Finding the right talent is essential for building a strong team and achieving business success. Active sourcing, a proactive recruitment strategy, helps recruiters identify and engage the best candidates, even those who aren’t actively looking for a new role. This guide outlines the steps to effectively source talent, from defining the right indicators to building reusable sourcing assets. With this sourcing strategy you will be able build a talent pipeline that matches your specific role requirements.
Active sourcing is a proactive recruitment strategy where recruiters directly identify and engage with candidates, rather than waiting for applications. Unlike traditional methods, it focuses on reaching passive candidates, high-performers who may not be actively seeking jobs but are open to the right opportunities.
The power of candidate sourcing lies in its ability to focus recruitment efforts on candidates who are likely to succeed in your company’s unique environment.
While inbound applications are a valuable source of talent, relying solely on them can limit your sourcing efforts. Passive candidates, on the other hand, often represent untapped top talent. To find your ideal candidate fast, it is nearly impossible to rely solely on inbound applications.
Passive candidates are often:
A successful sourcing process begins by clearly identifying the indicators that align with your role. These indicators help narrow your search and ensure you’re targeting candidates with the right experience.
Define the context in which the candidate has worked:
Look at the broader context of the companies candidates have worked for:
Clearly outlining these indicators helps ensure that your search is both efficient and effective.
Once you’ve identified your indicators, create a list of target companies where potential candidates are likely to have gained relevant experience.
Leverage tools that simplify and enhance the list-building process:
💡 Pro Tip: Use prompts like, “List 15 SaaS startups in Europe with recent funding rounds and team growth,” to create accurate and actionable lists.
With your target company list ready, the next step is integrating it into your sourcing tools to find the right candidates efficiently.
Craft Boolean strings for targeted searches across LinkedIn, ATS platforms, and job boards.
Example Boolean String:
("Company A" OR "Company B") AND ("Sales Manager" OR "Account Executive") AND ("SaaS" OR "Cloud Solutions")
Add companies manually as filters in your sourcing tools, combining them with titles, skills, and locations to identify high-quality candidates.
To streamline your process and ensure scalability, create reusable assets that can be applied to future roles.
Save filters in LinkedIn or ATS tools for commonly sourced roles.
Maintain repositories for:
Reusable assets save time and ensure consistency in your sourcing efforts.
Active sourcing is a proactive recruitment strategy where recruiters identify and engage candidates directly rather than waiting for applications. It involves building a list of target companies, using tools like Boolean searches, and reaching out to passive candidates who may not be actively seeking jobs.
Passive candidates often represent the best talent in the market. Unlike inbound applicants, they:
A talent pool is a repository of pre-vetted candidates that can reduce your time-to-hire for future roles. It ensures you always have access to qualified candidates, even for hard-to-fill positions.
Boolean search is a method of refining candidate searches using operators like AND, OR, and NOT. For example:
("Company A" OR "Company B") AND ("Sales Manager" OR "Business Development") AND ("SaaS")
It helps narrow down your search across platforms like LinkedIn or ATS tools.
Sourcing assets are reusable tools and resources that streamline the sourcing process, such as:
Many sourcing tools, like LinkedIn Recruiter, have limitations:
Top tools include:
Yes! Tools like Hi Remi.ai automate sourcing by analyzing your requirements and delivering tailored candidate lists, saving hours of manual work.
Passive candidates often research companies before responding to outreach. A strong employer brand demonstrates your organization’s stability, growth, and culture, making it more appealing to top talent.
Absolutely! When passive candidates decline an offer, asking for referrals can help you expand your professional network and identify other qualified candidates.
Don't make the mistake to lose top candidates because of your recruitment process. Passive candidates require a more strategic approach. Here’s how to optimize your hiring process for them:
