talent-sourcer

name

talent-sourcer

description

This skill should be used when the user asks to talent sourcer, source candidates, define a sourcing strategy, run boolean search or X-ray search, conduct LinkedIn sourcing, find passive candidates, build a talent map or talent pool, build a recruiting pipeline, draft recruiting outreach, produce a candidate list, or follow a sourcer playbook for proactive recruiting. Guides role intake and search strategy, platform sourcing (LinkedIn, GitHub, communities), talent mapping and market scans, personalized outreach at scale, pipeline hygiene and CRM notes, diversity sourcing, competitor talent pool analysis, and handoff to recruiters—not interview loop design (interview-prep, interview-system-designer), offer letters (draft-offer), comp bands (comp-analysis), HR policy or employee relations (hr-business-partner), generic B2B prospecting (lead-researcher, account-research, enrich-lead unless explicitly recruiting), employer branding campaigns (cmo-advisor), or end-to-end recruiting ops (talent-acquisition).

Talent Sourcer

When to Use

• Intake a requisition and translate it into search strategy, channels, and boolean strings
• Run boolean, X-ray, and platform-native searches (LinkedIn, GitHub, communities)
• Build a talent map, market scan, or talent pool for a role or company
• Identify and qualify passive candidates with evidence-backed fit notes
• Draft recruiting outreach and multi-touch engagement sequences at scale
• Maintain pipeline hygiene—CRM stages, notes, tags, and duplicate handling
• Apply diversity sourcing considerations without tokenism or biased filters
• Analyze competitor and target-company talent pools for mapping and poachability
• Prepare handoff packages for recruiters and hiring managers with clear next steps

When NOT to Use

• Design interview loops, scorecards, or calibration → interview-system-designer, interview-prep
• Draft offer letters or total comp packages → draft-offer, comp-analysis
• HR policy, ER cases, workforce planning, or org design → hr-business-partner
• Generic B2B sales prospecting or account research → lead-researcher, account-research, enrich-lead (unless explicitly recruiting)
• Sales call prep for non-hiring conversations → call-prep
• Full recruiting program design, employer brand campaigns, or TA strategy → talent-acquisition, cmo-advisor
• Track reqs across hiring stages without sourcing work → recruiting-pipeline (coordination only)

Related skills

Need	Skill
Recruiting strategy, employer brand, hiring funnel design	talent-acquisition
Pipeline stages, req tracking, hiring status	recruiting-pipeline
Interview plans, questions, scorecards	interview-prep, interview-system-designer
HR programs, policy, workforce planning	hr-business-partner
B2B account or contact research (non-recruiting)	lead-researcher, account-research
Contact enrichment for outreach lists	enrich-lead
Compensation benchmarking and bands	comp-analysis
Sales or customer meeting prep	call-prep

Core Workflows

1. Role intake and search strategy

1. Confirm must-haves vs nice-to-haves, level, location, work model, and comp band (directional only)
2. Define ideal candidate profile (ICP): titles, skills, companies, tenure patterns, exclusions
3. Choose primary channels and backup channels by persona (e.g., IC eng → GitHub + LinkedIn)
4. Set weekly sourcing targets and quality bar for handoff
5. Document search strings and platform-specific filters in a reusable playbook block

See references/role_intake_and_search_strategy.md.

2. Sourcing execution

1. Run boolean / X-ray searches per channel; log variants and result quality
2. Screen profiles against ICP; tag fit tier (A/B/C) with one-line rationale
3. De-duplicate against CRM and prior outreach; respect do-not-contact lists
4. Capture evidence (profile URL, snippet, project link) for each qualified lead
5. Batch-add to pipeline with consistent field mapping

See references/sourcing_channels_and_boolean_search.md.

3. Talent mapping and market research

1. Map target companies, teams, and alumni flows for the role family
2. Estimate pool size and competition (open roles, funding, layoffs)
3. Identify warm paths: referrals, communities, conference speakers, OSS maintainers
4. Produce a talent map artifact: segments, names (where appropriate), and gaps
5. Refresh map on cadence aligned to req urgency

See references/talent_mapping_and_market_research.md.

4. Outreach and engagement

1. Personalize first touch from public signals (talks, repos, posts)—no creepy inference
2. Sequence follow-ups with channel-appropriate spacing; stop on opt-out
3. A/B test subject lines and hooks where volume warrants it
4. Track reply rate, interested rate, and conversion to screen
5. Escalate warm leads to recruiter with context package

See references/outreach_and_engagement_sequences.md.

5. Pipeline hygiene and handoff

1. Enforce stage definitions: sourced → contacted → replied → interested → handed off
2. Write CRM notes that answer: why fit, risk flags, outreach history, next action
3. Hand off A-tier candidates with profile summary and suggested pitch to HM
4. Report sourcing metrics weekly; flag blockers (low pool, low reply, bad JD)

See references/pipeline_handoff_and_sourcing_metrics.md.

When to load references

• Scope and boundaries → references/talent_sourcer_scope.md
• Intake and strategy → references/role_intake_and_search_strategy.md
• Channels and boolean → references/sourcing_channels_and_boolean_search.md
• Mapping and market → references/talent_mapping_and_market_research.md
• Outreach → references/outreach_and_engagement_sequences.md
• Handoff and metrics → references/pipeline_handoff_and_sourcing_metrics.md