10 Best Candidate Sourcing Software List
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 20 tools reviewed.
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There are seemingly countless candidate sourcing software solutions available, so figuring out which is best for you is tough. You want to utilizes advanced search algorithms and databases to scan various platforms, including job boards, social media, and professional networks, to find candidates who match specific job requirements—but now need to figure out which tool is the best fit. In this post, I make things simple, leveraging my experience as an HR expert and using dozens of different candidate sourcing tools to bring you this shortlist of the best candidate sourcing software overall.
What is Candidate Sourcing Software?
Candidate sourcing software is a specialized tool used in recruitment to identify and attract potential job candidates. It automates the process of searching for candidates by using advanced algorithms to scan various online platforms, such as job boards, social media, and professional networks. This software is designed to find individuals who match specific job criteria, thereby streamlining the recruitment process.
Candidate sourcing tools enable recruiters and hiring managers to efficiently build a pool of qualified candidates, reducing the time and effort typically required in the initial stages of sourcing. By leveraging this technology, organizations can enhance their recruitment strategy, improve the quality of their candidate pool, and expedite the hiring process.
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Willo
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.8 -
ClearCompany
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.6 -
Guru
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.6
Overviews Of The 10 Best Candidate Sourcing Software
Here’s a brief description of each candidate sourcing software that made my top 10 list, plus 10 additional software selections below. For my top 10 choices, I’ve highlighted each tool’s best use case, plus some noteworthy features, and screenshots to show you their user interface.
Greenhouse is an applicant tracking software and hiring platform that manages the hiring process from talent sourcing to onboarding. It focuses on improving the candidate experience and provides scalable workflows and insightful data for informed decision-making.
I like Greenhouse's focus on candidate experience optimization. By optimizing the candidate experience, you can improve your employer brand, making it more likely that top talent will want to join your organization. This feature supports your sourcing efforts by ensuring that candidates have a positive experience from the moment they engage with your company, which can lead to higher acceptance rates and better retention.
Another feature of Greenhouse that supports candidate sourcing is its robust reporting and insights capabilities. These tools allow your team to dive deep into the data to understand what's working and what isn't in your hiring process. You can track metrics related to candidate sources, time-to-hire, and offer acceptance rates, among others. By having access to detailed reports and insights, your team can make data-driven decisions to refine your sourcing strategies.
Integrations include BambooHR, BrightHire, Calendly, Checkr, Codility, Crosschq Reference, DocuSign. GoodTime, Namely, Sterling, and Starred.
Manatal
Advanced ATS with AI-generated candidate scores and recommendations
Manatal’s full-feature applicant tracking system (ATS) simplifies the recruitment process through AI-driven recommendations, job portal integrations and easy-to-manage talent pipelines. Key candidate sourcing features include a Chrome extension for LinkedIn that makes it easy to parse public information and add it to candidate profiles, and the ability to centralize all job applications into kanban-style boards. Their system also integrates directly to thousands of free and premium job posting boards, making it easy to advertise job openings.
To speed up the candidate screening process, Manatal’s AI framework scans job descriptions to extract the core skills and other requirements for each position. Its recommendation algorithm then quickly cross-references the data with candidates in your talent pools to highlight applicants with the closest match. The system also allots a score to each candidate, to make comparing candidates more objective. To improve candidate sourcing for advanced positions, Boolean candidate searching is also an option.
Manatal integrates with LinkedIn, Gmail, Outlook, Mailchimp, and other platforms. They also have an open API to support customized integrations, and a full-feature mobile app.
Pricing for Manatal starts at $15 USD/user/month. A free demo and 14-day free trial can also be requested via their website.
Willo is a user-friendly video interviewing platform tailored for recruiters to facilitate the candidate screening process and boost engagement. It enables remote virtual interviews on any device, featuring digital identity verification and intelligent question generation.
Its asynchronous video interview feature lets candidates answer questions at their own convenience. It cuts down the administrative workload for your team, which is especially handy during high-volume hiring periods. Willo's AI intelligence can then provide feedback about the interview data, helping you find the candidates that best fit what you're looking for.
