Irina Shamaeva is the first person I heard of when I came across the term "sourcing." She's still my number one in this field, constantly surprising with innovations and inspiring development!
I always read her blog and attend her webinars with enthusiasm. I'm very glad that we started organizing them in Russian.
Today, I want to introduce you to Irina not only as a strong specialist in the field of sourcing but also as an interesting and multifaceted person.
Irina, I remember your story and the moment when you decided to transition from a developer to recruiting. Can you please tell us more about how this idea came about?
It was 14 years ago when we adopted a boy from Georgia. I stayed at home with him for about a year and during that time, I decided to try my hand at recruiting. When a recruiter from an agency called me with a technical job offer, I placed a candidate for them and received a reward.
I still can't imagine how you discover all these interesting things that you share with us. How do you manage to do it?
"Interesting things" mostly come from practical sourcing work, which we have a lot of in various areas and countries. Sometimes I learn from colleagues, especially from my business partner, David Galley.
In your opinion, what are the main qualities a good sourcer should have?
Perhaps the ability to be on "first-name terms" with a computer, curiosity, a creative streak, and persistence.
What are your favorite tools, and I know you have your own product called Social List, could you tell us more about it?
I have many favorite tools; one of my absolute favorites is Google Custom Search Engines and the special syntax for searching within them. Based on this, we created the tool http://sociallist.io, which compiles lists of social profiles from the open internet based on your query.
I know that you lead an active lifestyle and often attend conferences and travel. Where can we meet you this year?
I love going to conferences, especially in Europe – it's an opportunity for exchanging news and meeting friends. I usually manage to visit Europe twice a year. I'm planning to attend a conference with workshops in Russia in May 2018.
What else do you plan to achieve this year?
We will continue to develop both our sourcing lectures and exercises. I'm passionate about Social List, and we hope to expand the product.
So many activities! Where do you draw inspiration from, and what else are you passionate about besides work?
I enjoy taking walks in the park and going hiking in the mountains with a backpack. In the evenings, I watch detective shows or deal with my 14-year-old son Peter to encourage good behavior.
Finally, what advice would you give to our readers who dream of becoming sourcing gurus in the future?
Start by getting your hands dirty; knowledge will come as you go along.
Thank you very much for this open and interesting conversation!
