What does a sourcer do?
A sourcer is responsible for performing recruitment processes proactively, searching for potential candidates across various platforms according to the requirements and qualifications of a hiring department. Sourcers handle lead generation techniques, requiring them to have excellent online navigation and utilization of software tools and applications. They identify the list of candidates and may also connect with them to see if they are interested, responding to their inquiries and concerns, and maintain the talent pool for future vacancies.
Sourcer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real sourcer resumes:
- 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.
- Used Taleo to communicate with managers about potential candidates and comment on resumes.
- Engage and coach hiring managers on behavioral interviewing and leveraging social media, (LinkedIn Facebook).
- Network extensively through LinkedIn social network to build a database of qualify / interest candidates.
- Maintain database information to document contact with internet candidates to abide by OFCCP regulations and standards.
- Collaborate with the assigned Sr. Recruiters on a weekly basis to discuss current recruiting needs.
- Collaborate with corporate payroll for initial setup and employee maintenance.
Sourcer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Sourcers are proficient in Applicant Tracking Systems, HR, and CRM. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Detail oriented, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Sourcers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Applicant Tracking Systems, 14%
Review and organize high volumes of applications /resumes utilizing various applicant tracking systems.
- HR, 14%
Worked closely with the HR staffing and managers to find candidates who are qualified for open positions in the company.
- CRM, 10%
Sourced for the service lines of Dynamics AX and Dynamics CRM from Architect to Developer.
- Source Candidates, 7%
Source candidates and conduct initial screens of candidates for technical roles as well as Solution Manager and Program Managers.
- Facebook, 7%
Search social and business networking sites (LinkedIN, Facebook, etc)
- SEO, 6%
Created and managed SEO and Pay-per-click campaigns for different regions varying from tellers to financial advisers.
Common skills that a sourcer uses to do their job include "applicant tracking systems," "hr," and "crm." You can find details on the most important sourcer responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a sourcer to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what sourcers do because "listening and speaking skills are essential for human resources specialists." Additionally, a sourcer resume shows how sourcers use communication skills: "ensured an excellent candidate experience through prompt follow up and communication with candidates"
Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform sourcer duties is detail oriented. Sourcers responsibilities require that "specialists must pay attention to detail when evaluating applicants’ qualifications, doing background checks, maintaining records of an employee grievance, and ensuring that a workplace complies with labor standards." Sourcers also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "reviewed resumes and interviewed all candidates presented for detailed interviewing by the client facing recruiter. "
Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for sourcers to perform their duties. For an example of how sourcer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "specialists continually interact with others and must be able to converse and connect with people from varied backgrounds." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a sourcer: "use excellent interpersonal skills; communicate with various levels of management through the company. ".
The three companies that hire the most sourcers are:
- Randstad North America, Inc.99 sourcers jobs
- IntelliPro35 sourcers jobs
- JLL13 sourcers jobs
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Compare different sourcers
Sourcer vs. 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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, sourcer responsibilities require skills like "hr," "crm," "seo," and "boolean searches." Meanwhile a typical talent acquisition consultant has skills in areas such as "human resources," "customer service," "manufacturing industry," and "recruitment strategies." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Talent acquisition consultants earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $74,599. On the other hand, sourcers are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $85,730.The education levels that talent acquisition consultants earn slightly differ from sourcers. In particular, talent acquisition consultants are 6.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a sourcer. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Sourcer vs. 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. They filter job applicants, review applications and portfolios, and schedule interviews and assessments with the qualified candidates. A recruiting lead also assists the successful applicants in processing their documents until the final onboarding.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that sourcer responsibilities requires skills like "hr," "crm," "seo," and "boolean searches." But a recruiting lead might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "email marketing," "healthcare," "human resources," and "recruitment strategies."
In general, recruiting leads achieve similar levels of education than sourcers. They're 4.1% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Sourcer vs. Recruitment manager-sales
The Recruiting Manager is someone who is in charge of recruitment. This person is responsible for finding people fit for the job vacancies and potential employees who have the necessary skills to accomplish workloads. The recruiting managers need to have a human resource background and have to assess resumes correctly. Included in a recruitment manager's tasks is to create a recruitment policy based on the company needs, train other recruitment staff, and make sure that recruited employees fit the vacant jobs in a company.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a sourcer is likely to be skilled in "hr," "source candidates," "seo," and "boolean searches," while a typical recruitment manager-sales is skilled in "customer service," "human resources," "linkedin," and "account management."
When it comes to education, recruitment managers-sales tend to earn similar degree levels compared to sourcers. In fact, they're 1.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Sourcer vs. Recruiter associate
A recruiter associate is responsible for supporting the human resources department of an organization on their staffing processes. Recruiter associates identify a department's staffing needs and coordinate with the hiring managers for their requirements and qualifications on a job opening. They update the company's online job boards, as well as posting on various social media platforms as instructed. A recruiter associate carefully filters the application, selects potential applicants, schedules interviews and assessment, and assists the successful candidate on the submission of documents during onboarding.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between sourcers and recruiter associates, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a sourcer might have more use for skills like "hr," "seo," "boolean searches," and "candidate resumes." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of recruiter associates require skills like "customer service," "human resources," "eeo," and "linkedin. "
The finance industry tends to pay the highest salaries for recruiter associates, with average annual pay of $64,450. Comparatively, the highest sourcer annual salary comes from the health care industry.The average resume of recruiter associates showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to sourcers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 3.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.3%.Types of sourcer
Updated January 8, 2025
