What Are the Five Sources of Job Candidates?

Five sources for finding job candidates include advertisements, internal referrals, job fairs, social networking and recruiting firms or databases. Employers have several options within each category for finding qualified candidates.

Using multiple sources to find job candidates creates a larger talent pool for a company looking for new employees. The additional recruitment avenues get the company’s name out to more potential employees. When the company has a larger candidate pool, it has more opportunity to be selective and find employees who best fit the company and have the potential to stay long term.

Newspaper advertisements are a traditional recruitment source. Online job sites expand the options for companies since many job seekers search online. Companies can recruit online via job announcements on Facebook or by connecting with potential employees on LinkedIn.

Current employees are another potential source of new employees. Companies sometimes offer referral bonuses to encourage referrals. If monetary compensation is involved, companies often delay at least part of the payment for six months to a year to ensure the new employee stays on staff and performs quality work.

A booth at a job fair is a way to collect resumes from several candidates at once. Colleges often hold job fairs, but communities also put on fairs. A job fair for a particular industry may help find the best qualified candidates.

Companies who don’t have the time or money for recruitment have the option of using recruiting firms. Many recruiting websites allow job seekers to upload resumes for employers to browse.