The talent market is a competitive place.
One day, a candidate may be perfectly happy in their current job, and the next, they may be updating their resume and on the hunt for something new.
To stay ahead of the demand for top talent, consistently sourcing candidates within the job market is in your best interest.
What is candidate sourcing?
Candidate sourcing is the continued search for potential hires to fill current and future job openings. It involves collecting resumes, pre-screening candidates, and building relationships with potential hires.
Using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can significantly enhance this process by streamlining candidate management and organizing resumes for easy access.
During the search for quality candidates to join your team, it’s important to understand that some may be considered passive candidates. This is a common recruitment term for people who are employed and not actively job-hunting but still willing to hear about potential new opportunities.
Just because they’re passive doesn’t mean you won’t be able to sway them into accepting a new job and joining your company. It all depends on how you go about the sourcing and recruiting process.
Sourcing candidates vs. recruiting candidates
Sourcing is the process of actively searching for, identifying, and reaching out to potential candidates for open positions and positions that may open in the future.
Then, it’s time to switch to recruiting mode, which will loop in various HR processes, like conducting a phone screen, an in-person or video interview, and carrying out the actual evaluation of the candidate. Eventually, the hope is that the recruiter will also extend an offer.
It’s not uncommon for the recruiter or hiring managers within an HR department to handle both stages of finding the right candidate. However, some companies have members of the HR team that are sourcers, who handle that stage of hiring exclusively, and then hand the candidate over to the recruiter if they deem the individual a good fit.
At the end of the day, sourcing job candidates can be considered a small step in the recruiting strategy as it can speed up time-to-hire, build out your talent pipeline full of candidates that have already been pre-screened, and better set up the recruiting team to hit their long-term hiring goals.
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Best ways to source candidates
Once you have a complete understanding of the job you’re going to be sourcing for, its requirements, the salary range, and the necessary skills needed, you can roll up your sleeves and start sourcing candidates with these nine methods. If you want to take an even deeper dive, you can look into advanced candidate sourcing techniques.
1. Utilize social media
As you start the process of sourcing candidates, one of the first places to start is on social media, which is called social sourcing.
The best platforms for scoping out candidates are:
- LinkedIn: Consider joining professional groups and networking with candidates.
- Indeed: As one of the largest job boards, it hosts roughly 90 million resumes for you to peruse.
- Twitter: From Twitter Chats to Lists and trending hashtags, it’s in your best interest to be as active on Twitter as possible.
- Facebook: Utilize the Jobs tab, as well as paid ads, to find potential applicants.
Because these platforms are so commonly used by people to share samples of their work, as well as personal work achievements, they’re a great place to browse profiles and get a good sense of who the candidate is before the initial touchpoint.
2. Post job descriptions to job boards
In addition to browsing candidates on job boards like LinkedIn and Indeed, take advantage of how many active job seekers are on these platforms by posting your company’s open job descriptions.
These platforms are often the first places people turn to when getting a better idea of the available jobs they may be qualified for. Being sure to post positions there will get your company on the radar of qualified talent.
Tip: Learn how to write a job description that stands out and attracts top candidates.
3. Make the most of referrals
It’s all about who you know, or – at least in this case – who your teammates know.
Referrals are an excellent way to source candidates, which is why so many organizations have their own referral programs with both monetary and nonmonetary incentives for their employees. If your business doesn’t have an employee referral program, consider asking passive candidates if they know anyone else who may be interested. Or seek out friends, family, and others within your network to see if they have anyone in mind.
Essentially, getting a referral from someone you already know and trust, and who has a strong work ethic, to point you in the direction of someone similar.
4. Dip back into your talent pipeline
Just because an applicant wasn’t interested or didn’t have the right qualifications in the past doesn’t mean they won’t become the perfect fit.
Someone you sourced a few months prior that you didn’t move forward with could come back and have all of the skills your team is looking for. When you make the most of recruitment marketing software to keep these candidates organized, you can easily reach back out to someone within your talent pool and connect in a new way.
5. Consider a niche platform
While there are some obvious social media sites and job boards that you could look at to source candidates, it may be in your best interest to check out the places a little more niche.
