How Sourcing Saved Us Millions - a Case Study

A credit union facing a wave of executive turnover and a stalled talent acquisition function used sourcing to change both its costs and its reputation with hiring managers. The organization, an old regional brand trying to expand into new states, had been criticized by an outside consulting firm for lacking ownership, delivering inconsistent quality, and taking too long to fill roles. The response was a full rework of how sourcing, recruitment marketing, and talent acquisition partners operate together.

The centerpiece of the change was the kickoff meeting with hiring managers, reframed as an entry point into a talent marketplace rather than a routine intake call. Each kickoff now includes a talent map built from available candidates in the company's approved hiring states, a diversity readout, a list of competitors likely to be targeted for talent, and survey data on what candidates in that role actually want. Historical time-to-fill numbers and internal mobility options are folded in before the job description itself is discussed, and job postings are rewritten with AI tools to read as marketing rather than boilerplate.

On the sourcing side, the operating model is built around tight timelines: four working days to identify a slate of target candidates, then ten working days to run an outreach campaign designed to hit a meaningful open rate and convert to a short list of qualified, interested, and available people for the hiring manager. Sourcers also mine rejected candidates already sitting in the applicant tracking system, using CRM and sourcing tools to resurface people who were turned down for one role but fit another, along with LinkedIn's spotlight signals for candidates open to moving.

Recruitment marketing plays a parallel role, using video and storytelling to build a brand recognized in one home market while introducing the company from scratch in newer hiring states where it has no name recognition. The talent brand itself is treated not as a stated value proposition but as whatever employees and candidates say about the company on sites like Glassdoor.

The combined effort produced savings well above eight figures in recruiting fees, alongside a measurable shift in how leadership views the sourcing and talent acquisition function.