Houston say they are in the business of hiring people. I bet there are exceedingly intelligent recruiters here in Houston that push the limits of what can be done every day. I’d also put money on the table that some recruiters that want to learn more about our industry, network with like minded people, grow in their careers and take it to the next level.  Dollars to donuts that both of those types of recruiters would love the opportunity to share and learn in a welcoming place. This is why WE created Source Houston and that includes you (even if you’re not in Houston).

The beginning…

Source Houston came together with like minded recruiters and sourcers here in Houston. We all came from different industries, but were facing similar problems in identifying and hiring talent. So we problem solved. We started collaborating over google hangouts for brainstorming and bouncing strategies off each other, and soon working lunches and meetups ensued. We were having fun too! Working together with others who shared our interests (and struggles) made us better collectively, and we fostered great friendships in the process. Together we discovered a wealth of information, ideas, and techniques that benefited everyone in so many ways. As the old saying goes, rising tides raise all ships!   

The knowledge is here…

As this is being written, a recruiter or sourcer is playing lights out at their desk, crushing goals every day. There is a leader in talent acquisition making innovative changes and streamlining their processes. We want to hear from them and share that knowledge because it only makes us better. Our industry is evolving rapidly, and while the fundamentals remain true, tons of new recruiting and HR tech is introduced almost daily. We have professionals that have taken the stage at national recruiting conferences to share their expertise right here in Houston. Alaina Rivas, Monali Parmar, and Natalie Dunphy to name a few. But what about the recruiters and sourcers in the trenches, getting things done on the daily? What knowledge can they bring to the table? That know-how and best practices are right here in our back yard. Our goal is to leverage the expertise here in Houston in the areas of sourcing, recruiting, talent acquisition, and social media to attract talent to our organizations. So let’s build and share together..

Accessibility

Not everyone can take half a week off of work or have the budget  to attend some of our favorite recruiting conferences like SourceCon, Talent42, or ERE. Not many companies have a training and development plan for their TA teams. That is why it’s important to invest in your own development and collaborate  with other recruiters locally. Own and hone your craft. There are some outstanding knowledge based sharing events all over the country, but rarely do they come to Houston. We aim to change that. Our conferences, meetups, and workshops are all designed to maximize the time spent there. No travel means less time away from the desk, families, and more importantly, we keep things simple and fun. We are holding out next conference at a brewery… enough said.

#RealTalk

We all have networks when it comes to our daily roles. I noticed that I am networked “well” in Houston, but, I haven’t spoken to many of them for over a year. Some of the greatest business relationships come from the cultivated acquaintances. Having a robust network of industry colleagues and leaders is another great way to find your next role or opportunity. Plain and simple; a networked recruiter is a good recruiter. We invite you to join our community. Take place in the conversation, share what you know, learn something new, and have some fun doing it!. We also stay connected through social media for continuous learning far after our conferences have ended.

Recruit Like You Mean It…

Our motto is recruit like you mean it. Collaborating with your local peers could bring you the game changer you’ve been looking for your day to day or your career. Inversely, you could end up providing that to someone. Recruiting is more than just LinkedIn and an ATS. It’s about relationships, leveraging the right tools to make those relationships, and taking the candidate experience seriously. Are you willing to start your own community?

About the Authors

Jason Vogel is a Sourcing Manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and a founding member of Source Houston. He is part of a national Sourcing Team whose focus is to identify, engage, and build a talent pipeline of passive candidates and convert them to active applicants for the firm to hire.  Jason has 20 years of recruiting experience as an agency and in-house corporate recruiter.

Arron Daniels, Recruiting Sourcer at H-E-B and Founder of Source Houston,(specializing in technical & non-technical recruitment, and everything in between – a true firefighter when it comes to recruitment!) Arron started his recruiting journey in the military – recruiting military & signal intelligence and transitioned out of the service into a Sourcer role during his agency days in Houston – You can catch Arron contributing to Workology, Recruiting Daily & SourceCon

Megan Calimbas is is a founding member of Source Houston and is currently a Sourcing Manager with PWC. She is a wellspring of knowledge in recruiting and she has led projects and teams for many high profile companies. Megan specializes in talent identification and has been in leadership roles developing sourcing teams as well as an individual contributor. You can find Megan contributing and speaking with ERE Media.