For instance, websites like Github are great if you’re looking to source developers. Looking for a designer? Trying out Behance might be the place. You could browse Medium when looking for writers. You can also peruse Quora and Reddit, as you never know where you’ll find the perfect fit for an open role.
6. Give your employer brand a boost
A great way to persuade candidates to join your team? Be a standout company. One way to do this is have a killer employer brand.
You build a strong employee brand by:
- Offering perks candidates actually want, like a 401k and paid time off
- Updating your careers page with the most current information regarding open roles
- Getting back to candidates in a prompt manner -- never ghosting
- Having a strong presence on social media
- Instilling a healthy and sustainable company culture
When qualified candidates see what your organization has to offer, they’ll be more inclined to eventually join your team.
7. Go offline
Whenever possible, consider closing the computer venturing offline by joining recruitment events. These can be great for helping you meet and source potential events in-person. Whether it be local job fairs, big-name conferences, or even hosting your very own open house, these can be an effective way for candidates to meet you and other members of the company to further see if they’d be qualified for the role.
To take this a step further, consider only joining events directly related to your industry so your pool of candidates to source is even stronger.
8. Add a personal touch
Whether you’re reaching out to a passive candidate or someone you believe may already be interested, they’re going to be able to recognize a cookie-cutter message that took 30 seconds to come up with and send. Instead, all of your outreach attempts should contain specific information regarding the candidate.
For instance, you could include a professional achievement you’ve noticed:
“Our design team noticed how impressive your work was on your latest campaign.”
Or even mention how their skills already align with the company’s goals:
“I’ve noticed how great you are at interacting with others in the industry on social media. We’re looking to bring someone on board with interpersonal skills just like yours”.
9. Use the right software
Once you have all of the above perfected, make it all that much easier with the right recruiting automation software. From hiring managers to recruiters, these tools assist in creating qualified applicant pools for current and future openings.
Plus, with upgraded features that consist of artificial intelligence, you will be able to identify qualified candidates, verify their email addresses and social profiles, and even export a complete candidate profile on each individual to the corresponding file.
In addition, to speed up the sourcing and recruiting process, you could use a resume parser to pinpoint specific keywords and phrases within a resume and cover letter to help you narrow down specific candidates.
26%
of respondents use job distribution software to attract talent with hard-to-find skill sets
Source: SmartRecruiters
Best recruiting automation software
Recruiting automation software allows companies to automate the process of manually sourcing qualified candidates.
Solutions within this category, including best candidate sourcing tools, have features that help organizations of all sizes manage their candidate pipelines while also providing insight into the qualities that make a candidate a good fit for a particular position.
In order to be included in this category, a product must:
- Streamline the recruiting process
- Incorporate automated AI sourcing as a way to identify passive qualified talent
- Create an up to date pool of talent for open roles, and roles that will open in the future
- Create and track all candidate engagement
*Below are the top five recruiting automation software from G2’s Fall 2024 Grid® Report. Some reviews may be edited for clarity.
1. Zoho Recruit
Zoho Recruit is an applicant tracking system (ATS) that is ideal for both in-house recruiters and staffing agencies. This software can source, track, and hire the best candidates without having to switch between an abundance of applications.
What users like best:
“I like the fact the product is cloud based which allows me maximum flexibility to access anywhere and anytime. I also have the app on my phone which allows me to use while out and about. The product has all the features you need and I especially like the CV parsing which was easy to set up and very effective. The technical support was excellent and any questions I had were answered via email very quickly and sorted out my query whenever I had a question.”
- Zoho Recruit Review, Mark J.
What users dislike:
“The careers page and job link seem to take some time to get used to. You can't use careers page tabs intuitively. The different functions and tabs could use a more user friendly approach.”
- Zoho Recruit Review, Dan N.
2. Linkedin Recruiter
Looking for an all-in-one hiring platform? Look no further than LinkedIn Recruiter. This tool assists all talent professionals as they find, connect with, and manage the people you want to join your team. Users enjoy up-to-date insights on more than 690 million members, advanced search filters, and recommended matches to prioritize based on which candidates are most interested in hearing from you.
