Active sourcing: recruit better through active approaches

The active sourcing approach offers companies promising new opportunities in recruiting and to get in touch with top candidates. Thanks to the diverse methods, there is a suitable way for every company to acquire new employees and fill vacancies. Find out what exactly is behind the term, how you can use active sourcing in your own recruiting and how your recruiting process can benefit from it.

Active sourcing definition: What does the term mean?

In simple terms, active sourcing is a recruiting method for strategic workforce planning. It enables recruiters to conduct a targeted search, to contact and approach potential candidates directly, and to recruit them. If a vacancy is to be filled, selected individuals whose skills match the advertisement are specifically and directly informed about the position to be filled. If interested, they can respond immediately to the offer and submit their application.

But active sourcing doesn’t just work for recruiting potential candidates. For example, if HR consultancies have a qualified selection of specialists in their talent pool, they can use this approach to present their selection to company contacts. In times of a shortage of skilled workers, this is a great way to fill positions and build relationships.

Reasons for active sourcing: Using time effectively

Active sourcing pays off, because even without suitable job offers, candidates with great potential can still be contacted. In the war for talents, it is important to get in touch with suitable candidates as early as possible. If they are approached by several companies or HR consultancies, the competition becomes increasingly intense. Ideally, contact should already be established when candidates are not really looking for a new job. If companies present appealing and attractive job advertisements at an early stage, they have the chance to leave a lasting impression. However, recruiting should not be perceived as pushy or too promotional, but should signal genuine interest in the person.

What are further advantage of active sourcing?

By making contact at an early stage, applicants also have the opportunity to take an in-depth look at the job descriptions, the companies and their own requirements. Do the general conditions fit, are there opportunities for professional development, and what benefits and forms of work such as remote work are offered with the job? This way, recruiters respond to questions quickly and conscientiously and any doubts are cleared up. Compared to paid job ads in newspapers, trade magazines and on digital platforms, companies can also use predefined templates that can be adapted and sent out again and again. Active sourcing can address multiple target groups:

• Professionals looking for new employment
• Top candidates who may not currently be looking, but who can be convinced with the right offer
• Promising young talents at universities, technical colleges or other institutions

Are there disadvantages to active sourcing?

If companies implement active sourcing incorrectly, are too pushy, or advertise with false promises, it can be costly, especially if the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is not adhered to and data is misappropriated for the purpose of making contact. Thorough research or training therefore makes sense in order to implement the approach correctly and in compliance with the rules in practice. Another challenge: companies should take a broad approach, because if they only use one channel, potential is lost on other channels.

Active sourcing is well received by candidates

According to a study conducted by the University of Bamberg on the topic of active sourcing and social recruiting, two out of three candidates surveyed consider it positive when companies use social media applications in recruiting. A total of 251 of the 1,000 largest companies in Germany, the 1,000 largest SMEs and the 300 largest companies in the IT sector took part in the 2017 study. Seven out of ten companies from the top 1,000 and the IT industry also rate this as positive and helpful. In addition, the study found that in 2016, 51.4% of respondents preferred to be approached directly by companies rather than applying themselves. This shows that active sourcing would leave a positive impression on half of the applicants.2. Employee-centric: Focus on the individual

So instead of remaining in a role-based planning as before, it is necessary to move to a skill-based organization. This can be done, for example, with the development of individual employees, such as through targeted retraining and further education measures. While employees are encouraged and supported to deepen and broaden their interests and skills, companies benefit from the knowledge they gain and make it available as well as use it strategically. A learning organization thrives on the fact that existing knowledge is continuously enhanced through individual learning and thus grows continuously. Companies should therefore take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself to offer employees the chance to do so. At the same time, conscientious and orderly documentation of these training measures is necessary in order to maintain an overview of the measures carried out and to be able to profit from the newly acquired know-how.

Active sourcing tools and channels: 5 tips for an active approach

1. Build a talent pool and maintain contact

Whether former colleagues, interns, trade fair contacts or applicants who have not yet been placed: A wide variety of contacts converge in a talent pool. It is often worthwhile to store applications and contact data here, because it is always possible that sooner or later you will want to fall back on them. If these contacts are maintained regularly, a company can gradually build its own network and database. According to the study by the University of Bamberg, 15.7% of the top 1,000 companies and 18.7% of the SMEs surveyed have already been able to fill vacancies through their own talent pool.

2. Profile mining via social media

Meanwhile, profile mining, i.e. writing to talents via social media, has also come into focus for recruiters. Based on published data such as the current job position, talents are filtered out and contacted. Business networks are particularly attractive and are often used. This is shown by the study conducted by the University of Bamberg: At 25% XING is the platform which companies place the most job advertisements on, and the platform most frequently used to actively search for talent, at 22.5%. Facebook, on the other hand, leads the way in employer branding at 25.3%.

3. CV analytics and database search
CV Database Search goes one step further than profile mining, because it analyzes complete CVs. This produces more and more precise information, which can be used to make a narrow pre-selection. This gives companies the opportunity to get a more comprehensive picture of the applicants in advance.

4. Be present at trade fairs and career events

Trade fairs and career events are a classic opportunity. Companies can seek personal contact with applicants on site and enter into a direct, in-depth exchange to see if and how they fit together.

5. Referral sourcing: take recommendations into account

Another effective recruiting measure is to use the recommendations of your own employees. They often have connections to other professionals who may be looking for a new job. They can usually assess their colleagues well if they know them privately or professionally, and thus evaluate whether they are a good fit for the company or not.

Active sourcing software in everyday work life

It is important to integrate active sourcing into the work routine in an uncomplicated way. For some possibilities of active sourcing, the right software is required, for example when organizing talent pools. A CRM is useful for this purpose, as it helps companies to build and manage a good pool. This way, existing information can easily be accessed in subsequent searches. CV analytics and a location search also make it possible to quickly filter out the right candidates in the vicinity. The CRM can also organize mailing campaigns and reach a large number of potential candidates with just one click.

Conclusion

Active sourcing is a good way to establish contacts with promising talents and to be successful in the high-quality recruitment of open job positions. Approach this topic with good planning so that all opportunities and potential are used. Technical support through the right recruiting software is an effective investment in the future: with a CRM, contacts are maintained, organized and the process of active sourcing managed transparently. Are you looking for a CRM system to support your active sourcing? Contact us here and let us advise you.