I had the privilege of interviewing Luke Doubler, the founder of a local staffing company (RecruiterCentral) in the Twin Cities and a seasoned talent sourcing professional with over 15 years of experience. I had been following Luke’s career from a distance and had the opportunity to meet him in person at a SourceCon meetup in Minneapolis. Luke impressed me with his kindness, passion, and unwavering drive in this field, and it was an absolute honor to sit down with him for this interview. Luke is a true pioneer in talent sourcing, having trained countless corporate and agency recruiters to excel at their craft and source top talent with purpose. His unique leadership style, which emphasizes active listening and peer development, sets him apart in the recruiting industry.
1. How did you get into talent sourcing?
Ever since I was a young lad, I always knew I wanted to be a sourcer…. said no one ever.
I’m a chronic extrovert, I think that’s the problem. I’m actually a high school history teacher by trade, taught 1.5 years. Loved it. Much respect for the teachers of the world. I made $19K my first year of teaching in Sioux Falls, SD. Not kidding. I lived in my buddy Chub’s basement. I’m not a greedy person by any stretch, but you try living on 19K on your buddy’s basement floor.
So that, along with being super curious, decent intelligence, and being one of the hardest workers you’ve ever met got me into recruiting. Since then, I’ve led recruiting teams at Cargill, Target, and Schwans. I’ve been a frequent national speaker at SourceCon, ERE, MNREC, DENREC, WIREC, MNTRN, and dozens and dozens of other trade and recruiting conferences around the USA.
2. Any advice you would give someone starting out?
Find your purpose and go get it. Most people live their whole life not having a clue of their purpose or even coming close to their full potential. Don’t let a crummy employer, boss, or most often, you, hijack your own dreams. The first step is often the hardest!
3. What makes a good Talent Sourcer?
Every good Talent Sourcer always has curiosity and action. They also have a certain sense of confidence because trust me, you’ll fail WAY more than you’ll succeed. But every failure is a learning opportunity to get better.
4. What’s the secret to your success?
What’s your purpose? Why did God put me here? I ask myself that every day. Do I know my purpose yet? No. Heck no, but I try every day. Success is no secret: get up each and every day early (like 5:00 at least) work your butt off and do your very best, reflect, be thankful, learn always, love your wife and kids and be the best person you can be, give back to those in need and never be fake.
I think my purpose is to teach, share, lead, innovative and create. Everything I do with www.recruitercentral.io is about my team, my clients and my recruiting community. We’ve created a whole library of free how videos at the RecruiterCentral library, we lead and speak at conferences, and create a growing community. There are way too many agencies that are just about making money. Yup and I’ll say it again: There are way too many agencies that are just about making money. If you’re just pushing a sale, you’re probably pushing less than ideal candidates. Plus, if you do it right, you’ll make WAY more money than you ever can dream of working in-house.
5. Future predictions on sourcing. What will change in the next 5 years?
GOOGLE. Most people don’t realize that Google has already taken over. Why? Because Google controls search results. Google is people’s portal to the world. They have more data and are growing at a rate that is incalculable. Make sure you understand how Google works, know what Google isn’t telling you, know Google’s bias and also use other search engines. Don’t always do what everyone else is doing. Technology, big data, and automation are only going to get bigger.
My prediction: You better make learning part of your job, otherwise you won’t have a job (or at least a good job). Take time every day to learn something about your trade and you will be an expert.
6. Favorite Extension or Tool?
Social 360 & Social Talent
7. Favorite Boolean string?
For sure site:linkedin.com/in -inurl:dir
8. Any other things you would like me to highlight?
Most people source a database, I source the world. Be a rebel. Don’t settle for LinkedIn’s, Google’s, Careerbuilders, etc candidates. Know the rules and how to break them.
9. Anything else you are passionate about besides sourcing?
I’m also passionate about healthy living, natural food, and healthy families. “Let food be thy medicine.” You can never reach your full purpose with a mind/body that is unhealthy. Follow Realfoodrn.com, join the moment. Join millions who subscribe and follow my wife’s blog that I also write and manage.
Bonus: I wrote a recap about Luke’s presentation at SourceCon. You can read that post (here).
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