How to hire a sourcer

How to hire a sourcer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step sourcer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a sourcer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new sourcer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a sourcer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a sourcer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A sourcer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, sourcers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of sourcers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Sourcer	Description	Hourly rate
   Sourcer	Human resources specialists recruit, screen, interview, and place workers. They often handle other human resources work, such as those related to employee relations, compensation and benefits, and training... Show more	$21-44
   Talent Acquisition Consultant	A Talent Acquisition Consultant is responsible for sourcing and recruiting high-quality candidates. They may work in an office setting or travel to different locations to search for new talents.	$23-47
   Recruiting Lead	A recruiting lead is responsible for identifying the staffing needs of an organization by coordinating with the department's heads for their hiring requirements and qualifications. Recruiting leads update job posting on the company's website and other media platforms, ensuring that the job description and other hiring factors are accurately delivered... Show more	$25-53

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Applicant Tracking Systems
   • HR
   • CRM
   • Source Candidates
   • Facebook
   • SEO
   • Qualifying Candidates
   • Lead Generation
   • Recruitment Process
   • Candidate Pipeline
   • ATS
   • Phone Screens
   • Candidate Resumes
   • Search Strings

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Participate in Lawson HRIS user implementation and staffing procedural strategies that manage candidate process.
   • Sourced/Recruit software engineer at various levels with background with cloud computing, machine learning.
   • Update and maintain database and CRM.
   • Post positions to external boards through ATS.
   • Search social and business networking sites (LinkedIN, Facebook, etc )
   • Assess progress within assign requirements in Taleo to determine and adjust sourcing priorities.

   More sourcer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the sourcer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A sourcer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a sourcer in Arizona may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level sourcer. Additionally, a sourcer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average sourcer salary

   $65,637yearly

   $31.56 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level sourcer salary

   $45,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average sourcer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$92,691	$45
   2	Washington	$92,195	$44
   3	District of Columbia	$79,773	$38
   4	New York	$79,705	$38
   5	Massachusetts	$79,258	$38
   6	Oregon	$76,457	$37
   7	Illinois	$72,100	$35
   8	Colorado	$70,887	$34
   9	Texas	$69,299	$33
   10	Rhode Island	$67,672	$33
   11	Georgia	$66,487	$32
   12	Maryland	$64,534	$31
   13	Iowa	$63,415	$30
   14	Minnesota	$62,305	$30
   15	Pennsylvania	$61,861	$30
   16	Kansas	$61,345	$29
   17	Oklahoma	$60,820	$29
   18	Nebraska	$59,541	$29
   19	Florida	$59,368	$29
   20	North Carolina	$59,190	$28

   Average sourcer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$118,091	$56.77	1
   2	Meta	$113,991	$54.80	55
   3	Microsoft	$110,168	$52.97	12
   4	Google	$108,383	$52.11	14
   5	Atlassian	$101,608	$48.85
   6	Amazon	$99,365	$47.77	3
   7	Expedia Group	$98,647	$47.43
   8	Snowflake Computing	$94,350	$45.36
   9	First Republic Bank	$94,057	$45.22
   10	Uber Technologies	$92,756	$44.59
   11	Edwards Lifesciences	$92,483	$44.46
   12	Credit Suisse	$91,686	$44.08
   13	Zscaler	$89,786	$43.17
   14	Pinterest	$88,973	$42.78
   15	SAS Institute	$88,343	$42.47
   16	Take-Two Interactive Software	$86,654	$41.66
   17	Activision Blizzard	$86,450	$41.56
   18	Electronic Arts	$86,347	$41.51
   19	Intel	$85,893	$41.29
   20	Zynga	$85,797	$41.25

4. Writing a sourcer job description

   A job description for a sourcer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a sourcer job description:

   Sourcer job description example

   12 month Contract to Fulltime

   can be remote during contract

   Responsibilities

   About Us:

   Our is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. We has global offices including Los Angeles, New York, Moscow, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.

   As a Sourcer in E-commerce TA team, you will collaborate with recruiters and hiring managers to support our hiring efforts as we grow our organization. You will also serve as an advocate for our company by providing high-quality and welcoming interview experiences to each candidate.

   Responsibilities:

   1. Manage sourcing strategy for key E-commerce talents, such as Product Managers, Data Scientists, and Operations, at all levels.

   2. Collaborate with recruiters and hiring managers to improve on recruiting process and efficiency.

   3. Support various hiring projects, such as strategize sourcing talent pipeline (via LinkedIn, Facebook, and alternative search techniques).

   Qualifications

   1. Minimum 1-3 years of equivalent sourcing experience in a high-volume environment (via search firm or in-house recruiting environment).

   2. Ability to contribute in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment with the ability to prioritize multiple functions and tasks.

   3. Great verbal and written communication skill, interpersonal skills, and strong organizational skills (attention to details).

   4. Experience with research/sourcing tools such as LinkedIn, other social media, or technical forums.

   5. E-commerce sourcing experience is preferred

   6. Bilingual in English and Mandarin is preferred

   Our is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At us, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We believe individuals shouldn't be disadvantaged because of their background or identity, but instead should be considered based on their strengths and experience. We are passionate about this and hope you are too. Our is committed to providing reasonable accommodations during our recruitment process. If you need assistance or accommodation, please reach out to us.

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find sourcers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your sourcer job on Zippia to find and recruit sourcer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with sourcer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new sourcer

   Once you've found the sourcer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new sourcer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a sourcer?