Willo also offers useful candidate evaluation tools that make the hiring process smoother. The platform has a question generator for creating tailored interviews and scorecards to standardize how candidates are assessed. This lets your team systematically evaluate candidates and easily share feedback among members. Plus, Willo integrates with over 5,000 recruiting tools, making it simple to fit into your current hiring process. You can also distribute up to 1,000 job ads across different platforms, helping you reach a wide audience effectively.
Integrations include Greenhouse, Lever, Workable, Teamtailor, Zapier, Integrately, BambooHR, Breezy HR, Bullhorn, Recruitee, Personio, and UKG.
ClearCompany is a talent management software that provides solutions for applicant tracking, onboarding, employee engagement, performance management, and analytics. It serves various industries and leverages AI to help optimize the recruitment process, allowing teams to focus their efforts on areas that need more attention.
ClearCompany stands out with its robust features that enhance the recruitment process. Its AI-powered Applicant Tracking System (ATS) not only automates repetitive tasks but also optimizes job postings, prioritizes high-potential candidates, and automates outreach with personalized communications. ClearCompany's vast global talent pool of over 800 million professionals, along with integrations with LinkedIn, Indeed, and JobTarget, ensures a comprehensive sourcing capability. Additionally, the platform offers AI-driven candidate match recommendations and automated recruiting campaigns.
ClearCompany integrates with ADP Workforce Now, LinkedIn, Indeed, UKG Pro, Paylocity, Checkr, EZ Screen Solutions, Rectxt, Absorb LMS, CompetencyCore, Thomas International, The Predictive Index, and Proliant.
Pricing begins from $60/user/month.
Recruit CRM serves as an all-in-one solution tailored for the recruitment industry, enabling agencies to manage candidates, clients, and internal team activities seamlessly. This platform combines robust applicant tracking systems with client relationship management features to simplify daily tasks and improve productivity.
Recruit CRM shines as a talent acquisition software by seamlessly integrating robust applicant tracking system (ATS) and customer relationship management (CRM) functionalities, making it an invaluable asset for recruiters. The ATS component is particularly adept at managing vast amounts of candidate data, from initial application to final hiring stages, ensuring a streamlined tracking process that reduces the likelihood of high-quality candidates slipping through the cracks. The CRM features enhance relationship management, allowing recruiters to build and maintain strong connections with both candidates and clients.
Recruit CRM offers a variety of features to enhance recruitment processes, including applicant tracking system capabilities, customer relationship management tools, and job board integrations. It allows users to automate workflows, manage candidate pipelines, and generate detailed analytics and reports. The software also supports email and calendar synchronization, offers a mobile app for on-the-go access, and provides tools for team collaboration and communication.
Recruit CRM integrates natively with several tools to streamline recruitment activities. These integrations include LinkedIn, Gmail, Outlook, Zapier, QuickBooks, Xero, Twilio, RingCentral, Mailchimp, and Google Calendar. These connections help users efficiently manage communications, accounting, marketing campaigns, and scheduling directly from the platform.
Recruit CRM offers multiple pricing tiers starting from $69 per user per month.
PowerToFly is a DEIB business suite that helps you source, recruit and manage the best talent while ensuring you develop and maintain a diverse and inclusive workplace. The platform offers a unique combination of talent management tools and on-demand DEIB training resources.
I picked PowerToFly because of how they've set up the platform. The DEIB Business Suite includes two products: Power Pro and Power Up. Power Pro is the candidate-facing product of this suite that lets you communicate with applicants and source talent. This will allow you to build a landing page where people can see your open positions, track recruitment processes in dashboards, and search through a pool of talent.
The feature you will be more interested in is Candidate Search. This allows you to search through a global pool of talent and apply advanced filters to narrow down your search. Among the filters you can use are the candidate's current position, skills, and diversity filters like gender, ethnicity, community groups, and generalized identity.
Another feature I like is the job posting wizard which lets you quickly create inclusive job postings using templates. All you need to do is select the template that best matches the position you are looking for and fill out a couple of job-specific information.
