Active sourcing has become an increasingly important part of recruiting in recent years. The shortage of skilled labour has made it more difficult for companies to fill vacancies promptly and attract the best candidates. For this reason, many companies commission headhunters or other external service providers. This enables them to attract candidates from the passive job market. But do HR staff in the company also need to have knowledge of active sourcing? Is this knowledge really that easy to learn and is it not enough if the headhunter is familiar with the subject?
Why active sourcing at all?
The ever-increasing war for talent and the shortage of skilled workers are leading to an increasingly empty labour market. Passive recruiting or "post and pray" - i.e. placing a job advert and hoping that the perfect candidate will respond - no longer works for all vacancies. Either not enough applications are received in the first place, or there are simply not enough qualified applicants. Passive recruiting alone has become particularly difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). They often do not have a wide reach or an established employer brand.
While large corporations can hardly save themselves from incoming applications and tend to have problems receiving suitable applications, many SMEs receive too little attention.
Active sourcing has become an important component, especially for positions in the STEM sector. The war for talent is particularly strong in this area. The market is booming and too few qualified people are entering the labour market.
In addition, the active search also reaches candidates who are not actively looking for a job but are open to new offers. These are often the candidates with the greatest potential. They are already working in the position that the company wants to fill.
Can you learn active sourcing?
Many recruiters are probably asking themselves: there are professional service providers for active sourcing - can I even learn how to do it? The answer is yes - if you want to. However, it's not just about learning the methods and tools, but also about rethinking the topic of recruiting. The role of the applicant is changing to that of the candidate. In concrete terms, this means that in passive recruiting, the applicant must present themselves to the company. In active sourcing, however, the company presents itself to the candidate. In a way, the application process is reversed. Once you have internalised this principle, you can also learn how to use suitable tools and methods through workshops and training courses.
However, there is one point that cannot be learnt: the experience of the professional sourcer.
Experience is important in active sourcing
Of course, there is a reason why there are specialised service providers for active sourcing. Professional sourcers have not only built up a talent pool over time that they can draw on, but have also developed the right instincts to be able to fill every position perfectly. Which methods and channels are used when? One example: In the IT environment, it has recently become almost impossible to approach candidates directly by telephone. However, this option is still the most popular in the sales environment. There are different points that need to be emphasised in the active search from position to position.
Another point that requires particular sensitivity is the direct approach to the identified candidates. Different things are important to candidates in different positions. Based on these, they decide whether they are interested in an exchange about a new job. For some, the company is particularly important, as the industry is closely networked. Others are only interested in the specific tasks of the job and then decide whether the company appeals to them. In active sourcing, it is important to respond to the wishes and requirements of the candidates and still have enough sales skills to convince them to make the switch.
Basic knowledge is an advantage
Back to the initial question: is active sourcing compulsory knowledge for recruiters? It is certainly not compulsory, but it can be a great advantage when choosing the right recruiting methods. If you have a basic understanding of active sourcing, it is easier to decide for which positions it is sufficient to passively place job adverts and for which open positions active sourcing is essential. If you then lack the necessary expertise to implement the sourcing process professionally yourself, you can always call in an external active sourcing service provider.
As in many other areas, the same applies to active sourcing: basic knowledge is an advantage for the recruiter as opposed to someone who has never heard of the method. Whether the knowledge is sufficient to ultimately fill all positions yourself can still be decided on a case-by-case basis.
