Investing in a structured sourcing and recruiting team can pay dividends when it comes to finding top talent. Sourcing candidates, however, is a specialized skill, requiring research and relationship-building expertise to develop a talent pipeline and uncover hidden talent.

Some companies make the mistake of asking recruiters to handle sourcing, which can limit their effectiveness. Hiring teams to focus on sourcing will yield a broader talent pool and more diverse candidates.

When building a remote sourcing team, remember that it’s a commitment. Teams are built to solve long-term hiring problems and take time to deliver. So, you need to do it right.

Benefits of a Remote Sourcing Team

In today’s job market, demand exceeds talent. At the same time, there is an increasing demand for specialized labor. This requires an aggressive, proactive outreach effort to find and source talent.

Sourcers excel at finding passive candidates, tapping into the 70% of workers that aren’t actively seeking new jobs. This significantly broadens the talent pool to keep recruiting pipelines full.

Hiring remote sourcing teams provides other key benefits, including:

  • Reducing the cost to hire by creating economies of scale
  • Accessing hard-to-reach channels
  • Pre-closing top candidates before recruitment engages
  • Reducing the time to hire
  • Generating information about competitors

How to Develop Your Remote Sourcing Team

You will want to utilize multiple sourcers, each specialized in different areas, such as regions or industry verticals. A good ratio is one sourcer for every two to three recruiters.

Remote work requires a slightly different set of skills. When hiring sourcers, you want to look for several critical qualities. You will want to probe into these areas:

  • Are they comfortable with the technology required for remote work?
  • Can they work independently and collaboratively when required?
  • Do they hold themselves accountable for meeting deliverables?
  • Are they motivated and take the initiative rather than waiting for assignments?
  • Are they strong, proactive communicators?
  • Are they flexible and adaptable as situations change?

Attracting, Engaging, and Retaining Top Sourcers

Like any other job you’re hiring for, compensation will be a crucial part of attracting and retaining top sources. Salaries typically range from $35 to $70 per hour, depending on experience. Companies employ different types of comp structures, including:

  • Hourly
  • Hourly + bonus
  • Base plus performance bonus

With remote teams, creating the right environment is crucial to retaining sourcers. This means supporting the remote work environment, focusing on results rather than activity, and respecting boundaries. Managers need to be strong communicators to keep remote teams connected and motivated.

You’ll also need to provide them with the right tools, using consistent communication and tracking. This requires a proactive approach to check in regularly and provide feedback along with clear expectations.

Building Your Remote Sourcing Team

Building a remote sourcing team takes work, but can result in long-term solutions for your recruiting and hiring needs. When you hire the right sourcers and provide the support they need, you can surface more high-quality candidates and keep your recruitment pipeline full.

Learn more about configuring your remote sourcing team in our webinar, The Ultimate Configuration of Your Remote Sourcing Team.

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Authors
Taylor Moon

Taylor Moon is the Director of Content at RecruitingDaily.com. She's a seasoned Content Director with a demonstrated history of working in various industries, predominantly in digital marketing and technology. As a hiring manager throughout her career, she's worked closely with recruiters and HR and acted as a sourcer and recruiter in various roles, bringing a unique perspective into topics.