20 Ultimate Candidate Sourcing Tips For Quality Hire

If you start looking for a candidate only when an open position pops up, you’ll end up spending more money and time for the right hire.

But don’t you think you would find the brightest candidate if you had a little more time and a lot less pressure?

In this article, we’ll explore candidate sourcing and how you can make the most of this effective strategy with some proven tips.

What is Candidate Sourcing?

Sourcing is a proactive approach to identifying and gathering potential talent. These candidates may not be hired right away but are added to your database so that whenever an upcoming position needs to be filled, you already have a pool of good talent to consider.

An effective sourcing process can grow your candidate pipeline and improve hire quality. It’s because 73% of all candidates are passively looking for a better opportunity and are happy to learn more about a suitable recruiter.

And if you reach out to these potential hires at this time to build a relationship with them, they’ll prefer you over other employers.

A well-designed sourcing plan lays the foundation for recruiting the best candidates.

 

Common Challenges In Candidate Sourcing

1) Candidates Stew Over Multiple Offers

Since passive candidates are in no hurry to change their current employer, they enjoy deliberating multiple offers.

It can affect your recruitment process significantly and wash your efforts down the drain.

To avoid being sidelined, level up your recruiting plan with an optimized interview process and regular communication with the candidate.

2) There’s a Lot of Noise to Filter

There is a massive demand for talented candidates today, which means more opportunities for the limited pool.

Amidst all the options, it can be easy for the candidate to miss you.

That’s why it’s crucial to set clear job expectations with compelling job descriptions and share them on the proper platforms to grab the candidate’s attention.

3) Weak Employer Branding

Candidates don’t always choose a more-paying job. They also consider the employer's reputation and brand image to make their decision.

It means that you’ll have to present yourself as the employer with whom candidates wish to associate.

Provide information online about your company's mission and success. You can even ask your current team to post some reviews on social platforms to boost your positive image.

4) Unclear Expectations and Information From HR

Possibly the biggest hurdle for sourcing is misunderstandings about an ideal hire.

Miscommunication between HR and the talent acquisition team can often set back the candidate sourcing process.

For recruiting the right talent, it’s essential to set clear expectations so that you can do sourcing appropriately.

Have a detailed chat with HR on what skills and qualities are required and if they can share a few examples for better understanding.

Top 20 Candidate Sourcing Tips For Recruiters to Follow

 

1) Get a Thorough Download From hiring manager

 

Before you start searching for candidates, you should know what you are looking for.

 

1) Sit with the department heads and hiring manager to draft a complete checklist for a quality hire.

2) Ask questions to understand some of the red flags, plus points, and must-haves they look for in a hire.

3) Sync up regularly with the team to get updates on new expectations or changes in the plan.

2) Re-engage With the Past Applicants

Just because a candidate wasn’t selected in their previous attempt doesn’t mean you have to close the door on them.

1) Reach out to understand if there has been any change in their career or availability.

2) Update the status in your database accordingly.

3) Clearly mention that you will consider them for future possibilities in the organization.

4) You can even suggest tips to prepare better for the next time.

3) Boost Your Employer Brand

To ease your job, build an employer brand that candidates chase to join.

1) Verify the company details posted on the job platforms. Correct or add if anything is missing.

2) Ask your existing employees to post their reviews on popular platforms.

3) Post regularly on relevant topics to present yourself as a thought leader in the industry.

4) Publicize your success and company events to shine through as an ideal place to work.

But remember to share genuine information and not exaggerate. Otherwise, it can impact your credibility and do more harm than good.

4) Use Automation

Cut the grind and automate the repetitive tasks for better productivity.

1) Implement software that manages your talent pool effectively while providing you with complete control over the reports and analytics.

2) Look for the one that allows easy audits and workflow creation.

5) Channel the Power of Referral Program

Your employees are the best source for attracting new talent.

1) Ask your team to refer potential candidates for any department and designation.

2) Introduce a reward policy to encourage employees for this.

6) Move Talent Internally

Internal talent mobility is the most underrated means for hiring and retention.

 

1) Talk to your team regularly to see what they are up to and if they are interested in learning a new skill.

2) Introduce a learning & development portal to upskill your team.

3) Update and train your team on internal mobility policy.

4) Keep the channels open for interested candidates.

7) Leverage Social Media

Use social media for its real purpose–to engage with your followers instead of just posting open positions.

1) Create a brand image on the social channels that candidates relate to and admire.

2) Maintain active and fun interactions with followers.

3) Be easily approachable to your audience.

8) Focus on Offline Connectivity Too

Stay accessible online and offline to attract the top talent.

