May 16, 2024

Sourcing vs Recruitment

John Kim

Co-founder @ Paraform

In this blog

What is Sourcing?What is Recruitment?How they work togetherWhen to focus on sourcingWhen to ramp up recruitment

If you're delving into the world of hiring, you’ve likely encountered the terms “recruitment” and “sourcing.” Though they might seem interchangeable, they represent distinct stages in the hiring process.

Let’s break it down clearly and simply.

What is Sourcing?

Sourcing is all about identifying where the candidates are located. It’s the detective work in the hiring process.

Here's what sourcing involves:

• Researching: Scouring LinkedIn, job boards, and social media to find potential candidates.
• Building a talent pool: Creating a database of potential candidates who might be a good fit now or in the future.
• Initial contact: Reaching out to these candidates to gauge their interest in the opportunities you have.

Sourcing is like casting a wide net to gather all the potential candidates before you start deciding which ones to pursue further.

What is Recruitment?

Once you have your pool of potential candidates from sourcing, recruitment is the next step. This is where you engage in the detailed process of actually hiring someone.

Here’s what recruitment involves:

• Screening resumes: Reviewing the resumes of the sourced candidates to identify those who meet the job requirements.
• Interviewing: Setting up and conducting interviews to get to know the candidates better.
• Assessment: Evaluating candidates through tests, interviews, and other methods to determine if they’re the right fit.
• Offer and Onboarding: Extending job offers and facilitating the onboarding process for new hires.

Recruitment is like sifting through your treasure haul to find the gems.

How they work together

Sourcing and recruitment function as a tag team. Sourcing initiates the process by finding and attracting potential candidates. Recruitment takes over from there, guiding these candidates through the hiring process and ultimately bringing them into the company.

Why both are important:

• Efficiency: Sourcing helps you create a pool of candidates quickly, so you’re not starting from scratch every time you have a job opening.
• Quality hires: Recruitment ensures that you’re not just picking any candidate, but the right candidate for the job.
• Strategic hiring: With effective sourcing, you’re always a step ahead, building relationships with potential candidates before you even need to hire them.

When to focus on sourcing

If you're finding it difficult to get enough candidates or struggling to find people with the right skills, it might be time to enhance your sourcing efforts. It’s all about expanding your reach and bringing in more options.

Tips for better sourcing:

• Network: Utilise platforms like LinkedIn, Medium, Reddit, X, and Facebook to find and engage with candidates.
• Referrals: Ask people in your network if they know anyone who’d be a great fit.
• Job boards and forums: Actively search these platforms for potential candidates, in addition to posting job listings.

When to ramp up recruitment

Once you’ve built a robust pipeline of candidates, it’s time to shift gears to recruitment. This is when you delve deeper into those candidates to find the best fit for your roles.

Tips for effective recruitment:

• Structured Interviews: Use a set list of questions to ensure fairness and consistency.
• Candidate Experience: Maintain open lines of communication and make the process smooth and positive for candidates.
• Assessment Tools: Utilize tests and evaluations to gain a comprehensive understanding of each candidate’s skills and fit.

Sourcing and recruitment might seem like industry jargon at first, but they’re really just two sides of the same coin.

Sourcing focuses on finding and identifying potential candidates, while recruitment is about transforming those potentials into your next great hire.