aPHR

Sourcing identifies and attracts potential candidates for current and future openings. Recruiting then engages those candidates and moves them through the hiring process. Good sourcing starts before a vacancy exists by building an attractive employer brand and a pipeline of interested people.

Employer Branding and the EVP

The employer brand is the organization's reputation as a place to work, as seen by current employees, candidates, and the public. The employee value proposition (EVP) states what the organization offers in exchange for employees' skills and effort: pay, benefits, career growth, work environment, flexibility, culture, and mission. An authentic EVP matches the real employee experience; a brand that promises more than the job delivers leads to early turnover.

Career website: the organization's own site for openings, culture content, employee testimonials, and day-in-the-life videos; should be mobile-friendly with a short application process.

Employee review sites: HR monitors reviews and responds professionally, but improving the actual employee experience matters more than managing the ratings.

Realistic job preview (RJP): shows candidates both the positive and difficult aspects of the job so they can self-select; reduces early turnover caused by unmet expectations.

Candidate experience: timely communication, prepared interviewers, and respectful treatment of every applicant, including those not hired, protect the brand.

Internal and External Recruiting

Approach	Methods	Advantages	Disadvantages
Internal	Internaljobpostings promotions , ,	Knownperformancehistory faster ,	Smallerpool;canlimitnewideas
	transfers successionplans skills , ,	onboarding lowercost better , ,	anddiversity;createsasecond
	inventorysearches	moraleandretention	vacancy
External	Jobboards careersite social , , media referrals agencies campus , , , recruiting jobfairs professional , , associations	Largerpool newskillsand , perspectives	1 Highercost longertimeto , productivity lessinformationabout , fit

Sourcing Tools and Techniques

Tool	KeyPoints
Jobpostings	Placedongeneraljobboardsforbroadreach nicheboardsforspecificindustriesorprofessions the , ,
	career site and internal posting systems Use clear inclusive language and list only job -related , . ,
	requirements .
Socialmedia	Professionalnetworkingsitessupportcandidatesearchesandjobposts;otherplatformsshowcase
	cultureandreachlocaloryoungeraudiences Recruitersengagewithcontentratherthanonlyposting .
	jobs .
Employeereferrals	Currentemployeesrecommendcandidates oftenforareferralbonusthatmaybepaidathireoraftera ,
	setperiod Referralstendtobelowcostwithgoodqualityandretention butheavyreliancecan . ,
	reproducethecurrentworkforce'sdemographics .
Jobfairs	In-person or virtual events where recruiters meet many candidates quickly Preparation includes trained .
	staff clear job information a quick way to capture candidate contact details and prompt follow-up , , , .
Campusrecruiting	Careerfairs informationsessions internships andrelationshipswithcareerservicesofficesbuild , , ,
	entry-level pipelines Internships let employers evaluate students before full -time offers . .
Professionalassociations	Associationjobboards conferences andlocalchaptersreachexperiencedcandidatesinaspecific , ,
	field .
Resumemining	Searchingresumedatabases jobboardresumebanks andtheorganization'sownATSforpast , ,
	applicantswhoseskillsmatchanewopening .

Candidate Pipelines and Passive Candidates

Active candidates are looking for a job. Passive candidates are employed and not looking, but may consider an attractive opportunity; reaching them requires proactive, personalized outreach. A candidate pipeline (or talent pool) is a group of prequalified people the organization keeps in contact with so it can fill future openings faster. Strong finalists who were not selected, sometimes called silver medalists, are prime pipeline members. Talent communities keep interested people engaged through newsletters, events, and early notice of openings.

Boolean Search

Recruiters mine resume databases and the web with Boolean search strings, which combine keywords with operators to control results.

Operator	Effect	Example
AND	Narrows:everytermmustappear	payrollANDADP
OR	Broadens:anyofthetermsmayappear	recruiterOR"talentacquisition"
NOT	Excludesaterm	accountantNOTintern
""	Findsanexactphrase	"humanresourcesassistant"
() Groupstermssotheyareprocessedtogether (HROR"humanresources")ANDgeneralist 1 EXAM TIP Ifasearchreturnstoomanyresults addtermswithANDorexcludetermswithNOT Ifitreturnstoofew add , . , synonymswithOR .

Diverse Sourcing

Organizations broaden candidate pools by partnering with diverse professional associations, veterans' organizations, disability employment programs, and minority-serving colleges and universities; attending diversity-focused career fairs; writing job postings with inclusive language and only essential requirements; and monitoring whether any single source, such as referrals, is narrowing the pool. Diversity efforts expand outreach; hiring decisions themselves must never be based on protected characteristics. Federal contractors have additional affirmative action obligations, including written affirmative action plans and good faith outreach efforts.

The EVP is what employees receive in exchange for their

Referrals are high quality and low cost but can limit diversity

work; the employer brand is the reputation that results.

if overused.

Realistic job previews reduce early turnover by setting

Resume mining searches existing databases, including past

accurate expectations.

applicants in the ATS.

Internal recruiting is faster and cheaper; external recruiting

Boolean: AND narrows, OR broadens, NOT excludes,

brings new skills and perspectives.

quotation marks find exact phrases.

Recruiting, Screening, and Selection