Active Sourcing: The Definition

Active sourcing is a targeted recruitment method designed to address skills shortages and the war for talent. Recruiters actively seek out suitable candidates rather than passively waiting for applications to arrive. Direct outreach occurs via various channels, depending on which individuals are needed for specific roles. To support active sourcing, social networks such as Xing, xeebo, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) are particularly effective. Thorough research comes first: identifying candidates, verifying their skills and experience, and then making contact. 

Why Is Active Sourcing So Important?

In an era marked by demographic shifts and talent shortages, recruiters must take initiative rather than waiting for applications. E‑Recruiting software— like Refline, integrated with over 200 job boards—offers valuable support. Recruitment cycles shorten long-term when HR teams proactively identify potential matches. Candidates don’t need to be hire-ready immediately; the goal is to build relationships with promising talent, maintain contact, and cultivate a passive talent pool for future hiring needs.

For Sustainable, Successful Recruitment

Active sourcing is a strategic, mid- to long-term talent acquisition approach. It’s an efficient method that offers greater control. Recruiters can tailor job postings or direct outreach to specific candidates. Skipping the flood of incoming applications reduces time-to-hire and minimizes hiring mistakes. Above all, it’s crucial to make personal contact and leave a positive corporate impression—a matter of convincing employer branding.

How Active Sourcing Works – Methods and Best Practices

Active Sourcing encompasses uses several methods to reach the right talent:

1. Profile Mining on (Social) Networks: On business-focused platforms like Xing or LinkedIn, recruiters directly search for (often passive) candidates and connect with them. In Switzerland, xeebo specifically connects employers with potential hires, and Refline integrates directly with it. Broader social media like Facebook or X is possible but more time-consuming, and requires strong employer branding investment.
2. Building a Talent Pool: Every company should maintain a talent pool for all contacts—candidates, interns, career fair leads, etc. Refline supports this with secure, compliant features. Regular engagement keeps leads warm; when actively hiring, recruiters can revisit the pool and re-establish contact.
3. Referral Sourcing: Also known as employee referrals. Recruiters analyze current employees’ networks. Employee referral programs fall under this category.
4. CV Database Search: Job portals and resume databases often allow browsing and contacting candidates directly. However, GDPR-compliant, proactive outreach is essential—simply collecting resumes without contacting the person isn’t compliant or useful.
5. Boolean Search: Recruiters use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) in search engines or job portals to find candidates with specific criteria.

Let's not forget Offline Active Sourcing: Offline efforts—attending career fairs, university events, workshops, seminars—are equally important. Proactive engagement in person can be highly effective.

Advantages & Challenges of Active Sourcing

Advantages:

• Suitable potential candidates can be approached directly. 
• Ideally, this accelerates the hiring process and reduces recruitment costs in the long term. 
• In the best case, candidates and recruiters are already familiar with each other through prior contact.

Challenges:

• Requires a personal touch—mass outreach is a no-go. 
• Some candidates won’t respond at all. (Learn how to combat ghosting in our blog.) 
• Success requires a clear strategy—ad-hoc efforts rarely deliver.

Active Sourcing with Refline

Discover the full potential of active sourcing directly within the Refline e-recruiting solution and find the best talent for your company with precision. With a direct integration to the xeebo application portal, actively sourcing qualified candidates becomes effortless. Try our intuitive solution free of charge for 30 days and experience how simple and efficient modern recruiting can be.