1) Organize offline events like conferences, career counseling, and Q&A sessions for better networking. It also lets you gauge the interests and demands of candidates.

2) Collect participant’s basic contact details to maintain further communication.

9) Trim Your Outreach Message

Talk to the candidate with substance to avoid the trip to the junk folder.

1) Edit your communication template to make them more personalized and creative.

2) Update subject lines to more catchy ones, and craft your emails to hold the reader’s attention.

3) Always add details to the available positions and your company values.

10) Remember to Follow-up

Don’t let the ongoing communication go cold because of forgotten follow-ups. The candidate may forget about you, but you should never.

1) Craft effective follow-up emails and messages that nudge the candidate in the right direction without being pushy.

2) Seek to understand what’s the hold-up and offer your help.

3) Follow-up at least twice before marking a lead as invalid

11) Measure the Performance

Until you gauge the current metrics, you won’t be able to improve your future performance.

 

1) Set clear parameters to track the success and setbacks. Use at least the common ones like time-to-fill, hire-to-join ratio, and cost-per-hire.

 

2) Compare your analytics with the industry standards to see where you need to improve.

12) Save Efforts on Non-responsive Candidates

It’s important to realize when to follow up and when to bid farewell to a lead.

1) Drop a third email and call as a final attempt. If you don’t get a response, stop wasting your time and move on to active leads.

2) Before that, inform the candidate that you’ll be considering their silence as disinterest and will remove them from your mailing list for further communication.

3) It will help you focus your efforts and filter out the non-serious candidates.

 

13) Boost Your Online Presence

Remain active on public platforms to stay relevant and fresh in the candidate’s memory.

 

1) Organize webinars and job fairs to publicize your company and available jobs.

2) Use tactics like polls, AMA (Ask Me Anything), etc., to involve the audience.

14) Understand the Job Clearly

Just because you are sourcing doesn’t mean you should turn a blind eye to the role and what it demands.

1)Talk to the department head to know what their day-to-day tasks are.

2) Learn the importance of that role in the company.

3) Explore the career growth possibilities for the role.

This additional knowledge can help you answer your candidates better and create a good impression.

15) Dedicate a Section to Careers on Your Website

A website is not just for your clients; it’s for your candidates too.

 

1) Create a Careers page on the website and list the open positions with job descriptions. You can ask the interested candidates to apply through this section.

2) It’s a great source of data for building your sourcing pool.

 

16) Go Over & Beyond Job Boards

The new generation is not limited to just the job boards for exploring the open positions.

1) Use new platforms like Instagram, Slack, and Reddit to promote potential opportunities.

2) Find the platforms where some communities engage the most and target those for sourcing. Example- Github for developers, Behance for designers, Facebook group for marketers.

17) Sneak on Your Competitors

Learn from others to avoid mistakes and fast track your growth.

1) Check out your competitors’ websites and social pages to see how they engage with their audiences.

2) Analyze the keywords they use in their job descriptions.

18) Invest in LinkedIn Ads

Paid advertising is an investment that promises high returns, especially on LinkedIn, which is a hub for working people worldwide.

1) Set a small budget aside for running ads on LinkedIn.

2) You can promote your company or a specific position to reach a wider audience.

3) Analyze how that ad improved your hiring and invest more accordingly.

19) Deploy Short Challenges to Get More Prospects

A lengthy set of tasks isn’t helping you. It’s scaring away candidates.

1) Share short but effective challenges on the job boards or platforms like Github to attract more candidates.

2) It’s also a great way to assess the skills of potential hires.

20) Hack Your Way to Candidate’s Mind

You can always get creative while sourcing with simple yet practical tips like:

1) Change your office Wi-fi name to an open position. It’s a humorous way to get your prospect’s attention.

 

2) Create Youtube videos portraying your company’s culture and fun events.

3) Set up billboards for your company in popular areas (or next to your competitor's office.)

Wrap Up

The efficiency of your recruiting process reflects in the recent hire of your company.

While all of the mentioned tips should be an ongoing part of your recruitment strategy, there is another gold mine of potential candidates you can tap– campus sourcing. People looking to kickstart their careers should always be part of your candidate pool.

And there is such a dearth of skilled force that you can’t rely on the traditional methods to get the results. That’s why it’s essential to be on a constant lookout for talent even before the project requirement comes across.

Managing different sources without a tool can be a mess. You can't keep track of all the linkedin messages, resumes that come in emails or candidates you connect with during events. That's why you should use tools to automate your process and keep track of sourcing and recruiting in one single place. One such tool is RippleHire — a talent acquisition tool that integrates with your existing workflows and software. Check it out to hire top talent, effortlessly.