What users like best:
“The two things I like best are the effectiveness of their job ads and the individualized support they provide. It's simply outstanding. The job posting response rate is phenomenal. Honestly, I've never seen anything like it. We've tried a bunch of others and LinkedIn Recruiter has been, by far, the absolute best.”
- Linkedin Recruiter Review, Bill G.
What users dislike:
“I wish you could choose how many results appeared, it only allows for 25 results per page vs. having the ability to see more without having to move to the next page. Also, I wish on the home screen you could add more filters when in a project.”
- LinkedIn Recruiter Review, Frank B.
3. CEIPAL TalentHire
If your team needs a fully scalable and completely integrated ATS, check out CEIPAL TalentHire. Its aim is to assist staffing and recruiting firms in automating various workflows and allowing them to close more placements.
What users like best:
“It is one of the most efficient applicant tracking platforms. With the invention of this our workload has greatly decreased. I love the smoothness of this software the most. The biggest advantage is that it’s found to be a blessing to us by saving our precious time as well as other investments that need to be spent on job boards and postings. I strongly appreciate its ability of rapidly tracking the recruitment process. It’s a good source that lets us monitor the status as well as knowing about the detailed profiles of applicants.”
- CEIPAL TalentHire Review, Christen M.
What users dislike:
“For CEIPAL TalentHire, I think because of being an integrated resource, it tends to be slower than usual while performing multiple tasks at the same time. The other thing is that it logs a user out if it’s kept open for a few minutes.”
- CEIPAL TalentHire Review, Gaurav D.
4. JobDiva
JobDiva is a recruiting software that helps organizations manage their hiring processes, from sourcing candidates to onboarding new hires. It offers features like ATS, talent acquisition, talent management, and integrations with other HR systems.
What users like best:
"JobDiva is an excellent system that we have been using since 2017. They consistently improve and update the platform with new features and training resources. Their support team is responsive and helpful whenever we have questions, and they are open to our ideas and needs, allowing the system to adapt to our company’s requirements. JobDiva effectively grows alongside our evolving business needs."
- JobDiva Review, Jenna P.
What users dislike:
"The user interface can be cumbersome at times, especially for new users, leading to a steeper learning curve. Additionally, some customization options are limited, which may hinder the system's alignment with specific business needs. Occasional performance issues and delays in customer support response times can also be frustrating. Enhancing these aspects could significantly elevate the overall user experience."
- JobDiva Review, Marlen V.
5. Indeed Hiring Platform
Indeed Hiring Platform is a popular online job board and hiring platform that connects job seekers with employers. It allows employers to post job openings, search for qualified candidates, and manage the hiring process. Job seekers can create profiles, search for jobs, and apply directly to companies.
What users like best:
"The best feature is the ability to filter requirements; I can narrow down job listings in just a few clicks instead of scrolling endlessly. Additionally, we have access to a free resume builder, allowing us to create resumes at no cost. For added security, there are reviews available for every company, ensuring we can make informed decisions."
- Indeed Resume Review, Ethakula A.
What users dislike:
"One downside of the Indeed Hiring Platform is that it can generate a high volume of applicants, including many who may not meet the job qualifications. This influx can make it challenging to sift through candidates and identify the best fits for the role."
- Indeed Resume Review, Neel S.
The right candidate is out there
When you perfect your sourcing strategy, not only is finding the right candidate made easy, but moving them through the hiring process is quick and painless for everyone involved. When done correctly, you’ll be surprised that even the most passive of candidates will be eager to join your team.
Discover the top recruitment strategies to attract quality talent and build a winning team!
This article was originally published in 2022. It has been updated with new information. robust
Mara Calvello
Mara Calvello is a Content and Communications Manager at G2. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Elmhurst College (now Elmhurst University). Mara writes customer marketing content, while also focusing on social media and communications for G2. She previously wrote content to support our G2 Tea newsletter, as well as categories on artificial intelligence, natural language understanding (NLU), AI code generation, synthetic data, and more. In her spare time, she's out exploring with her rescue dog Zeke or enjoying a good book.
