Active Sourcing Methods - An Overview

The active search for candidates for open positions has not been an insider tip for some time now. When it is no longer enough to simply wait passively, employers must become active themselves. They often need multiple active sourcing methods to be successful. After all, no two jobs are the same when it comes to recruiting. Even if a sales manager position in the Hamburg area can be filled quickly and purely passively, problems can arise when passively filling the same position in the Munich area. What active sourcing methods are then available to recruiters? And which should be used in which situation?

We give you a brief overview of the most successful active sourcing methods.

Active Sourcing Method #1: Career Website

Setting up a career website that addresses applicants and provides them with comprehensive information is one of the most common recruiting channels. Potential applicants should be informed about the company through an attractively designed page and develop interest in working for the company. A Career site therefore primarily serves employer branding. Large employers often use a professionally designed career site to attract the attention of applicants. But smaller companies can also use a career site as an active procurement method - as a candidate magnet.

Method #2: Talent Pool

A talent pool is a database of candidates with whom the company has had contact in the past regarding work for the company. It doesn't matter if they are candidates who were approached using other active sourcing methods but were not currently interested in making a change. Or that they are candidates who have not received a commitment from the company for various reasons. Recruiters can use a talent pool to draw on existing contacts when filling positions and ideally do not need to post a job ad.

Method #3: Referrals / Recommendations

Another active sourcing method is referral sourcing - filling a position through contacts of current employees. Recruiters check employees' social profiles for contacts with the right qualifications. Then, the interesting candidate can be convinced to join the employer through the current employee's contact. Referral search also includes employee/employee actions by the employer. In this case, the company's current employees directly recommend acquaintances who fit the company based on their qualifications and cultural fit.

Method #4: Profile evaluation

Profile mining is the classic web research in social media and career networks. If desired, this method can also be outsourced to an external recruiter. Recruiters use various search methods to find suitable candidates in networks such as Xing or LinkedIn. They then write to them via these networks and inform them of their interest in changing jobs. The main advantages of this active sourcing method are the expansion of the network, even if the candidate does not show interest, and a lasting contact. Perhaps the time or specific area of responsibility just didn't fit and the candidate is interested in switching for the next job. Thus, profile mining can not only expand the network, but also further fill the talent pool with interesting candidates. At best, this method is very effective in establishing contact.

Method #5: Searching the CV database

CV database searching makes recruiters' work even easier than profile mining. They search CV databases like Experteer for suitable candidates and can focus the search in more detail compared to social media and career networks. While career networks often only mention the individual phases of the resume, candidates upload their entire resume to resume databases. Of course, these databases do not contain as many potential candidates as Xing or LinkedIn. For this reason, CV database searching is used more as an additional method of profiling for the mining industry, but it still offers a number of advantages.

Method #6: Search engines - Boolean commands

The classic search engines such as Google or Bing can also be used for active sourcing. Even the natural search success can often be reported - such as the quite normal searches that are also used in private life. Recruiters can also narrow their search using Boolean commands. Commands such as "AND" "OR" "NOT" "*" or "" are part of the standard repertoire of every recruiter who searches for suitable candidates via search engines. Boolean commands also support searches via social and professional networks.

Method #7: Career events

Events are a very personal active sourcing method. Recruiters can make contact with potentially interesting and interested candidates at trade fairs, lectures and special career events. In this way, they can expand their personal network, broaden their talent pool and, in the best case, even fill a position. In recent years, more and more career events have also been held at universities. Here, prospective graduates can make their first relevant contacts with companies and at the same time gain an overview of the requirements of today's job market. Recruiters have the opportunity here to recruit talent at an early stage and establish a lasting and personal relationship with them in order to attract them to the company after graduation.

Method #8: Telephone research

For some vacancies, there may be difficulties in finding candidates using web-based methods, and the network built up may not produce a suitable candidate. In this case, it can help with the additional telephone search for suitable candidates. This task can also be outsourced to an external service provider that employs highly qualified personnel for telephone research. This method can also be used to identify "invisible" candidates. These are those who are not present on social media and career networks. They are especially valuable for active recruiting because they have not been exposed to recruiters very often. For this reason, they are usually more open to an initial conversation about another position.

Conclusion about the most common active sourcing methods

In active sourcing, it is important to adapt the respective methods to the function to be performed. For some functions, a sustainably built and maintained network is of great importance. For others, traditional web research in social networks is sufficient to fill the position. Recruiters need a flair for the right use of active sourcing methods to avoid wasting resources and fill the vacancy effectively and quickly. If these skills are not (yet) available within the company, individual processes can be outsourced to external service providers so that the full range of active sourcing methods can still be used.

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