Recruiter Sourcing Playbook: The Complete Guide to Finding Top Talent
You need to fill a role. You post a job and wait for applications. A week later, you have 50 resumes, but none are from the candidates you really want. The best people aren’t applying - they’re already employed and not looking.
The problem: Traditional recruiting relies on active job seekers. But the best candidates are often passive - they’re not looking, but they might be interested in the right opportunity. If you only wait for applications, you’re missing the best talent.
The solution: Master sourcing. Sourcing is the art and science of finding candidates proactively. It’s about identifying great people, building relationships, and creating pipelines of talent. When you master sourcing, you’re not limited to who applies - you can find and attract anyone.
“The best candidates aren’t looking for jobs. They’re looking for opportunities. Great recruiters don’t wait for applications - they find the right people and present the right opportunities.” - Unknown
This playbook will teach you everything you need to know about sourcing. From basic techniques to advanced strategies, we’ll cover it all. By the end, you’ll be able to find and attract top talent consistently.
What Is Sourcing? Understanding the Foundation
What it sounds like: Finding people to fill jobs.
What it actually means: Sourcing is the proactive process of identifying, locating, and engaging potential candidates for open positions. Unlike traditional recruiting, which waits for applications, sourcing involves actively searching for and reaching out to candidates, often before they’ve expressed interest.
Sourcing is both strategic and tactical. Strategically, it’s about building talent pipelines and relationships over time. Tactically, it’s about using tools, techniques, and platforms to find specific candidates quickly.
Why it matters: The best candidates are often passive. They’re not actively looking, but they might be interested in the right opportunity. If you only rely on job postings, you’re competing with everyone else for the same active candidates. Sourcing gives you access to a larger, often better pool of talent.
The difference between sourcing and recruiting:
- Sourcing focuses on finding and attracting candidates
- Recruiting is the broader process that includes sourcing, screening, interviewing, and hiring
- Sourcing is one part of recruiting, but it’s a critical part
Real example: You need to hire a senior software engineer. You post the job and receive 20 applications, but none are from senior engineers with the specific experience you need. Instead of waiting, you use LinkedIn to find engineers with the right skills, reach out to them directly, and build relationships. You’re sourcing - proactively finding candidates instead of waiting for them to apply.
For more on the distinction, see our article on Sourcing vs. Recruiting: Understanding the Difference.
The Sourcing Mindset: Think Like a Sourcer
Great sourcing starts with the right mindset. Here’s how top sourcers think.
Think Proactively, Not Reactively
What it means: Don’t wait for openings to start sourcing. Build pipelines continuously, build relationships over time, and be ready when opportunities arise.
Why it matters: Reactive sourcing is slow and inefficient. When you need to fill a role, you’re starting from scratch. Proactive sourcing means you’re always building, always ready, and always ahead.
How to do it:
- Source candidates even when you don’t have openings
- Build relationships with great people over time
- Create talent pipelines for roles you’ll need to fill
- Stay in touch with candidates regularly
Real example: You know your company will need data scientists in the next year. You don’t wait until you have an opening. You start sourcing now - finding great data scientists, building relationships, and creating a pipeline. When the opening comes, you already have engaged candidates ready to go.
Think Long-Term, Not Short-Term
What it means: Sourcing isn’t just about filling today’s role. It’s about building relationships and pipelines that pay off over time.
Why it matters: Short-term thinking leads to transactional relationships. Long-term thinking builds trust, referrals, and ongoing value.
How to do it:
- Build relationships, not just collect resumes
- Help candidates even when you can’t hire them
- Stay in touch over months and years
- Think about future opportunities, not just current ones
Real example: You source a great candidate, but you don’t have an opening right now. Instead of forgetting about them, you stay in touch, share relevant content, and help them when you can. Six months later, you have an opening, and they’re already engaged and interested because of the relationship you’ve built.
Think Quality, Not Quantity
What it means: It’s better to find 10 great candidates than 100 mediocre ones. Focus on quality over quantity.
Why it matters: Quality candidates are more likely to be interested, more likely to accept offers, and more likely to succeed. Quantity without quality is just noise.
How to do it:
- Be specific about what you’re looking for
- Use precise search criteria
- Focus on candidates who are truly a fit
- Quality over quantity in everything you do
Real example: You need a Python developer with machine learning experience. Instead of searching broadly for “software engineer,” you search specifically for “Python machine learning engineer” with specific skills and experience. You find fewer candidates, but they’re all highly qualified and relevant.
