Sourcing in 2023 and Beyond

Sourcing usually ends once a candidate is handed off to a recruiter, but there is a way to stay involved through the entire process without spending anything on new tools or platforms. The approach centers on treating candidate research as an ongoing relationship-building exercise rather than a one-time search task.

A hypothetical scenario built around a real open role, a senior DEI program manager, walks through how a sourcer can go far beyond identifying a strong profile. After finding a candidate whose background, affiliations, and interests align closely with a role, the work does not stop at the initial outreach. Instead, the profile becomes a source of detail: past employers, employee resource group involvement, volunteer work, personal identity markers, and career history all become useful data points.

The core tactic involves searching internally for current employees who share overlap with a passive or hesitant candidate. Rather than relying solely on a recruiter or hiring manager to build rapport, a sourcer can identify colleagues who:

• Worked at the same previous company as the candidate, even years apart
• Belong to the same employee resource group, such as one focused on women, parents, or diversity initiatives
• Share volunteer commitments or personal causes mentioned in a candidate's bio
• Hold informal leadership roles within internal affinity groups

Using simple internal searches for terms like employee resource group, ERG, or the names of specific communities, a sourcer can surface people already inside the company who can speak authentically to a hesitant or passive candidate. Connecting a candidate with someone who understands their background firsthand builds trust in a way that standard recruiter conversations often cannot.

The broader argument is that sourcing should not end at the handoff. A sourcer who understands the nuances of a candidate's profile is positioned to increase offer acceptance by facilitating these internal connections, closing the gap between a strong pipeline and an actual hire. None of this requires budget or new software, only a willingness to dig deeper into both candidate profiles and existing employee data to find natural points of connection.