Personnel sourcing is not just a tool for finding candidates, but a whole strategy that allows you to stay one step ahead in the competition for talent. Sourcing of candidates for EvoTalents is about the ability to recognize potential, build relationships and be in the right place at the right time.
In this article, our recruiters and sourcers explain the basic concepts of sourcing in recruiting in simple terms. They also discuss the differences between sourcing and recruiting. For those who are just starting their career in the profession. For those who are going to independently search for talent for their company. And for those who want to get to know our team a little better. Enjoy reading!
What is personnel sourcing?
«Sourcing is not just a search for candidates, it is a whole art in which logic is intertwined with intuition. Imagine that a sourcer is a researcher who goes in search of the most suitable specialist in the vast expanses of the Internet. It is like a game of hide and seek with professionals who do not post their resumes on LinkedIn. They must be able to find those who are hiding in the shadows, those who no one has heard of, but they may be ideal for the right role. This is about how to see a potential employee where others do not even look, and how to intuitively grasp that a person may be exactly what the company needs, despite the superficial data of their profile.» – Oleksandra Tyshko, Recruitment Partner of EvoTalents.
«For me, sourcing in IT, no matter how simple it sounds, is a clear search for the pool of candidates who are best suited for a specific role, or rummaging through a bunch of different strings in search of the one that will give me the best selection of candidates.» – Vadym Nagirniak, Recruitment Partner of EvoTalents.
The main types and tactics of sourcing
Ivan Zuenkov, Sourcer at EvoTalents:
- Iterative search. First, you make a request that gives the best candidates, and then you reduce the requirement to increase the number of people in the search results;
- Referral sourcing. Getting recommendations from candidates you communicate with / your circle of acquaintances / internal employees;
- Sourcing in classic sources: Linkedin / Job boards versus X-Ray search on other sites (GitHub, Stack Overflow, Medium, etc.)
Yevhen Lazorenko, Sourcer at EvoTalents:
- Diversity sourcing;
- Local sourcing;
- Sourcing by the portrait of an ideal candidate.
What tasks does a sourcer perform?
Ivan Zuenkov, Sourcer at EvoTalents:
- Builds a search strategy, finds the most effective channels, ways to attract candidates;
- Market & trends analysis;
- Studies the candidate profile, deeply understands the tasks and features of each position;
- Searches for relevant candidates for positions;
- Transforms business requirements into keywords that are used in the search;
- Communicates with hired managers, recruiters and others;
- Automates and optimizes their work;
- Contacts candidates, establishes contact, highlights the best sides of the company;
- Analysis of the recruiting funnel, conversion.
What should a sourcer be like?
«A sourcer is a bit of a detective and a bit of a treasure hunter. They must be attentive to details and incredibly patient at the same time. Sometimes one profile can require hours of work to understand whether a person is suitable or not. And a sourcer must be able to spend these hours wisely. Another important trait is persistence. If all doors are closed, the sourcer will find a window to look through. They must have a thirst for new knowledge: technologies and platforms change, and those who do not keep up risk losing their competitive advantage. It is also important to be able to communicate with people - not just send a dry message, but to interest the candidate, even if they have not yet thought about changing jobs. In the end, it is a kind of magic – to gain trust and arouse interest.» – Oleksandra Tyshko, Recruitment Partner of EvoTalents.
«They must clearly understand the roles they will be looking for. Not just looking for something at random or showing someone, but finding exactly those people who fully or mainly meet the requirements of the vacancy. This is a person who will not need to be corrected every second request, and explain why the candidate is not suitable. Well, and know what tools and access they need for work.» – Vadym Nagirniak, Recruitment Partner of EvoTalents.
What is the difference between a sourcer and a recruiter
«A sourcer is the one who opens the first door, or window ;) They are engaged in the initial stage of the search, their main goal is to create a pool of candidates, pull them out of the depths of the Internet or social networks. The sourcer lives in the world of resumes, analyzing profiles to find the perfect candidate. The recruiter works with what the sourcer has already found and goes into detail. They conducts interviews, discusses the conditions, evaluates soft skills and looks at how the candidate will fit into the company culture. If the sourcer is a person who searches for and brings candidates, then the recruiter is the one who helps them go all the way to employment. The sourcer focuses on the search, and the recruiter – on communication and final hiring.» – Oleksandra Tyshko, Recruitment Partner of EvoTalents.
«The sourcer is purely a search (in some cases, minimal communication with the candidate), the recruiter is about interviewing different candidates for different roles.» – Vadym Nagirniak, Recruitment Partner of EvoTalents.
A successful sourcer? Who is it? How to become one?
Ivan Zuenkov, Sourcer at EvoTalents:
- A business-oriented person who understands the needs of the business, its internal processes and components;
- Not focused on their zone of responsibilities, but has a helicopter view;
- Inquisitive, disciplined, diligent;
- Has an analytical mindset, uses a Data-driven approach;
- Insatiable for automation, optimization of their work. Has a thirst for understanding and looking for new tools to simplify their life;
- Deeply understands the details of the positions they work on. Well understands the specifics, tools/frameworks, their differences, features, etc.;
- Has good communication skills, both written and verbal. Knows how to correctly and concisely convey their opinion, find advantages;
- Always looking for new sources of search, strategies, approaches.
Yevhen Lazorenko, Sourcer at EvoTalents:
A sourcer should be able to:
- Find relevant candidates;
- Know Boolean-search and X-RAY;
- Be able to correctly evaluate a profile and resume;
- Spend as little time as possible on routine tasks.
Thanks to the EvoTalents team for these cool and informative answers. But that's not all. We will be back with the second part of these mini-interviews really soon, because we have even more professionals working with us who also have something to say. So stay tuned!