Think Relationship, Not Transaction
What it means: Sourcing is about building relationships, not just making transactions. Get to know candidates, understand their goals, and help them even when you can’t hire them.
Why it matters: Relationships lead to trust, referrals, and better outcomes. Transactional sourcing is short-sighted and less effective.
How to do it:
- Get to know candidates as people, not just resumes
- Understand their goals and motivations
- Help them even when you can’t hire them
- Build genuine relationships over time
Real example: You source a candidate and have a great conversation. Even though you don’t have an opening right now, you stay in touch, share industry insights, and help them when you can. They refer other great candidates to you, and when you do have an opening, they’re interested because of the relationship you’ve built.
Sourcing Channels: Where to Find Candidates
Great sourcers use multiple channels. Here’s where to find candidates and how to use each channel effectively.
LinkedIn: The Sourcing Powerhouse
What it is: LinkedIn is the largest professional network in the world. It’s where professionals showcase their experience, skills, and achievements.
Why it matters: LinkedIn has over 900 million users. If you’re not sourcing on LinkedIn, you’re missing the largest pool of professional talent available.
How to use it:
- LinkedIn Recruiter: Premium tool with advanced search, InMail, and candidate management
- LinkedIn Search: Free search with basic filters
- LinkedIn Groups: Industry and skill-based communities
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Originally for sales, but great for sourcing too
Best practices:
- Use advanced search filters effectively
- Personalize your outreach messages
- Build your own LinkedIn profile and network
- Engage with candidates’ content
- Use Boolean search within LinkedIn
Real example: You need a marketing manager with experience in B2B SaaS. You use LinkedIn Recruiter to search for people with “marketing manager” in their title, “B2B” and “SaaS” in their experience, and specific skills. You find 50 candidates, reach out to the top 10 with personalized messages, and get responses from 5 interested candidates.
For a comprehensive guide, see our article on LinkedIn Recruiting: Complete Guide for Beginners.
Boolean Search: The Sourcer’s Secret Weapon
What it is: Boolean search uses operators (AND, OR, NOT) to create precise search queries. It works on LinkedIn, Google, and many other platforms.
Why it matters: Boolean search lets you find candidates that simple keyword searches miss. It’s precise, powerful, and essential for effective sourcing.
How to use it:
- AND: Find candidates with multiple criteria (e.g., “engineer” AND “Python”)
- OR: Find candidates with any of several criteria (e.g., “developer” OR “programmer”)
- NOT: Exclude certain terms (e.g., “engineer” NOT “sales”)
- Quotes: Find exact phrases (e.g., “machine learning engineer”)
- Parentheses: Group terms (e.g., (“software engineer” OR “developer”) AND “Python”)
Best practices:
- Start broad, then narrow down
- Test different combinations
- Use platform-specific syntax
- Save successful searches for reuse
- Combine with other sourcing methods
Real example: You need a data scientist with experience in both Python and R. You use Boolean search: (“data scientist” OR “data analyst”) AND (“Python” OR “R”) AND (“machine learning” OR “ML”). You find candidates who have all the skills you need, not just one or the other.
For a deep dive, see our comprehensive guide on Boolean Search: The Recruiter’s Secret Weapon.
GitHub: Finding Technical Talent
What it is: GitHub is a code repository platform where developers share and collaborate on projects. It’s where technical talent showcases their work.
Why it matters: For technical roles, GitHub is often more valuable than LinkedIn. You can see actual code, projects, and contributions - real evidence of skills.
How to use it:
- Search by language: Find developers who use specific programming languages
- Search by project: Find people who’ve worked on similar projects
- Review contributions: See actual code and project quality
- Check activity: See how active and engaged developers are
Best practices:
- Look at code quality, not just quantity
- Check contribution history and consistency
- Review projects relevant to your needs
- Reach out to active contributors
- Respect developers’ time and be specific
Real example: You need a React developer. You search GitHub for repositories using React, filter by recent activity, and review code quality. You find developers who’ve built projects similar to what you need, reach out to them, and get responses from people who are genuinely passionate about their work.
X-Ray Search: Finding Candidates Anywhere
What it is: X-Ray search uses Google’s advanced search operators to search within specific websites. It’s like using Google to search LinkedIn, GitHub, or any other site.
