Hiring glossary
What is candidate sourcing?
Candidate sourcing means going out and finding people for a job, instead of just waiting for them to apply. It is the difference between fishing with a net and putting up a sign that says "fish, please come here."
Quick definition
Candidate sourcing is the proactive part of recruiting: actively searching for, identifying, and reaching out to potential candidates, including people who are not currently looking for a job. It feeds your hiring pipeline before, or alongside, the applications that come in on their own.
Inbound vs outbound, in plain words
Hiring has two directions. Inbound is when people find you and apply, through your job post, careers page, or a referral. Outbound is when you find them, by searching LinkedIn, tapping your network, or browsing a talent pool. Sourcing is the outbound half.
Here is the part people miss: the best person for a role is often not looking for a new job at all. They are happily employed somewhere else. If you only ever read the resumes that come to you, you never reach them. That is why sourcing exists.
How teams source candidates
- LinkedIn and search tools: filtering by skills, title, and location to build a shortlist of people to message.
- Referrals: asking your team and network who they would hire, often the highest-quality source.
- Talent pools: keeping in touch with strong past applicants and people you have met, so you have a head start when a role opens.
- Communities and events: meeting candidates where they already gather, online or in person.
Do you actually need to source?
Honest answer: not always. If you post a role and receive plenty of strong applicants, your job is to screen them well, not to go hunting. Heavy sourcing pays off for hard-to-fill or senior roles where few good people apply. For most everyday hiring, getting more out of the applicants you already receive, by ranking them on real ability, beats chasing passive candidates you may never reach.
An ATS like CurriculoATS focuses on that screening side: it reads every applicant and surfaces the strongest, so you spend your sourcing energy only where it is truly needed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between sourcing and recruiting?
Sourcing is one part of recruiting. Sourcing is finding and reaching out to potential candidates. Recruiting is the whole process: sourcing, screening, interviewing, and hiring. Sourcing fills the top of the funnel; recruiting carries people all the way through it.
What is the difference between inbound and outbound sourcing?
Inbound is when candidates come to you by applying. Outbound is when you go find them, for example by searching LinkedIn or asking for referrals. Most teams use both, leaning on outbound for roles where few strong people apply on their own.
Do small teams need to source candidates?
Often not. If a job post brings in enough strong applicants, the better use of time is screening them well. Sourcing matters most for senior or hard-to-fill roles. For everyday hiring, a tool that ranks your applicants on real ability usually does more than active sourcing.