It may be hard to imagine today, but a few years ago, recruiting meant placing a job advertisement in the newspaper at great expense and then waiting patiently. But since the advent of LinkedIn, Xing and other platforms, this passive approach is now a thing of the past. Active sourcing has revolutionised the way we recruit – and not just since yesterday. But how did active sourcing become what it is today? Let's take a look at its development.

The beginnings – recruiting with a phone book and gut feeling

Before digital networks, active sourcing was one thing above all else: tedious. Recruiters worked with recommendations, called candidates from long lists or used their personal contacts. Everything was based on relationships, intuition and often pure luck. Active sourcing was therefore associated with:

• High time expenditure, a lot of manual work

• Very limited reach

• Personal contacts were crucial

Upgrade to social media – reaching talent digitally

The real game changer came in the mid-2000s: social networks such as Xing and LinkedIn opened up completely new possibilities. Suddenly, recruiters could search for candidates in a targeted manner, make contact and build relationships without having to constantly pick up the phone. The most important changes:

• Faster candidate search and approach

• Greater reach and new talent

• The first automation tools appeared

Professionalisation of active sourcing – from mass to class

After an initial wave of euphoria, it quickly became clear that mass approaches alone did not yield results. Candidates became more selective, and recruiters had to learn to communicate in a more personal, targeted and relevant manner. Active sourcing became increasingly professional and structured – and the quality of the approach improved enormously. This now means:

• Personal, individual approach

• Systematic follow-up and relationship management

• Clear communication of added value

The next level – AI in active sourcing

Today, we are in the midst of the next stage of evolution: AI-based tools are making active sourcing smarter, faster and more targeted. AI helps find the right talent, analyses candidate profiles in seconds, creates personalised messages and even optimises the timing of follow-ups. How AI is changing your active sourcing today:

• Intelligent automation of repetitive tasks

• Personalisation of candidate outreach at the touch of a button

• More objective, data-driven decisions instead of gut feelings

What makes recruiting better today – and what's coming next

Today's active sourcing combines technology and personal communication at the highest level. Today's recruiters...

• use targeted digital tools and AI to find candidates more efficiently.

• cultivate personal contacts to build long-term relationships with talent.

But technology never sleeps: predictive analytics, even smarter AI algorithms and virtual reality will make active sourcing even more personalised and efficient. Candidates will be approached in a more targeted, personalised manner and at the right time – often before they even start thinking about changing jobs. Those who embrace new technologies early on will secure a decisive competitive advantage and win the best candidates of tomorrow.

Active sourcing has changed radically – fortunately!

From a simple phone call to a highly intelligent, AI-supported strategy, active sourcing has come a long way. Recruiters who want to be successful today must work digitally, personally and data-driven. The trend is clear: those who stand still in active sourcing will lose out in the long run.

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