Why it matters: X-Ray search gives you access to candidates on platforms that don’t have good built-in search. You can find people anywhere on the web.
How to use it:
- Site-specific search: Use “site:linkedin.com” to search only LinkedIn
- Combine with Boolean: Add search terms and filters
- Search multiple sites: Use OR to search across platforms
- Use filetype: Find resumes and profiles in specific formats
Best practices:
- Learn Google search operators
- Test different combinations
- Search across multiple platforms
- Save successful queries
- Combine with other methods
Real example: You need a designer. You use X-Ray search: site:behance.net “UX designer” “San Francisco”. You find designers on Behance (a platform without great search) who match your criteria. You’ve expanded your candidate pool beyond LinkedIn.
Job Boards: Still Relevant
What it is: Job boards like Indeed, Monster, and CareerBuilder are where active job seekers post resumes and search for jobs.
Why it matters: While many candidates on job boards are active seekers (not always the best), some great candidates do use job boards. Plus, you can search resumes on many boards.
How to use it:
- Search resume databases
- Post jobs to attract candidates
- Use advanced filters
- Set up alerts for new resumes
- Review candidate profiles
Best practices:
- Don’t rely solely on job boards
- Use them as one channel among many
- Search resumes proactively
- Post compelling job descriptions
- Follow up quickly with interested candidates
Real example: You post a job on Indeed and also search the resume database. You find a few great candidates in the database who haven’t applied yet. You reach out to them directly, and some are interested. Job boards are one tool in your sourcing toolkit.
Employee Referrals: Your Best Source
What it is: Employee referrals are recommendations from your current team members. They’re often the highest quality source of candidates.
Why it matters: Referred candidates are typically higher quality, faster to hire, and more likely to stay. Your employees know your culture and can identify good fits.
How to use it:
- Create a referral program with incentives
- Make it easy for employees to refer candidates
- Communicate open roles regularly
- Recognize and reward successful referrals
- Build a culture of referrals
Best practices:
- Make referrals easy and accessible
- Provide clear information about open roles
- Offer meaningful incentives
- Recognize and celebrate referrals
- Track and measure referral success
Real example: You launch a referral program with a $2,000 bonus for successful hires. You communicate open roles regularly, make it easy to submit referrals, and celebrate when referrals are hired. Your employees become an extension of your sourcing team, and referral quality is consistently high.
For more on referral programs, see our article on Employee Referral Programs.
Social Media: Beyond LinkedIn
What it is: Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are where people share their interests, work, and personalities.
Why it matters: Social media gives you insights into candidates’ interests, communication style, and personality. It’s also where people in specific industries and communities gather.
How to use it:
- Twitter: Find people sharing industry insights and engaging in conversations
- Facebook Groups: Join industry and skill-based communities
- Instagram: See candidates’ creative work and interests
- TikTok: Find younger talent and see their communication style
- Reddit: Find people in specific communities and subreddits
Best practices:
- Respect privacy and boundaries
- Engage authentically, don’t just pitch
- Build relationships before asking for anything
- Use social media to learn about candidates
- Be professional but human
Real example: You’re looking for a content creator. You search Twitter for people sharing great content in your industry, engage with their posts authentically, and build relationships. When you have an opening, you reach out, and they’re interested because you’ve already built a relationship.
For more on social recruiting, see our article on Social Recruiting.
Industry-Specific Platforms
What it is: Many industries have specialized platforms where professionals gather. These are goldmines for sourcing.
Why it matters: Industry-specific platforms attract people who are passionate about their field. They’re often more engaged and higher quality than general platforms.
Examples:
- Dribbble, Behance: Designers
- GitHub, Stack Overflow: Developers
- AngelList: Startup talent
- ResearchGate: Researchers and academics
- Kaggle: Data scientists
How to use it:
- Identify platforms relevant to your industry
- Join communities and engage authentically
- Search for candidates with specific skills
- Build relationships within communities
- Share value before asking for anything
Real example: You need a data scientist. You join Kaggle, engage with the community, and find people who’ve won competitions or built interesting projects. You reach out to them, and they’re interested because you’re part of their community, not just a random recruiter.
Sourcing Tools and Technologies
Great sourcers use great tools. Here’s what’s available and how to use it.
LinkedIn Recruiter
What it is: LinkedIn’s premium recruiting tool with advanced search, InMail, and candidate management.
