The best candidates don't respond to vacancies. You have to find them and win them over personally, and that's exactly what active sourcing does, under your name.
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What is active sourcing?
Active sourcing is the targeted searching, approaching and convincing of candidates who aren't actively applying. Sourcers map out the target audience, approach candidates personally, for example via LinkedIn, and qualify the response. Within the SocialFind RPO approach, sourcing is one of the tools we use, especially for scarce and specialist profiles.
How we determine the mixSourcing without the rest of the chain is manual labour
Endless manual sourcing on LinkedIn is one of the least smart ways to spend capacity. We combine personal outreach with automated sourcing, content and Thought Leader Recruitment, so a message reaches someone who already knows you.
Part of the RPO approach
Active sourcing is one of the tools within our RPO approach. We use it when the target audience is scarce and barely responds to vacancies and campaigns, if at all. Think of specialist and office roles and management and executive positions.
Do you have an in-house recruitment team that already sources? Then we divide target audiences or vacancies, so candidates are never approached twice.
Automation takes over part of the search. Where it helps and what should not be automated is covered under AI recruitment.
Sourcing says something about the route, not about who you are looking for. Often that is an experienced peer at a competitor, and in a small field that moves the shortage around rather than solving it. When that profile is the shortest way and when it is not is set out in What is a lateral hire, and when does it work?
From target audience to conversation
How it worksSourcing is a craft: every step determines whether a scarce candidate responds or clicks away.
Audience mapping & search strategy
We map out where your target audience works and how big the pool really is, and build search profiles based on job requirements plus realistic alternatives.
Personal outreach
Tailored messages, on behalf of your organization, with a proposition that's relevant to this specific candidate.
Response & qualification
We hold the first conversations, assess motivation and fit, and filter out noncommittal interest.
Handover & talent pool
Suitable candidates move on to the interview as warm leads; interesting profiles for later help build your talent pool.
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A message from you, not from an agency
Under your name
We do sourcing white-label: candidates are approached on behalf of your organization, with your story. That increases response rates, because a message from the employer itself feels different from the umpteenth agency message. And the candidate relationship stays with you, even if someone isn't ready to switch jobs yet.
How white-label recruitment worksFrom cold outreach to warm conversation
Inboxes are full of identical recruiter messages. That's why we combine sourcing with Thought Leader Recruitment™, the method developed by SocialFind in which a leader inside your organisation first builds recognition and trust with the audience through their own expertise. After that, the personal outreach isn't cold but warm.
Further reading
Thought Leader Recruitment
The method developed by SocialFind that makes sourcing warm instead of cold.
Thought Leader RecruitmentRPO or sourcing agency?
The honest comparison between a standalone sourcing agency and a broader partnership.
RPO or sourcing agency?Specialist and office roles
How we reach scarce specialist talent.
Specialist and office rolesManagement and executives
Discreet, personal recruitment for senior roles.
Management and executivesScreening and candidate follow-up
What happens once a candidate responds.
Screening and candidate follow-upRecruitment Process Outsourcing
The complete approach that sourcing is part of.
Recruitment Process Outsourcing
Let us define your audience strategy.
Tell us who you need. We determine how to find them, win them over and hire them.
Frequently asked questions about active sourcing
For scarce target groups that aren't actively looking. A campaign reaches people open to change; sourcing also reaches the people who are content but can be won over with the right story. We often combine both; we decide that per vacancy in the analysis.
For white-collar target groups, LinkedIn is the core, complemented by databases, talent pools and other platforms where relevant. The channel follows from where the target group is, not the other way around.
Through one shared record and clear agreements: before we start, we define who approaches which target groups, and every candidate we contact is registered. That way, every candidate has one consistent experience with your brand.
They don't disappear. With their consent, we build a talent pool around your organization, so a 'not now' can still become a hire a few months later. That's how sourcing becomes more valuable the longer the partnership runs.
At SocialFind you pay no fee per approached or placed candidate. Active sourcing is part of the partnership with a fixed monthly fee: that starts at EUR 6,500 per month, all-inclusive within the agreed scope and with no placement fees. Because the fee is fixed, your cost per hire falls as the talent pool grows and the outreach gains momentum. The three ways of working together are on our pricing page.
Sourcing in recruitment means actively finding and approaching suitable candidates instead of waiting for them to apply. A sourcer searches profiles in sources such as LinkedIn, databases and talent pools, selects who fits and sends a personal message. Active sourcing emphasises that proactive part: you make the first move. It is particularly useful for scarce roles where vacancies and campaigns deliver too little.
Active sourcing starts cold: a candidate receives a personal message from an organisation they often do not know yet. Thought Leader Recruitment reverses that order: a leader inside the organisation first builds visibility with the target group, and only those who show engagement are approached. Sourcing delivers conversations faster, TLR delivers warmer ones. For scarce specialist target groups we combine both; for a single urgent vacancy, sourcing is usually enough.