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5 Tips to Source More Candidates

Steve Lowisz
One of the biggest challenges facing recruiters today is simply finding candidates.

It’s a highly competitive market for recruiters. There are simply not enough candidates to go around to fill all our open roles.

There’s nothing we can do about the job market – but as a recruiter, you can leverage smart strategies to find more candidates.

Here are 5 ways to source more candidates: 

Leverage Recruitment Marketing 

Recruitment marketing is more important than ever. Since candidates oftentimes can’t or won’t be coming to your office, their first impression and evaluation of your business happens entirely online.
Do you have an attractive, eye-catching careers page selling your opportunities? How do you show candidates the unique value your business offers as an employer?

Partner with your recruiting team for help here. Ask for their help creating a great careers page, social ads, and other collateral to spread the word about your openings. Furthermore, make sure you’re responding to reviews on Google, Glassdoor, Indeed, and so forth.

Nothing turns off a candidate more than a bad review about working at a company – with no response from the employer. 

Dig Deeper than LinkedIn 

There’s only so many candidates on LinkedIn. Furthermore, a lot of people don’t even check their LinkedIn profile.

If you’re trying to find more candidates, think outside the box. Try Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, even Discord or Slack. You may be able to find discussion groups centered around specific professions. For tech candidates, there’s always GitHub.

Don’t be afraid to go old school and show up to in-person networking events or MeetUps. It’s hard to beat shaking someone’s hand as a first impression! 

Take Advantage of Employee Networks with Referrals 

Every employee is a recruiter when you think about it. If possible, create an employee referral program to incentivize people to refer friends and family.

Studies have shown that employee referrals are 4x as likely to be hired than other candidates.

Consider offering a cash bonus or other tangible reward for anyone who refers someone who gets hired. 

Source Candidates BEFORE Your Next Search 

Wayne Gretzky once said, “I skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.”

Recruiters should follow the same approach. Nobody can predict the future – but you should talk to hiring leaders and know what their needs might be in the next 3-6 months.

Sourcing takes time. The sooner you get started identifying talent and building connections, the easier it will be to close the deal when you have an opening. 

Fine Tune Your Candidate Outreach 

It doesn’t matter how many candidates you find if your outreach gets ignored!

To be an effective recruiter, you have to craft messages that stand out in a candidates’ inbox and ultimately start a conversation.

We have a great blog on that topic here, but basically you want to keep it short and sweet, personalize your message, and focus on what’s in it for them.

Nobody wants to read a canned message from a recruiter! 

Finding More Candidates Starts Today 

If your old sourcing methods aren’t working, finding candidates starts with trying something new. While it may be a tough market, you’d be surprised how many great candidates you can find with a little elbow grease and creativity. It just requires a different approach and a positive mindset! 

If you're a recruiter who's serious about advancing your career by making better hires, start our Recruiter Certification Program today!