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Let’s be honest: the days when the perfect candidates were queuing up for your advertised vacancies are over, aren’t they? Instead, companies today have to proactively search for suitable talent – and that’s called active sourcing. But what does active sourcing actually mean for your company, which strategies are particularly promising and is it worth commissioning service providers with this task? A compact overview.
What is active sourcing? Meaning and definition
Active sourcing is an important method when it comes to attracting new employees. Instead of waiting for the perfect candidates to come knocking (“passive sourcing”, e.g. by placing job advertisements), proactive recruiters set out to find suitable candidates themselves.
For active sourcing, career platforms such as LinkedIn or Xing are used, for example, to find suitable profiles and contact them by message (“profile mining”). The aim of active sourcing is therefore to identify suitable candidates for vacant positions, to inspire them and ultimately to successfully fill the vacancies.
When does active sourcing make sense?
Active sourcing is a particularly sensitive strategy for small and medium-sized companies without an established employer brand, as the lack of qualified applicants is often particularly pronounced here. Nevertheless, active sourcing can be used in any company as long as they are open to new ways of recruiting. Active sourcing can work in any industry as long as you adapt to your target group.
What active sourcing methods are there?
There are various active sourcing methods. We present four popular variants here:
- Talent pool: A talent pool is a predefined group of candidates who have already shown interest in your company, e.g. in previous applications or at networking events. This pool allows you to quickly access candidates who are already familiar with your brand if required. This can significantly reduce the response time when filling vacancies.
- Social networks: The aforementioned “profile mining” on platforms such as LinkedIn and Xing is one of the most powerful methods of active sourcing. Here you can search specifically for profiles that match your requirements. By analyzing profiles, you gain valuable insights into the qualifications and professional backgrounds of potential candidates and can contact them individually.
- CV database search: Online platforms and job portals such as Indeed, Experteer, Monster or StepStone often offer extensive databases of CVs. With a targeted search in these databases, you can find qualified candidates who are actively looking for a job or are open to new career opportunities.
- Referral sourcing: Satisfied employees are the best ambassadors for your company. Referral sourcing uses existing employees to recommend potential candidates from their own network. These candidates are often qualified and fit in well with the corporate culture.
Which active sourcing strategies are particularly effective?
Choosing the right active sourcing strategy depends on your goals, the industry and the specific requirements of your vacancies. Each of these methods requires a strategic approach and careful planning to successfully target and attract the best talent to your organization.
Among the various active sourcing methods, profile mining on social networks is currently particularly popular and has proven to be effective in many places. Here are some reasons why this method is often considered the best:
- Extensive data: Platforms such as LinkedIn provide extensive information about candidates’ professional profiles, qualifications and professional backgrounds. This enables active sourcers to search specifically for candidates who are a perfect match for vacancies.
- Timeliness: Profiles on job-related social networks are updated regularly. This means that you have access to up-to-date information about the candidates, including their current positions and professional interests.
- Direct communication: You can contact candidates directly via the platforms, which enables quick and uncomplicated communication. This is particularly important for arousing the interest of candidates and establishing initial contact.
- Easy filtering: The search and filter functions on platforms such as LinkedIn allow you to target your search precisely to specific qualifications, experience and locations.
- Visibility: Profile mining on social networks allows you to present your company and your vacancies to a broad target group. This increases the visibility of your offers and attracts potential candidates.
Although profile mining on social networks is considered extremely effective, it is important to note that other active sourcing methods can also be useful in certain situations.
Active sourcing process: 6 steps to success
Step 1 – Define the requirements profile: In the first step, it is crucial to define a clear requirements profile, including required qualifications, experience and skills.
At Kooku, we use a matrix to differentiate between visible (hard facts) and not immediately obvious, but nevertheless important (soft facts) requirements. For both the hard facts and the soft facts, a further distinction is made between nice-to-haves and must-haves. This detailed yet clear approach enables us to precisely define the requirements for the position we are looking for and ensure that we identify the best possible candidates.
The hard facts/must haves are particularly relevant for direct searches in social networks, as these are usually the three to five criteria that can be recognized at first glance in the candidate profile.
Step 2 – Select active sourcing channels: Choose the right business channels for sourcing candidates, such as LinkedIn or Xing. Depending on the position, other platforms or forums can also be considered. Think carefully: Where is the best place to reach suitable candidates? Ask yourself:
- Which business networks do potential candidates in my target group use most frequently?
- Are there specialized forums or online communities where professionals in this industry are active?
- Which channels offer the best opportunities to build an authentic relationship with the potential candidates and arouse their interest?
Step 3 – Find suitable candidates: Start the search and use your preparation to find candidates efficiently. Search strings also help here.
Search strings are specially formulated search queries that help to find precise results. These strings should contain keywords and criteria that match the requirements of the job. For example, you could search for specific qualifications, skills, experience or locations such as “Java software developer Berlin”.
