Glossary
A plain-language definition from the Curriculo hiring glossary.
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."
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.