Candidate Sourcing What Works On the 5 Top Hiring Channels

Among all of a recruiter’s responsibilities, candidate sourcing ranks among the top tasks they need to do to acquire talented employees for an organization. 

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Candidate sourcing, which is the proactive search for qualified candidates for current or planned positions, according to SHRM, helps organizations identify the right talent to help enable them to pursue their strategic goals.

This part of the recruiting function can improve talent acquisition efforts in numerous ways. It can reduce cost-per-hire, time-to-hire, and time-to-fill metrics for organizations. 

Companies can use candidate sourcing to achieve the goals of improving the level of diversity within their workforce. High-quality hires are also more attracted to positions at your company when they are familiar with the organization and have been engaged previously, which will help to support a robust talent acquisition and planning strategy. This is essential in helping organizations move away from simply filling vacancies to thinking more broadly about their hiring needs.

Having these capabilities is important in the current hiring environment, where there are more vacant positions than job seekers, and nearly two-thirds of professionals worldwide are passive candidates - meaning they are not actively seeking a new job. 

Employers need to approach talent acquisition as a long-term strategy to ensure that they have the right employees to drive the organization forward and remain competitive in a changing world. 

Digitalization, for example, is pushing companies to transform their business models, expand into new markets, and create innovative new offerings. Without the talent to make these changes happen, many companies will struggle to compete. 

Talent acquisition has evolved in a similar manner, making it necessary for recruiters to apply new tactics and tailor their candidate sourcing activities to a changing landscape. One fundamental way that talent acquisition has changed is that the hiring channels available to recruiters have expanded. This has helped to increase the talent pool, raise awareness of job vacancies among candidates, and grow the databases of recruitment organizations.

Yet, with so many channels available, it can be challenging for recruiters to hone their candidate sourcing strategy on each channel. Defining and disseminating employer branding is one crucial way to help recruiters get the most out of their efforts. Another method is focusing on the channels that deliver the most value for your brand and where your recruitment teams have the most success in making lasting hires. 

Forging deeper relationships with candidates will also lead to higher engagement, which is a reflection of their interest in working for your organization. Then, when a candidate is interested in a job your team has posted, it should be fast and easy for them to apply.

Adopting the latest technology can also make the candidate sourcing process much simpler. A cloud-based applicant tracking system (ATS) can help recruiters streamline their activities to improve their chances of hiring the best talent for current and future job vacancies. It also makes it easy for recruitment organizations to analyze their activities to improve the effectiveness of their talent acquisition strategy.

To understand how to make the most of each channel, let’s take a look at some common candidate sourcing questions recruiters have about five of the most popular hiring channels.

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Job boards 

Job boards have become a top channel for recruiters to identify the most relevant talent for their hiring needs. The global online recruitment market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% between 2019 and 2027 - reaching a value of $43.39 billion in 2027. These days, online platforms such as Monster, Indeed, Glassdoor, and many other niche sites are the primary way that job seekers find job listings. 

• How does candidate sourcing work on this channel? Candidates upload their resumes and contact information, which is visible to recruiters. Candidates can also apply directly to jobs that are of interest to them. Most job boards make it easy for recruiters to connect their ATS solution, which automatically adds these applicants to their database. 
• Why is this a popular channel? Job boards enable candidates to find jobs that align with their skills and experience, making it easy for them to apply to the roles that are the most attractive to them. Recruiters can also focus their efforts on niche sites that cater to specific industries, hiring needs, or groups of people.
• What types of candidates can you get from this channel? Recruiters have the ability to source talent of all experience levels. While most of the applicants from job boards are active job seekers, many of these sites will recommend job listings to passive candidates whose experience or skills align with openings to encourage them to apply.
• How much does it cost to source candidates on this channel? Most job boards charge employers a fee for posting jobs on their sites, although the fees vary by the organization's size or the number of job listings you expect to post per year. 
• What is the greatest challenge? With so many job boards, it can be difficult to narrow down which sites are the best fit for your organization’s needs.
  Additionally, access to a wider talent pool can increase the time it takes to review applications for a job listing. This can contribute to negative candidate experiences if applicants do not receive a response after they have taken the time to apply for a job.

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Company career pages 

A company’s career page is an essential channel for recruitment organizations to post jobs as well as showcase the employer brand and employee value proposition. 

• How does candidate sourcing work on this channel? As a part of the company website, the company career page is a way for companies to attract professionals who are interested in the company. Once they have applied to a job vacancy, their resume can be easily added to the recruitment database so that if they are not a fit for a current job, they can be engaged for future roles. 
• Why is this a popular channel? Company career pages are a top candidate sourcing channel for recruitment organizations because it is the one place where they can control how they are viewed by potential applicants. It is an extension of what the organization represents and offers potential applicants an introduction to the culture of the organization. 
• What types of candidates can you get from this channel? Candidates sourced through this channel are typically active job seekers who have a strong interest in joining the organization and already have a positive opinion of the company. These candidates are professionals who have an awareness of the brand and proactively visit the page to see what jobs are available. These candidates also have a higher chance of being receptive to future communications from recruiters.
• How much does it cost to source candidates on this channel? The costs of setting up and maintaining a company career page are minimal. As an extension of the company website, the responsibilities of updating the page are kept internal.‍
• What is the greatest challenge? Companies that are not well-known or have reputational issues may have more trouble attracting applicants to a company career page. Having a poorly defined employee value proposition or dull job descriptions can also deter candidates from applying. Similarly, a lengthy or complex application, as well as one that is not mobile-friendly, may not encourage candidates to apply for jobs on the site.