Key features:
- Advanced search with 20+ filters
- InMail messaging to anyone
- Candidate tracking and notes
- Team collaboration
- Analytics and reporting
Best practices:
- Use all available filters effectively
- Personalize InMail messages
- Track candidates systematically
- Use project folders to organize
- Leverage analytics to improve
Real example: You use LinkedIn Recruiter to search for candidates with specific skills, experience, and location. You save candidates to project folders, send personalized InMail messages, and track responses. Your sourcing is organized and efficient.
Boolean Search Tools
What it is: Tools that help you build and test Boolean search strings.
Key features:
- Search string builders
- Platform-specific syntax
- Saved searches
- Search analytics
Best practices:
- Build and test searches systematically
- Save successful searches
- Share searches with your team
- Continuously refine and improve
Real example: You use a Boolean search tool to build complex searches for specific roles. You test different combinations, save the ones that work, and share them with your team. Your sourcing becomes more efficient and effective.
Chrome Extensions for Sourcing
What it is: Browser extensions that enhance sourcing capabilities.
Popular extensions:
- LinkedIn Helper: Enhances LinkedIn with additional features
- Hunter.io: Finds email addresses
- RocketReach: Finds contact information
- Lusha: Finds phone numbers and emails
Best practices:
- Use extensions that add real value
- Respect privacy and terms of service
- Don’t spam candidates
- Use extensions to enhance, not replace, good sourcing
Real example: You use a Chrome extension to find email addresses for candidates you’ve identified on LinkedIn. You can now reach out via email in addition to LinkedIn, increasing your response rates.
CRM for Recruiting
What it is: Customer relationship management tools adapted for recruiting. They help you build and maintain candidate relationships.
Key features:
- Candidate database
- Relationship tracking
- Email campaigns
- Pipeline management
- Analytics
Best practices:
- Build your candidate database continuously
- Track all interactions
- Nurture relationships over time
- Use automation for routine tasks
- Measure and improve
Real example: You use a recruiting CRM to build a database of great candidates. You track all interactions, send regular updates, and nurture relationships. When you have an opening, you already have engaged candidates in your pipeline.
For a detailed comparison, see our ATS/CRM Comparison Guide.
Automation Tools
What it is: Tools that automate repetitive sourcing tasks.
Key features:
- Automated outreach
- Follow-up sequences
- Candidate research
- Data enrichment
Best practices:
- Automate routine tasks, not relationships
- Personalize automated messages
- Test and optimize continuously
- Monitor and adjust
- Don’t over-automate
Real example: You use automation to send initial outreach messages and follow-ups, but you personalize each message and handle responses personally. You save time on routine tasks while maintaining personal relationships.
Sourcing Strategies: Advanced Techniques
Great sourcers use advanced strategies. Here are techniques that separate good sourcers from great ones.
Building Talent Pipelines
What it is: Creating pools of qualified candidates for roles you’ll need to fill in the future.
Why it matters: When you need to fill a role, you don’t start from scratch. You already have engaged candidates ready to go.
How to do it:
- Identify future needs: Understand what roles you’ll need to fill
- Source proactively: Find candidates even when you don’t have openings
- Build relationships: Stay in touch and nurture relationships
- Organize systematically: Use folders, tags, and CRM to organize
- Engage regularly: Share content, opportunities, and value
Real example: You know your company will need data scientists in the next year. You start sourcing now - finding great data scientists, building relationships, and creating a pipeline. When the opening comes, you already have 20 engaged candidates ready to go.
Mapping Talent Markets
What it is: Understanding where talent is located, what they want, and how to reach them.
Why it matters: Different talent markets have different characteristics. Understanding markets helps you source more effectively.
How to do it:
- Research markets: Understand where talent is located
- Identify preferences: Learn what candidates in each market want
- Adapt your approach: Tailor your sourcing to each market
- Build market knowledge: Continuously learn about different markets
Real example: You’re sourcing for a remote role. You research different markets and find that candidates in certain regions value different things - some want high salaries, others want work-life balance, others want growth opportunities. You adapt your messaging to each market.
Competitive Intelligence
What it is: Understanding your competitors’ talent, how they recruit, and what they offer.
Why it matters: Competitive intelligence helps you understand the market, identify talent, and compete effectively.