Step 4 – Write to candidates: The cover letter is crucial to sparking candidates’ interest. Kooku CEO Mathias Mengel recommends formulating the cover letter directly in the message function of the respective business platform: “If you formulate a cover letter on a blank sheet of paper, it usually becomes very extensive and intellectual. That is inappropriate. A better approach: Click directly on “Write message” and write a short message using the AIDA formula.”
A cover letter based on the AIDA principle means:
- Attention: Attract attention with the headline/first sentence.
- Interest: Why is the position interesting for the candidate? What’s in it for them?
- Desire: Create a desire to find out more about the vacancy – more salary, development opportunities, etc.
- Action: Encourage the candidate to respond directly or click on a job posting.
Find out more in our 5 tips for attractive LinkedIn cover letters.
Step 5: Create text memory
Once the first message has been written, it now serves as a template for similar candidates. It is important that the cover letter is always tailored to the person and their current situation. It is therefore worth collecting different cover letters, for example for candidates who are actively looking for a job and for candidates who are not. These messages can then be collected one by one, for example in a tool such as OneNote, Clipboard Master or Notion. In future, the right cover letters can be found here in just a few seconds.
The newswriting process is often underestimated. This is why working with professional recruiting agencies can be a relevant option for an effective recruiting strategy. Recruiting agencies have the expertise to efficiently identify suitable candidates and approach them individually. This not only saves time, but can also be more cost-effective and increase the success rate.
Step 6 – Track results and optimize the process: In order to maintain an overview, increase speed and be able to follow up with candidates in a targeted manner, it makes sense to record the results, e.g. in an applicant management system (such as Workable or Recruitee, which are linked to LinkedIn) or simply in a spreadsheet. At Kooku, we use our own innovative recruiting dashboard for this purpose.
Would you like more insights into active sourcing or would you like to train your employees in this topic? Take a look at our Active Sourcing training course!
Active sourcing service provider
Find a few suitable candidates on LinkedIn, write them a nice message and the position is filled – sounds really easy. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. What is often overlooked is the amount of time that goes into this supposedly simple task. Sifting through profiles, writing persuasive messages, maintaining contacts and managing application documents – all of this requires time and resources. This is where active sourcing service providers come into play.
“70% of candidates do not respond immediately after the first message. Fortunately, there are tried and tested structures and software tools that can support the recruiting process to follow up on A-profile candidates. The sticking point: if there are no experienced recruiting experts in the HR department, the process can take a long time. Recruiting agencies offer an efficient alternative: as a rule, we only need around 10-15 hours per week to achieve sustainable and rapid results.” – Mathias Mengel, Founder & CEO of Kooku
Service providers such as Kooku specialize in the art of active sourcing and can help you find the best talent for your vacancies. They have the necessary expertise to search for the best candidates for you and approach them professionally.
The benefits of working with active sourcing service providers are many. They can save time and resources, often have access to a broad network and are familiar with the latest trends and best practices in active sourcing, which can give you a competitive advantage.
Of course, choosing a suitable service provider is crucial. It’s important to find a partner who understands your specific requirements and can offer customized solutions. However, if the right choice is made, working with an active sourcing service provider can make the recruitment process much easier and increase the chances of attracting top talent.
Get in touch with us now to fill your vacancies with our help in just a few weeks.
Advantages and disadvantages of active sourcing
Active sourcing undoubtedly offers some advantages that can be invaluable in the search and selection of talent. However, there are also disadvantages.
Advantages:
- Access to passive candidates who are not actively looking for jobs.
- Save time and money by finding a suitable candidate more quickly.
- Use of qualified talent from talent pools.
- Higher chances of finding the ideal candidate.
Disadvantages:
- Time expenditure due to individual approach of candidates.
- Increased competition for passive candidates.
- Possible rejection by uninterested candidates.
Active Sourcing examples
Theory is important. However, it is often the practice that makes sense. A few examples will show you how active sourcing methods are applied.
Scenario 1: Imagine you’re looking for experienced software developers for your tech startup. You go to LinkedIn, enter specific keywords like “full-stack developer” and “Python expert” and filter the results by location and experience. You find talented professionals who match your requirements. You then send them personalized messages highlighting your company’s interest and the benefits of working for you. This is a classic example of profile mining on social networks.
Scenario 2: Suppose your company already has a talent pool of previous applicants who were not selected at the time but are still promising. You can actively nurture this talent pool by keeping in regular contact with candidates and informing them of new job opportunities. When a suitable position becomes available, you can approach these candidates directly and encourage them to reapply.
Scenario 3: You introduce a referral program in your company and encourage your employees to suggest talented candidates from their own network. These candidates already have the trust of an employee, which can make the recruitment process easier.
As you can see, active sourcing is versatile and adaptable. It can be implemented in different ways, depending on your goals and the resources you have available. The art of active sourcing is to choose the right strategy for your specific requirements while maintaining human contact and professionalism. We at Kooku are happy to support you in this.