Definitely, a tool to consider if you are looking to build a more inclusive and equitable company and culture.
JazzHR is a recruiting software that offers transparent pricing and flexible add-on features to cater to the needs of various business sizes. The software simplifies the process of finding and attracting qualified candidates, offers customizable options for managing and screening candidates, and allows for easy job posting on multiple platforms.
Along with these features, JazzHR stands out for its customizable recruiting solutions, user-friendly interface, and ability to adapt to the specific needs of different companies. It offers a wide range of capabilities, team collaboration options, and affordable pricing that can be tailored to fit the unique requirements of any organization.
JazzHR offers a range of features including job posting and syndication, candidate texting, offers and eSignatures, advanced visual reporting, all access support, and Zoom integration. The software is customizable, integrates with Google calendars, and provides collaboration tools, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. Additionally, JazzHR supports mobile access for candidate screening and integrates with various HR technologies.
Integrations include LinkedIn Recruiter, Monster, CareerBuilder, JobTarget, Resume-Library, BambooHR, Gusto, and Paychex.
Pricing for JazzHR starts at $75/month. Users receive 3 active jobs to start, and can add more jobs for $9/job/month. A 14-day free trial and free demo are available.
SeekOut
Sophisticated candidate sourcing software, well-suited for technical or expert-level positions
SeekOut’s Talent 360 recruiting platform includes sophisticated features to enrich the hiring process. Their software can aggregate candidate data from multiple sources to form unified candidate profiles with rich details. Like many other platforms in this list, their candidate search function is also backed by an advanced AI framework that incorporates machine learning techniques with Boolean searching and candidate filters. They also have dedicated tools to improve diversity during the hiring process by incorporating highly qualified minority candidates.
Beyond all that, Talent 360 is a valuable candidate screening tool for technical and expert-level positions, in particular. Their system sources candidates from 707M+ public profiles, with 29M+ developer profiles based on candidates’ GitHub activities related to developer programming languages. As well, their platform has aggregated 96M+ candidates profiles with deep subject matter expertise based on information like patents in their name, conference presentations, published papers, and how frequently they are cited among research papers. Talent 360 also has a roster of candidates with verified security clearances for filling roles in government, aerospace, defense and intelligence.
Talent 360 integrates with 20+ common applicant tracking systems, including Phenom People, Taleo, Workday, Talemetry, Jobvite, Gr8People, Crelate, RecruiterFlow, TrackTalents and others.
Pricing details for Talent 360 are not readily available, though a free demo can be requested via their website.
Yello
Candidate sourcing software with tools for talent rediscovery and nurturing passive talent
Yello’s recruiting software makes it easy to source qualified candidates by automating candidate scanning from many sources, and importing the data directly into Yello. Their tool filters information from sites like LinkedIn and DAXTRA boards, and centralizes the top-matching candidate profiles into Yello’s system. This also helps reduce job board license costs, since the integrations are already part of their software package.
Yello’s recruiting software has several interesting features to enrich the candidate sourcing process. To help hiring teams stay proactive, their system enables passive talent management through personalized nurture campaigns. This allows recruiters to cultivate top talent for future roles even before the job postings are live. Their talent rediscovery and recapture tools also help uncover talent that got lost in the shuffle of hiring processes, and initiate personalized re-engagement campaigns with them.
Other classic features worth mentioning are their advanced candidate search and filters, pipeline visualizations, and candidate engagement metrics. Their source channel tracking information is useful as it highlights which candidate sources are the most fruitful for your cause. In addition, their platform includes other insightful metrics and reporting functions too.
Yello integrates with all major applicant tracking systems (ATS), including Taleo, Workday, iCIMS, SAP SuccessFactors, Greenhouse, ADP, Kenexa and Lever. To improve pre-employment candidate testing, they also integrate with assessment providers such as HireVue, SHL, Pymetrics, Saville Assessment, and Cappfinity.
Pricing details for Yello are not readily available, though you can request a free demo via their website.