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Employee referral programs 

Another candidate sourcing channel that recruiters rely on heavily is the employee referral program. This is a system that allows employees to be compensated - either with a bonus, additional vacation time, or some other enticing incentive - for referring a candidate who is ultimately hired. 

• How does candidate sourcing work on this channel? Recruiters promote job vacancies internally to employees and encourage them to share the listings with their professional networks. Any employee who refers a candidate for a job opening that translates into a successful hire is rewarded for helping to fill the role. 
• Why is this a popular channel? Recruitment organizations like to offer employee referral programs because employee retention tends to be higher than with other hiring methods. The quality of the hire from an employee referral is generally also higher since the candidate is a peer of someone who has already gone through the hiring process successfully. 
• What types of candidates can you get from this channel? Candidates of any professional level can be sourced from an employee referral program. Generally, these are active job seekers who are familiar with the organization and have a positive view of the brand due to their peer’s experience working at the organization. 
• How much does it cost to source candidates on this channel? The cost of employee referral programs can vary and depend on the level of the hire. The fee paid to employees for a referral is seen as a worthwhile investment because it contributes to lower overall talent acquisition costs for the organization. 
• What is the greatest challenge? This method may not help to increase diversity levels within the organization if that is a goal. The referrer may also be biased in their opinion about the candidate, which may lead to the organization receiving unqualified candidates. This can have a negative impact on the organization if people are aware that a new, unqualified hire was made through a referral. The success of employee referral programs is also reliant on recruiters motivating employees to recommend friends and peers. If employee engagement and satisfaction levels are low in the organization, the program will not yield the expected benefits.

Social media 

As the newest hiring channel, social media hiring is probably the most difficult for recruiters to use effectively for candidate sourcing. While LinkedIn is the most common social network used to find and engage with candidates, Twitter and Facebook can also be used as part of a candidate-sourcing strategy.

• How does candidate sourcing work on this channel? Recruiters use social networks to find and hire candidates. Recruiters can search user profiles to find relevant candidates and also post job listings on these channels. They can also promote their employer brand and learn more about candidates. As companies build an audience on social media platforms, they increase the potential number of engaged candidates.
• Why is this a popular channel? Around the world, a large number of people use social media. According to Statista, over 4.26 billion people were using social media in 2021, and nearly six billion people will be using it by 2027. As a result, it exposes recruitment organizations to a massive talent pool.
• What types of candidates can you get from this channel? Social media is most often used for engaging passive candidates; however, active job seekers who follow your brand may also reach out to learn about job opportunities on social media platforms. 
• How much does it cost to source candidates on this channel? There is no cost to set up social media accounts for your brand, though the cost of incorporating social media recruitment into the marketing budget should be considered. ‍
• What is the greatest challenge? For many brands, managing their reputation on social media platforms is often the biggest challenge. On these platforms, former employees, candidates, and even customers are free to share their experiences. If these experiences are negative, it can be a massive effort to change public perception and encourage people to apply for jobs. It is also not a guarantee that recruiters will find high-quality candidates from all social media.

Candidate database 

A candidate database is the most important tool in a recruiter’s arsenal. In many ways, it differentiates one recruitment organization from another and defines what they are able to achieve in their hiring efforts.

• How does candidate sourcing work on this channel? Recruitment organizations that use a cloud-based ATS solution can access a centralized database from anywhere to search for candidates who meet the criteria needed for job vacancies. Manual methods of sourcing candidates can take several days, if not weeks, to identify the best fit for a job listing.
• Why is this a popular channel? It pools together candidates’ resumes and other relevant information to help recruiters place them in the right job. For candidate sourcing, this is a valuable resource for identifying professionals that recruiters have engaged with in the past and have built relationships with over time for job vacancies. 
• What types of candidates can you get from this channel? A candidate database can house active candidates who are interviewed for prior job openings as well as passive candidates whose skills and experience are aligned with the organization’s current - or future - needs. The candidates in the database also span from entry-level to the executive level. The caliber of the candidates' recruiters can source from their database is reliant on how well the database is maintained and how often it is updated. However, with a centralized system, much of this work is completed automatically. 
• How much does it cost to source candidates on this channel? The cost of sourcing candidates on this channel depends on how current the information in the database is and how much time it takes for recruiters to find relevant matches for job vacancies. With an ATS, recruitment organizations can greatly reduce the costs associated with sourcing candidates from their database. ‍
• What is the greatest challenge? Recruitment organizations maintain large and often unwieldy databases. This is particularly true in recruitment teams that rely on spreadsheets or manual systems. Recruitment organizations that do not use modern ATS solutions run the risk of missing out on great talent if they are not able to find them in their database.

Manatal’s ATS solution empowers recruitment organizations to manage their candidate sourcing activities on all the hiring channels they use and store candidate profiles in one place. Schedule a demo to learn more about how Manatal can help your team streamline its talent acquisition efforts and identify the right talent more efficiently.