How to do it:
- Identify competitors: Know who you’re competing with for talent
- Research their teams: Understand who works there and what they do
- Learn their approach: Understand how they recruit and what they offer
- Find opportunities: Identify talent who might be open to opportunities
Real example: You’re competing with several companies for the same talent. You research their teams on LinkedIn, understand what they offer, and identify candidates who might be open to opportunities. You can now compete more effectively.
Building Your Personal Brand
What it is: Creating a professional brand that attracts candidates to you.
Why it matters: When candidates know and trust you, they’re more likely to respond to your outreach and consider opportunities.
How to do it:
- Create valuable content: Share insights, tips, and industry knowledge
- Engage authentically: Participate in conversations and communities
- Help others: Provide value without always asking for something
- Be consistent: Build your brand over time
- Be authentic: Be yourself, not a corporate robot
Real example: You share recruiting insights on LinkedIn, engage with candidates’ content, and help people in your network. Candidates start recognizing your name, trusting your expertise, and responding to your outreach. Your personal brand makes sourcing easier.
Leveraging Events and Communities
What it is: Using industry events, conferences, and online communities to source candidates.
Why it matters: Events and communities gather passionate professionals. They’re great places to find and engage candidates.
How to do it:
- Attend events: Go to conferences, meetups, and industry events
- Join communities: Participate in online and offline communities
- Engage authentically: Build relationships, don’t just pitch
- Follow up: Stay in touch after events
- Provide value: Share insights and help others
Real example: You attend a tech conference. You engage with speakers and attendees, build relationships, and learn about their work. After the event, you stay in touch, and when you have relevant opportunities, they’re interested because of the relationship you’ve built.
Outreach and Engagement: Getting Candidates to Respond
Finding candidates is only half the battle. Getting them to respond is the other half. Here’s how to do it effectively.
Writing Compelling Outreach Messages
What it is: Messages that get candidates to read, respond, and engage.
Why it matters: Great candidates receive many messages. Yours needs to stand out and be compelling.
Key principles:
- Personalize: Reference something specific about the candidate
- Be concise: Get to the point quickly
- Be clear: Explain what you’re offering and why it matters
- Create urgency: But don’t be pushy
- Include a call to action: Make it clear what you want them to do
Real example: Instead of “Hi, I have a job opportunity,” you write: “Hi Sarah, I saw your work on [specific project] and was impressed. I have an opportunity at [company] that might interest you - we’re building [specific thing] and think your experience with [specific skill] would be valuable. Would you be open to a quick conversation?”
The Art of Follow-Up
What it is: Following up with candidates who don’t respond initially.
Why it matters: Most candidates don’t respond to the first message. Follow-up increases response rates significantly.
Best practices:
- Follow up 2-3 times, spaced out over time
- Add value in each follow-up
- Don’t be pushy or annoying
- Try different channels (LinkedIn, email, phone)
- Know when to stop
Real example: You send an initial message and don’t get a response. A week later, you follow up with additional information about the role. Another week later, you share an article or insight relevant to them. You’re adding value, not just asking for something.
Multi-Channel Outreach
What it is: Reaching out to candidates through multiple channels - LinkedIn, email, phone, etc.
Why it matters: Different candidates prefer different channels. Using multiple channels increases your chances of reaching them.
Best practices:
- Start with the channel where you found them
- Try other channels if they don’t respond
- Don’t spam across all channels at once
- Respect their preferences
- Be consistent in your messaging
Real example: You find a candidate on LinkedIn and send them a message. They don’t respond. You find their email and send a follow-up there. They respond via email, and you continue the conversation there. You’ve adapted to their preference.
Building Rapport
What it is: Creating genuine connections with candidates before asking for anything.
Why it matters: People respond to people they like and trust. Building rapport makes candidates more likely to engage.
How to do it:
- Find common ground
- Show genuine interest in them
- Share something about yourself
- Be authentic and human
- Don’t be overly salesy
Real example: You reach out to a candidate and notice you both went to the same university. You mention that, share a memory, and build rapport. They’re more likely to respond because you’ve created a connection.
Measuring Sourcing Success: Metrics That Matter
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Here are the metrics that matter for sourcing.
Response Rate
What it is: The percentage of candidates who respond to your outreach.
Why it matters: Low response rates indicate problems with your messaging, targeting, or approach.
How to improve:
- Personalize messages more
- Improve targeting
- Test different messaging
- Use better subject lines
- Time your outreach better
Conversion Rate
What it is: The percentage of candidates who move from initial contact to interview or hire.
