Five Ways To Improve Your Candidate Sourcing Strategy
TL;DR
With 73% of job seekers only passively looking, traditional sourcing falls short. This article shares five strategies to reach and engage passive candidates, including A/B testing messaging, looking beyond salary, and offering self-service options.
Did you know that recent statistics indicate that 73% of job-seekers passively seek other opportunities?
In other words, most quality hires aren’t actively seeking new opportunities. They’re waiting for recruiters to reach out.
Thus, your clients must find and attract top candidates instead of the other way around. This approach calls for a proactive talent search for soon-to-be or currently vacant positions.
Candidate sourcing doesn’t involve reactively reviewing applications and resumes for a given job posting or candidate pre-screening. Instead, it requires staffing firm professionals to gather valuable data about the most viable candidates (e.g., job responsibilities, titles, names),
It’s worth noting that while your sourcing strategy will attract passive job-seekers, it’s also helpful in attracting active ones.
So, how can your company maximize this critical recruitment approach?
Why Is Your Candidate Sourcing Strategy So Important?
Candidate sourcing for staffing firms is vital for attracting impactful hires that make a lasting, positive impact; here’s why:
It’s more challenging than ever to find skilled hires: Recent studies indicate that it’s been a struggle for 72% of employees to find quality candidates. The lifeblood of staffing firms are top-tier candidates, but they’re elusive commodities.
Skills-based hiring is rising: Positions requiring enhanced skillsets are increasing, which calls for more staffing firms to work their magic. With this rise in demand will come more market competition, multiplying the challenges associated with the talent shortage.
You need to keep up with your competition: Universally, staffing firms will intensify their search for top talent. Staffing firms that don’t ramp up their sourcing are bound to lose ground.
How To Improve Your Sourcing Strategy
Now you know why candidate sourcing for staffing firms is crucial moving forward. So, here are five ways to execute and get the most from this strategy:
- Perform A/B Tests (Trial And Error).
First, you must send personalized general templates to your candidates. Then, take it one step further by diversifying your messages and seeing which tone and wording generate the highest response rates.
- Don’t Get Salary-Based Tunnel Vision.
Focusing too much on salary could give a candidate the wrong idea and make them feel like you’re undervaluing them. Veer the focus away from gaps between a prospective hire’s current role and this new job opportunity. Emphasize how upward career moves require at least a 30% non-monetary improvement.
- Prioritize Engagement
Meaningful interactions with candidates should be a top priority in candidate sourcing, including wishing them well in their new role or sending a birthday message.
- Always Maintain Transparency
Maintaining transparency with candidate sourcing ensures no misunderstandings between talents and their potential new organization. They’ll know what to expect (such as compensation and job responsibilities), and your clients can coordinate timely job interviews.
- Provide Self-Service Options
With Candidately’s portal, the self-service options make it easier for your clients to obtain applications (a critical aspect of candidate sourcing). Furthermore, this feature allows your clients to track hiring without contacting your firm or waiting for someone to reply with an update. Thus, the candidate sourcing process is made more efficient and seamless.
Want to learn more about Candidately to improve your candidate sourcing strategy? Then book a demo with us today!
Key Takeaways
- ✓73% of job seekers are passive — your sourcing must reach candidates who aren't actively looking
- ✓A/B testing outreach messaging reveals what resonates with different candidate segments
- ✓Salary alone doesn't win candidates; culture, growth, and flexibility matter just as much
- ✓Prioritizing ongoing engagement keeps your talent pipeline warm between openings
- ✓Self-service options let candidates explore opportunities on their own terms
Related Glossary Terms
Contingency Recruitment
Contingency recruitment is a fee model where a staffing agency only receives payment if a candidate they submitted is hired — there is no upfront fee and no exclusivity obligation. Multiple agencies can work the same role simultaneously, and all compete for the placement fee (typically 15-25% of first-year salary for permanent roles). Contingency works well for mid-market roles with clear specifications but creates incentive misalignment on specialist searches.
Contract-to-Hire
Contract-to-hire is a staffing arrangement where a worker starts on a temporary contract with the expectation that they may be offered a permanent role after a defined evaluation period, typically 90-180 days. The client uses the period to assess cultural fit and performance before committing to a full-time hire. If converted, the client pays the agency a conversion fee or the agreed contractual buyout.
Direct Hire
Direct hire is a recruiting model where a staffing agency sources, screens, and places candidates directly as permanent employees of the client company. Unlike temporary staffing, the worker becomes a full-time employee on day one with no interim period. Placement fees are typically 15-25% of the candidate's first-year salary, paid once after the hire starts.
Pay Rate
A pay rate is the hourly or daily rate a contractor or temporary worker receives from the staffing agency for their services. The pay rate is the worker's gross earnings before tax and is always lower than the bill rate charged to the client. Negotiating the pay rate requires the agency to balance worker satisfaction against its gross margin requirements.
Customer Stories
NES Fircroft
How NES Fircroft Modernized Candidate Submissions Across 45 Offices with Candidately
NES Fircroft replaced manual email-based candidate submissions with Candidately across 45 offices and 100+ countries. The result: a streamlined, transparent recruitment process that both consultants and clients adopted within weeks.
BenchmarkIT
How BenchmarkIT Gained Visibility into Client Resume Reviews
BenchmarkIT, a boutique IT consulting firm in Stamford CT, had no way to know if clients even opened their candidate resumes. Candidately gave them real-time tracking and faster feedback loops.
Frequently asked questions
Why is candidate sourcing so difficult right now?
How does A/B testing improve candidate sourcing?
Should staffing firms focus only on salary when sourcing candidates?
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