Fetcher
Time-saving candidate sourcing tool with helpful automations and AI-generated recommendations
Fetcher’s AI-powered sourcing platform reduces the time it takes to source quality candidates by automating the candidate sourcing process and other top-of-funnel tasks. Hiring managers can enter distinct keywords for skills their candidates need and upload a job description. The system then automatically scours candidate databases using their auto-pilot feature to quickly deliver the top-matched results.
Their AI-powered platform also makes it easy to remove bias from the initial sourcing process, ensuring your candidate pools are more diverse from the start. The system also supports diversity metrics such as open rates, response rates, and interview booking rates for diverse candidates. This makes it simple to show key stakeholders how your recruiting team is progressing against your company’s hiring goals.
Fetcher integrates with ATS systems Greenhouse, Lever and SmartRecruiters, as well as common email programs, Slack, Google Calendar and Outreach Calendar. They also have a 1-click Chrome extension too.
Pricing details for Fetcher are not readily available, though you can request a free demo via their website.
The 10 Best Candidate Sourcing Software Summary
Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Best for candidate experience optimization | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
2 | Advanced ATS with AI-generated candidate scores and recommendations | 14-day free trial | From $15/user/month | Website | |
3 | Best for sourcing talent with asynchronous video questions | 15-day free trial | From $75/month | Website | |
4 | AI-powered ATS with access to a vast global talent pool | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
5 | Best for global recruitment automation | Free trial available | From $84/user/month | Website | |
6 | Best for DEIB recruiting in the tech industry | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
7 | Best for customizable recruiting solutions | 14-day free trial | From $75/month | Website | |
8 | Sophisticated candidate sourcing software, well-suited for technical or expert-level positions | 14-day free trial + free demo | Pricing upon request | Website | |
9 | Candidate sourcing software with tools for talent rediscovery and nurturing passive talent | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
10 | Time-saving candidate sourcing tool with helpful automations and AI-generated recommendations | Free demo available | From $549/user/month | Website |
Other Candidate Sourcing Options
Here are a few more options that didn’t make the best candidate sourcing software list:
- TalentReef
For sourcing high-volumes of hourly workers
- AmazingHiring
AI-powered sourcing tool for technical positions with advanced prospect management features
- Visage
Global recruiting platform that blends human sourcing expertise with AI-powered candidate sourcing recommendations
- Gem
Comprehensive talent acquisition software including insightful forecasting tools and a talent CRM
- Eightfold
Sophisticated talent intelligence platform including a talent rediscovery tool that supports internal mobility
- Pinpoint
For branded career sites with automated job advertising
- hireEZ
Robust candidate sourcing tool with deep candidate pools and integrated processes for challenging niche industries
- Zoho Recruit
An applicant tracking system that helps streamline the recruitment process
- Tracker
Combined ATS and CRM platform with helpful AI and automated candidate ranking features
- Teamtailor
Candidate sourcing software for automating and analyzing candidate engagement
Comparison Criteria
Wondering what I look for when selecting the best candidate sourcing software? Here’s a summary of my evaluation criteria:
- User Interface (UI): I prefer software with a clean and colourful interface that makes the software enjoyable to use.
- Usability: I prioritize software that’s simple and easy-to-use, with information clearly organized and easily accessible (i.e., no endless clicking or scrolling to find what I need).
- Integrations: To maximize productivity, I prioritize systems that integrate with other software such as applicant tracking systems, communication tools, or digital calendars.
- Value for $: While I always appreciate software with transparent pricing structures, those details are not always readily available. Instead, pricing is often customized based on the volume of recruiting, job postings, or system users.
Candidate Sourcing Software: Key Features
Here’s a summary of the key features you can expect to find in the best candidate sourcing tools:
- Talent pools and pipelines: A talent pool is a roster of potential candidates for each position, whereas a talent pipeline is the visualization tool that tracks where each candidate is in the recruiting process.
- Direct integrations with job boards & social network sites: The exact number of sites will vary with each platform, but candidate sourcing tools automatically scour candidate repositories like LinkedIn, GitHub, StackOverflow and many others to find top-matching candidates. Through these integrated networks, some sourcing tools give recruiters access to millions of candidate profiles.