Why it matters: High response rates don’t matter if candidates don’t convert. Conversion rate shows if you’re finding the right people.
How to improve:
- Better qualify candidates before outreach
- Improve your pitch
- Match opportunities to candidate interests
- Improve follow-up
- Build better relationships
Time to Source
What it is: How long it takes to find qualified candidates.
Why it matters: Faster sourcing means faster hiring. Time to source impacts overall time to fill.
How to improve:
- Build pipelines proactively
- Use better tools
- Improve search techniques
- Leverage automation
- Build your network
Quality of Source
What it is: How well sourced candidates perform compared to other sources.
Why it matters: Sourcing should produce high-quality candidates. If sourced candidates don’t perform well, your sourcing isn’t working.
How to improve:
- Better define what you’re looking for
- Improve screening before outreach
- Focus on fit, not just skills
- Build relationships to assess fit
- Learn from successful hires
Cost per Source
What it is: The cost of sourcing divided by the number of candidates sourced.
Why it matters: Understanding cost helps you allocate resources effectively and identify opportunities to reduce costs.
How to improve:
- Use more efficient tools
- Improve targeting to reduce waste
- Leverage free channels
- Build pipelines to reduce per-hire costs
- Measure and optimize
Common Sourcing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Even experienced sourcers make mistakes. Here are common ones and how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: Spray and Pray
The problem: Sending generic messages to hundreds of candidates without personalization.
Why it’s a problem: Generic messages get ignored. Candidates can tell when you haven’t put in effort, and they won’t respond.
The solution: Personalize every message. Reference something specific about the candidate. Show you’ve done your research.
Real example: You send 100 generic messages and get 2 responses. You send 20 personalized messages and get 8 responses. Quality over quantity.
Mistake 2: Not Following Up
The problem: Sending one message and giving up if there’s no response.
Why it’s a problem: Most candidates don’t respond to the first message. Following up significantly increases response rates.
The solution: Follow up 2-3 times, spaced out over time. Add value in each follow-up. Try different channels.
Real example: You send a message and don’t get a response. You give up. A colleague follows up twice and gets a response. You’ve lost a potential candidate because you didn’t follow up.
Mistake 3: Ignoring Passive Candidates
The problem: Only focusing on active job seekers who apply to jobs.
Why it’s a problem: The best candidates are often passive. If you only focus on active seekers, you’re missing the best talent.
The solution: Source passive candidates proactively. Build relationships over time. Don’t wait for them to apply.
Real example: You only post jobs and wait for applications. You get candidates, but they’re not always the best. A colleague sources passive candidates proactively and consistently finds better talent.
Mistake 4: Not Building Pipelines
The problem: Starting from scratch every time you need to fill a role.
Why it’s a problem: Starting from scratch is slow and inefficient. You’re always behind.
The solution: Build talent pipelines continuously. Source candidates even when you don’t have openings. Build relationships over time.
Real example: You need to fill a role and start sourcing from scratch. It takes weeks to find candidates. A colleague has been building a pipeline and fills the role in days because they already have engaged candidates.
Mistake 5: Poor Targeting
The problem: Reaching out to candidates who aren’t a good fit.
Why it’s a problem: Poor targeting wastes time and annoys candidates. It also hurts your reputation.
The solution: Better define what you’re looking for. Use precise search criteria. Qualify candidates before outreach.
Real example: You reach out to 50 candidates, but only 5 are actually a fit. You’ve wasted time and annoyed 45 candidates. Better targeting would have saved time and improved relationships.
Advanced Sourcing Techniques
Once you’ve mastered the basics, here are advanced techniques to take your sourcing to the next level.
Talent Mapping
What it is: Creating maps of talent in specific markets, companies, or skill areas.
Why it matters: Talent maps help you understand markets, identify candidates, and plan sourcing strategies.
How to do it:
- Identify the market or area to map
- Research and identify key players
- Map relationships and connections
- Identify sourcing opportunities
- Build relationships systematically
Real example: You’re building a data science team. You map the data science talent in your city - who works where, what they do, and how to reach them. You now have a comprehensive view of the market and can source strategically.
Boolean Search Mastery
What it is: Using advanced Boolean techniques to find candidates others miss.
Why it matters: Advanced Boolean search helps you find candidates that simple searches miss. It’s a competitive advantage.
