Digital recruiting has changed the way companies find and retain talent today. In particular, the combination of digital strategies and active sourcing offers new opportunities to revolutionise the search for skilled workers in a targeted manner. This article explains how active sourcing expands the possibilities of digital recruiting and why a modern approach is important in order to be successful in the competition for the best employees.
Digital recruiting and active sourcing: a strong team
Digital recruiting describes the use of digital technologies and platforms to make the recruiting process more efficient. This involves not only placing job adverts on online portals, but also using new tools, algorithms and automation to better manage and accelerate the candidate search[1][3][9]. Active sourcing complements this strategy by approaching potential candidates directly and individually. While traditional recruiting often involves waiting for incoming applications, recruiters use active sourcing to proactively approach talent[2][6][18].
Companies often use extensive talent pools to contact previously identified candidates. An example from the IT sector: a company uses the talent pool to contact software developers from previous projects directly before a new position is advertised. Consultancy firms follow a similar approach, maintaining active candidate networks in order to be able to react quickly to changing project requirements[4][12].
The advantages of digital recruiting through active sourcing
By combining digital recruiting and active sourcing, companies benefit from several advantages:
- Targeted approach: Instead of targeting a broad mass, recruiters use active sourcing to reach specialists who precisely fulfil the requirements. Example: A medium-sized mechanical engineering company is looking for experts in the field of robotics and approaches them directly via platforms such as LinkedIn or Xing[6][14].
- Higher applicant quality: Pre-selection and personal contact often lead to better quality applications. For example, a financial services provider reports that, thanks to active sourcing, suitable candidates have significantly better prerequisites for the job than when applying purely via traditional job portals[3][9].
- Shortened time-to-hire: Digital technologies enable short response times. If a suitable candidate is approached directly and supported step by step, the recruitment process is significantly shortened. This was observed by an international logistics company that used active sourcing to find urgently needed specialists more quickly[1][6].
BEST PRACTICE at a client (name hidden due to NDA contract): This software development company used active sourcing to build a pool of skilled professionals with rare machine learning expertise. Direct contact and regular updates kept the talent engaged and led to the successful recruitment of several key positions within a few months.
Implementation strategies for digital recruiting with active sourcing
A systematic approach is recommended for the successful integration of active sourcing into digital recruiting processes:
1. clearly define target profiles
What skills, experience and competences are crucial? HR departments in the healthcare industry, for example, attach particular importance to certificates and practical experience when searching for candidates[6].
2. selection of suitable platforms
Different channels are available depending on the industry: LinkedIn or Xing for commercial professions, GitHub and Stack Overflow for developers or specialised forums for engineers[6][12].
3. personalised approach
Personalised messages show appreciation and increase the chances of success. For example, a creative company has attracted promising designers with customised messages on Instagram[18][16].
4. maintain talent pools
Databases with pre-qualified candidates support long-term recruitment. Systematic tracking with digital applicant management software, as successfully practised by a management consultancy from the consulting sector, helps here[4][8].
5. continuous communication
Regular contact keeps talent interested and prevents them from leaving. A medium-sized company from the manufacturing industry reports that such measures significantly strengthen loyalty before the final recruitment[2][12].
Digital recruiting with iROI coaching as support
In our experience, companies that want to advance their recruitment with digital recruiting often benefit from professional support. iROI coaching helps to successfully organise digital recruiting projects and efficiently integrate active sourcing. This enables challenges to be recognised early on and suitable solutions to be implemented. This support provides important impetus, especially when internal resources are limited or new digital tools are to be introduced.
BEST PRACTICE with a customer (name withheld due to NDA contract): A medium-sized company in the electrical engineering sector used coaching to establish active sourcing processes across teams. The targeted training and individual support increased the willingness of the specialist departments to collaborate with HR and led to a stable talent pipeline.
My analysis
Digital recruiting gains significantly in effectiveness through the integration of active sourcing. The active search and personalised approach of specialists extends the reach and significantly improves the quality of applicants. At the same time, digital tools reduce the administrative effort and speed up the entire process. Companies can therefore not only attract talent quickly and in a targeted manner, but also significantly improve their candidate experience. The integration of professional support, such as iROI coaching, helps to anchor digital recruiting in the organisation in the long term. Digital recruiting is therefore a key component of modern recruitment today.
Further links from the text above:
What is digital recruiting? | Sage Advice Germany
Digital recruiting: definition & measures | hunter
Active Sourcing: Definition, methods and implementation | HRworks
Active Sourcing Methods & Processes | Index.de
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