In an online recruitment group on Facebook, many heated conversations tend to happen, with each person having an opinion or comment on the question asked. This one I found quite interesting, “If you were teaching someone brand new to the industry what the difference was between a recruiter and a sourcer, what would you say?” As I have heard of independent firms using sourcers overseas to collect candidates, I was interested in diving further in to the conversation. Here are some of the thoughts I came across of varying opinions:
- If the sourcer is then screening the candidates she generates, then she is the recruiter and the recruiter is actually more of a sales representative who sells the search.
- Sourcers find and phase one qualify, and recruiters interview and close. However, some sourcers can do the full cycle, and some recruiters can source.
- The best sourcers or recruiters that also source are the ones that cannot just find people or send inmails on Linkedin, but get talent on the phone and start talking to them.
My personal thought links closely with what Keith Bailily in a Linked-In post also stated, “The difference is depth, depth of conversation, depth of knowledge about particular companies and specific roles. Often times the sourcer will master the details about a company or a generic .NET role and qualify potential candidates and create a “pool of talent.” The more senior the sourcer, the more the depth and better quality the recruiter will initially get on the handoff.” What I have walked away with in the battle of sourcers and/or recruiters is that people all agree that they are most appreciative of those individuals that engage the passive and even active candidates and get them far enough across the line so that a hire can be made. To achieve success, you must not only find the talent, but conduct effective interviews, as well as be up to speed on the latest in employment law and compliance, and then be able to promote the company to the candidate. The skills required of these individuals, while at times interchangeable, can also be different and not always compatible. In this era of talent shortages, sourcing and recruiting have seemed to become separate specialties, or at least available as separate specialties. Looking at them separately, sourcers’ skills are akin to marketing as opposed to recruiter’s skills more similar to the sales disciplines.
All in all, I think ere.net summed it up best with, “In a profession that requires its professionals to be multi-talented to keep up with increasing demands for top talent; good recruiters better be good sourcers and sourcers should be ready to get into other facets of recruitment if needed.”