How to do it:
- Master complex Boolean strings
- Combine multiple techniques
- Use platform-specific syntax
- Test and refine continuously
- Share and learn from others
Real example: You need a very specific skill combination. You use advanced Boolean search to find candidates with all the skills, in the right location, with the right experience. You find candidates that others miss.
For comprehensive guidance, see our article on Boolean Search: The Recruiter’s Secret Weapon.
Social Sourcing
What it is: Using social media and online communities to find and engage candidates.
Why it matters: Social sourcing gives you access to candidates who aren’t on traditional platforms. It’s also where you can see their personality and interests.
How to do it:
- Identify relevant communities
- Engage authentically
- Build relationships
- Share value
- Source when appropriate
Real example: You’re looking for a developer. You join developer communities on Reddit, engage authentically, and build relationships. When you have an opportunity, you reach out, and they’re interested because you’re part of their community.
Referral Sourcing
What it is: Using your network and candidates’ networks to find talent.
Why it matters: Referrals are often the highest quality source. Leveraging networks multiplies your reach.
How to do it:
- Build a strong network
- Ask for referrals regularly
- Make it easy for people to refer
- Recognize and reward referrals
- Track and measure success
Real example: You build relationships with great candidates. Even when you can’t hire them, you ask if they know anyone who might be a fit. They refer other great candidates, expanding your reach through their networks.
Building Your Sourcing Skills: Continuous Improvement
Great sourcing is a journey, not a destination. Here’s how to continuously improve.
Learn Continuously
What it means: Stay current with sourcing trends, tools, and techniques. The landscape changes constantly.
How to do it:
- Read industry blogs and publications
- Attend conferences and webinars
- Join sourcing communities
- Learn from other sourcers
- Experiment with new techniques
Real example: You join a sourcing community on LinkedIn, attend webinars, and read industry blogs. You learn about new tools and techniques, test them, and incorporate what works into your process. You’re always improving.
Practice Regularly
What it means: Sourcing is a skill. Like any skill, it improves with practice.
How to do it:
- Source even when you don’t have openings
- Practice new techniques
- Experiment with different approaches
- Learn from successes and failures
- Build your sourcing muscle
Real example: You practice sourcing regularly, even when you don’t have openings. You try new techniques, experiment with different approaches, and learn what works. When you need to fill a role, you’re ready.
Measure and Optimize
What it means: Track your metrics, analyze what’s working, and continuously optimize.
How to do it:
- Track key metrics
- Analyze what’s working
- Identify areas for improvement
- Test changes
- Measure results
Real example: You track your response rates, conversion rates, and time to source. You notice that personalized messages get better responses, so you focus on personalization. Your metrics improve.
Build Your Network
What it means: Your network is one of your most valuable sourcing assets. Build it continuously.
How to do it:
- Connect with candidates regularly
- Engage with industry professionals
- Participate in communities
- Help others
- Stay in touch
Real example: You build your network continuously - connecting with candidates, engaging with professionals, and participating in communities. When you need to source, your network helps you find candidates and get introductions.
Conclusion: Your Sourcing Journey
Sourcing is both an art and a science. The science is using tools, techniques, and data to find candidates efficiently. The art is building relationships, understanding people, and creating connections.
Remember:
- Think proactively: Build pipelines, don’t wait for openings
- Focus on relationships: People are at the heart of sourcing
- Use multiple channels: Don’t rely on just one source
- Measure what matters: Data guides better decisions
- Never stop learning: Sourcing evolves, and so should you
Your next steps:
- Master the basics: Get good at LinkedIn, Boolean search, and outreach
- Build your network: Connect with candidates and professionals
- Create pipelines: Source proactively, not reactively
- Measure and improve: Track metrics and optimize continuously
- Keep learning: Stay current with trends and techniques
Sourcing is a journey. Start here, keep learning, and keep improving. You’ve got this.
Related Articles
Continue your sourcing education with these comprehensive guides:
- Recruiting 101: Complete Beginner’s Guide
- Boolean Search: The Recruiter’s Secret Weapon
- LinkedIn Recruiting: Complete Guide for Beginners
- Sourcing vs. Recruiting: Understanding the Difference
- Passive vs. Active Candidates: How to Approach Each
- Social Recruiting
- Employee Referral Programs
- ATS/CRM Comparison: Complete Guide
Jeff Hammitt
Recruiting Expert
Jeff Hammitt is a recruiting expert with years of experience in talent acquisition and building high-performing teams.