Sourcer vs. Recruiter: What’s the Difference?

Many people use the words “recruiter” and “source” interchangeably. But while the two terms share similarities, they are not exactly the same.

A source looks for suitable job candidates and drums up interest in the company’s jobs. A recruiter assesses candidates, sets up interviews, participates in job negotiations, and more.

Do you have some sourcer vs recruiter questions that you need answers to? If so, read on to learn how they compare to each other and why both are critical.

Sourcer Vs Recruiter: Consider Role in Hiring Process

You can make sense of the sourcing vs recruiting dynamic by focusing on the roles of each side during the hiring process.

Sourcers are most active in the early stages of the candidate selection process. They find suitable candidates and seek to pique their interest in available jobs.

Recruiters then contact suitable candidates, assess their qualifications, conduct interviews, make job offers, and more.

Consider Specialization

Another way to differentiate a sourcer from a recruiter is by looking at exactly what they do in relation to each other.

Sourcers play a basic role. Their primary goal is to find prospective employees and to get them interested in applying for positions. Recruiters play a bigger role since they turn applicants into staff.

Both play important roles in the hiring process. It’s just that one is more basic in its focus while the other is more specialized in its focus.

Some companies retain the services of recruitment agencies. These agencies specialize in finding the best talent to fill positions. This can be a great option for businesses that don’t have in-house recruiters.

Consider Success Metrics

When considering recruiting vs sourcing, it makes sense to look at success metrics. 

Success for sourcers is measured by considering job-candidate-to-interview ratios or application-to-interview ratios. Success for recruiters is measured by considering quality-of-hire ratios or time-to-hire ratios.

Consider Who Is Assisting Who

The sourcers assist the recruiters. Specifically, the sourcers are the ones who build and maintain the talent pool. Then the recruiters tap into the talent pool to find suitable talent.

At some companies, recruiters also perform the job of sourcers. But in cases where companies have sourcers and recruiters, the former assist the latter.

When sourcers and recruiters work together, the process of finding, vetting, and hiring employees is easier.

Sourcing and Recruiting Are Needed to Find the Right Staff

When the time comes to fill positions at your company, you’ll want to consider the sourcer vs recruiter distinctions. Whether one person fills both roles or you separate these tasks, it’s important to know what each role entails.

Understanding what sourcing and recruiting are will position you to get the right talent at your company. You may even come to realize that hiring a recruitment agency may make sense for your company.

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