A Talent Sourcer Specialist plays a pivotal role in proactively identifying high-quality candidates for a variety of roles. You will partner with recruiters and hiring managers to build targeted talent pipelines, using creative sourcing strategies and precise screening to ensure a steady flow of suitable applicants. This role requires excellent research skills, tenacity, and strong stakeholder communication to accelerate time-to-hire.
This job description outlines the core purpose, responsibilities and required skills for a Talent Sourcer Specialist. It is designed for HR teams, recruiters and staffing agencies seeking a practical template to attract top candidates.
Talent Sourcer Specialist Job Profile
The Talent Sourcer Specialist focuses on proactive candidate discovery and engagement, sourcing both passive and active talent. This role supports recruitment teams by delivering curated shortlists and managing initial candidate interactions.
The ideal candidate demonstrates strong research capabilities, familiarity with applicant tracking systems and social sourcing tools, and an ability to represent the employer brand professionally at all stages.
Talent Sourcer Specialist Job Description
A Talent Sourcer Specialist will design and execute tailored sourcing strategies for assigned roles, specialising in targeted outreach across multiple channels, including LinkedIn, job boards, niche communities and referrals. They will map talent markets, create candidate personas and maintain up-to-date pipelines for priority positions.
Working closely with recruiters and hiring managers, the sourcer will qualify applicants through structured telephone or video screens, assess fit against role criteria and communicate candidate strengths and potential concerns. They will also manage candidate engagement to maintain interest and ensure a smooth handover to recruitment colleagues.
The role requires accurate record-keeping within the applicant tracking system, regular reporting on sourcing metrics and continuous improvement of search techniques. A Talent Sourcer Specialist should contribute to employer branding initiatives, attend relevant industry events where appropriate and help reduce time-to-hire by delivering high-quality candidate flow.
Talent Sourcer Specialist Duties and Responsibilities
- Develop and implement proactive sourcing strategies for technical and non-technical vacancies.
- Utilise Boolean, X-ray and advanced search techniques across LinkedIn, GitHub, Stack Overflow, and other platforms.
- Build and maintain talent pipelines and talent pools for recurring or hard-to-fill roles.
- Conduct structured candidate screens to assess skills, experience and cultural fit.
- Qualify passive candidates and manage personalised outreach campaigns to engage interest.
- Collaborate with recruiters and hiring managers to refine role requirements and sourcing approaches.
- Ensure accurate candidate data entry and activity logging in the applicant tracking system.
- Provide weekly sourcing reports and insight into market availability and candidate movement.
- Assist with employer branding efforts, including role adverts, social content and talent communities.
- Adhere to equality, diversity and data protection guidelines during sourcing and screening activities.
Talent Sourcer Specialist Requirements and Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in HR, business, psychology or a related field preferred.
- Proven experience in a sourcer or recruiting support role, ideally within agency or in-house recruitment.
- Strong proficiency with LinkedIn Recruiter and other sourcing platforms; familiarity with ATS tools (e.g. Greenhouse, Lever, Workday).
- Excellent research and Boolean search skills, with the ability to source across diverse talent markets.
- Confident communicator with strong telephone and written skills; capable of creating persuasive candidate outreach messages.
- Organised and metrics-driven, with experience tracking KPIs such as CV-to-interview and response rates.
- Knowledge of employment law basics and data protection (GDPR) in the recruitment context.
- Self-motivated, resilient and able to manage multiple requisitions in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience with candidate assessment techniques and cultural-fit evaluation is an advantage.
- Willingness to learn and adopt new sourcing tools and techniques; commitment to continuous improvement.
