Sourcing vs. Recruiting – what is the difference and why it matters?

by | Nov 17, 2022

In Human Resources you can often hear the terms talent Sourcing as well as talent Recruiting. What is the difference between these two? Why is it necessary to separate these two terms when building a successful hiring process for an organization? 

Let’s define these two terms and lay out their key differences and similarities;

Talent Sourcing – what is it?

Talent sourcing is the process of identifying, researching, and connecting with potential talent. Talent sourcing is the process of finding people who could very potentially be suited for a role the organization is hiring for and who would fit into the organization’s culture (before these people are converted to actual job applicants.)

The main purpose of of talent sourcing is to build a steady stream of high quality talent leads for the recruiting team. This stream mostly includes “passive candidates” as sourcers are responsible for searching candidates who have not directly applied for a position within the organization.

What makes a great sourcer?


Successful talent sourcers have an excellent insight and understanding of the organization’s needs and also know the tips and tricks when it comes to using different string searches. A great sourcer has an in-depth understanding of the roles they are sourcing for and therefore while sourcing, they are able to use varied keywords and tactics that may not be as apparent to someone who hasn’t “worked the job” before.

Main Responsibilities of a Sourcer
  • Finding passive candidates by using varied tools and sourcing channels
  • Networking with potential candidates
  • Researching where the best candidates can be found (search engines, social media profiles, networking websites, etc.)
  • Reaching out to potential candidates
  • Providing lists of candidates or booking calls into recruiter’s calendar
  • Growing the employer brand by creating interest in the employer amongst potential candidates
  • Understanding the current and future employment needs of the business
  • Paying attention to diversity goals while building lists of candidate leads
In order for organizations to employ the top talent on the market, it is absolutely crucial to dedicate time for high-volume, highly-targeted sourcing.
Our sourcing team are dedicated to hunt talent, and with our innovative tech to back them up, they are the best at what they do.

Talent Recruiting – what is it?

Recruiting is a sum of different activities that eventually converts potential candidates into employees.

Recruiting refers to the entire hiring process of which sourcing is only one part of. In many organizations where there isn’t a separate sourcing team in place, the Recruiters will do sourcing themselves as part of their role. However, as the Recruiters hands are many times busy with all the other recruiting tasks, such as reviewing applications, conducting interviews and coordinating meetings with hiring managers, they rarely can dedicate time for consistent sourcing and building the pipeline of passive talent on a consistent basis.

Main Responsibilities of a Recruiter
  • Screening sourced candidates
  • Conducting interviews
  • Liaising with the hiring managers and coordinating meetings
  • Keeping in touch with potential candidates and making sure interview feedback is shared on a timely manner.
  • Taking part in negotiations (compensation, working hours, benefits, etc.)
  • Managing Applicant Tracking System
  • Drafting job specifications
  • Posting jobs on job boards and publishing ads on social media
  • Creating content to promote the employer brand
  • On-boarding activities

Benefits of having a dedicated Sourcing expert

As explained above perhaps the main difference between sourcing and recruiting is in the nature of the tasks. While sourcing typically refers to the proactive search of candidates, recruiting refers to the reactive process of reviewing and interviewing of interested applicants.

With the increasing competition over hiring the best talent to your teams, it is important for businesses to have a solid recruitment strategy in place. The basis of successful recruitment starts by knowing where to find the best relevant candidates and therefore there is something extremely important that needs your attention– sourcing! In order for organizations to employ the top talent on the market, it is absolutely crucial to dedicate time for high-volume, highly-targeted sourcing. Engaging in talent sourcing helps organizations build a better quality, more diverse pool of candidates which leads to better hiring decisions. Including sourcing as part of your recruitment and hiring strategy can completely transform your practices. A great sourcer can improve the results of a recruiter who can then in turn focus on their work of filling the open job positions and provide a better candidate experience.

If your recruitment team could use the help of a sourcing expert to increase the quality of hiring, shorten the time to hire as well as improve workforce diversity, then we’d like to help. Our sourcing team are dedicated to hunt talent, and with our innovative tools and tech to back them up, they are the best at what they do.

Want to know how it works? Book a call with us https://calendly.com/joanna-magic/ and we’ll walk you through how our Sourcing expert could add value to your recruitment process.



Written By Cam@MagicMondayz

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