What makes a business great? It’s the people of course! Companies don’t just have competition for revenue and market share, they are also in competition to attract the best talent. Sourcing top candidates is a vital part of the hiring process. There is a war for talent in the market and candidate sourcing is a powerful asset to have in a company’s armory. Here are 5 ways to source top candidates.

Attend local fob fairs and events often. Of course, with the pandemic and social distancing protocols in full swing, job fairs and events have moved online. Many younger professionals that are still in college attend these job fairs and it’s a great way to source this young, top talent right as they are entering the work force. Another option is to be the company that hosts or sponsors these job fairs and events. When a company puts their name on a great event, that boosts that company’s employer brand and is an investment into sourcing candidates in the future.

Although sourcing candidates through job boards isn’t a revolutionary idea, it’s still a great way to find great candidates. The best candidates will use trusted job boards such as Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, etc. to find their next jobs. It’s important that a company is on those platforms. In a way, it legitimizes an opportunity in the eyes of these candidates if they see a job posting on these job boards. The key is to stand out when posting a job ad there. This can be done by using specific keywords, showcasing a company culture, and using language to invite candidates to apply.

Obviously, not every candidate that sends a resume or interviews will get the job. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t a good fit for jobs in the future. A company’s candidate database is often full of candidates that have applied in the past or that maybe were almost hired. This is a great place to source candidates for a new job opening.

The next sourcing strategy is to establish a referral program amongst employees. Each employee at a company has their own network of professionals. Referrals often bring in great candidates that already have a relationship with someone on the team and make great culture fits. A company can make a reward system for giving referrals and motivate employees to keep making those referrals.

Lastly, but far from least, recruiting firms are experts in sourcing top candidates. When companies aren’t seeing the quality of candidates they would like, they turn to recruiting firms. These firms have proprietary sourcing techniques that they have perfected. A recruiting firm will go out and do the sourcing based on the specific requirements set out by the company and come back with a shortlist of pre-qualified candidates. They take the guess-work out of sourcing and do the heavy lifting for companies.