- Advanced talent discovery tools: This includes features like talent rediscovery and recapture, which looks inward to find existing employees who have the required skills for a new position. This category also includes advanced searching capabilities (Boolean + Semantic), dedicated candidate diversity tools, and artificial intelligence (AI) that helps source and rank candidates for each position.
- Rich candidate profiles: Sourcing tools combine data from many sources to provide hiring teams with as much detail as possible about each candidate. This category also includes other features like resume parsing tools that scan resume contents and populate candidate databases automatically.
- Workflow automations: This includes features like automated candidate searches based on key criteria, automated candidate scoring, and talent pools or long lists of candidates that are auto-generated.
- Customizable templates: This goes hand-in-hand with automations, but most sourcing tools have templates for candidate communications that can be customized and set to run in predetermined email sequences, saving recruiters lots of time.
- Advanced metrics: This includes data on candidate sourcing (which sources are the most fruitful or lagging), candidate engagement, candidate diversity, and predictive analytics for future hiring needs.
How Does Artificial Intelligence Support Candidate Sourcing?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a welcome addition to many candidate sourcing software platforms. AI supports the process by flagging job-related skills in job descriptions and searching the web for candidate profiles that match. Traditionally, this was a very time-consuming manual process that recruiters spent hours undertaking. Now, with AI, they can upload the parameters and let the sourcing software generate the list while they focus on other tasks. AI also helps reduce unconscious biases by adhering strictly to skill-based screening protocols.
AI also goes hand-in-hand with workflow automations - another time-saving feature. For example, AI-based tools like chatbots help create a positive candidate experience by managing candidate communications. Recent research indicates that recruiters using AI find it most helpful for: sourcing candidates (58%), screening candidates (56%), and nurturing candidates (55%).
Related Read: How Contact Management Software Can Benefit Your Business
Other AI-related statistics:
If you’re still curious about how AI has infiltrated the recruitment market, you might find these statistics interesting:
- 80% of executives believe AI improves performance and productivity
- 35% of talent professionals report that AI is the top trend influencing how they hire
- 38% of organizations are increasing their efforts to use AI for talent acquisition
- Data has shown that the cost of recruiting per role decreased by 75% due to AI-powered recruiting, and employee turnover reduced by 35%.
What Are Passive Candidates?
Passive candidates are professionals who aren't necessarily even looking for a job. Yet, they may have the exact skills and experience you're looking for. Even though these individuals are already employed, they may still show interest in a new career opportunity. This is especially true if they appear to have plateaued in their current role.
Sourcing tools identify these individuals by searching public candidate profile sites. Often using the power of AI, these tools match job requirements with overt skills mentioned in candidate profiles.
What Is Internal Mobility And Why Is It Important?
Internal mobility describes the ability for employees to change positions within an organization. Upward mobility (or vertical mobility) describes an employee moving up to a more advanced level. Lateral mobility (or horizontal mobility) is when an employee changes positions within an organization, but not levels. For example, a manager may receive a lateral position change to manage a different department, but still at the same technical level.
Many candidate sourcing systems automatically assess existing staff for internal mobility opportunities. This increases employee retention as staff who have opportunities to advance are more likely to stay with the company.
Related Read: HR Software: What It Costs And How To Decide What’s Best For Your Company
Additional Resources
I hope this article gave you a greater understanding of how candidate sourcing tools can support and advance your recruitment efforts.
If you’re interested in other software recommendations to help your recruiting team, take a look at our lists of the best recruiting software and best applicant tracking systems for small businesses too.
You may also benefit from some tips on How to Manage the Candidate Experience Through Rapid Scaling, especially if your business is in a period of rapid growth.
If you’re up to your eyeballs in applicants and need extra help, you may want to enlist some outside help. Here’s our list of 7 Recruitment Process Outsourcing Companies & Benefits to get you started.
Last but not least, before you go, it’d be great if you took a moment to subscribe to our People Managing People newsletter. By signing up, you’ll gain access to the latest articles covering a whole range of HR-related topics.
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