How Passive Sourcing Can Help To Search The Rest Of The Talent Iceberg

Posting vacancies on various job portals and other media and asking employees for referrals are the old school methods that worked when talent was sufficiently and easily available.

Today, talent is available in abundance but finding the best-fit person for the organization and engaging them for the further recruitment process is challenging. Reasons being the war of talent, candidates spread across multiple platforms, and inactive suitable candidates.

Hence, depending on conventional methods to search candidates is not recommended, especially when organizations want to advance strategically and align their hires to the business goal and culture.

In such a scenario, instead of finding them on-demand and as-needed basis, it is essential to search for candidates actively and proactively. One such strategy that aligns with the above thought is passive sourcing or iceberg sourcing!

Understanding Passive/Iceberg Sourcing

As the name suggests, the tip of the iceberg is just 1/10th of the entire iceberg! Similarly, in the job seekers market, only 10% are visible. The rest of the 90% talent is passive and inactive! To reach these passive (yet potential) candidates, sourcers need to adopt novel techniques and research in-depth. Hence, passive sourcing becomes a complicated and time-consuming method.

Yet, it works wonders for organizations that have a specific recruitment goal or vision on their mind. Let us see how it benefits!

Why Adopt Passive Sourcing Technique?

#Less competition for the organization

Passive candidates are not available upfront for other organizations to approach for hiring. Hence, you can be most of the time assured that they are not engaged in ongoing process interviews. It also gives you ample time to decide about the candidate and have better negotiation terms. It reduces your overall competition to engage and hire the candidates. Plus, they will pursue job opportunities only if they are genuinely interested. It saves the time of recruiters and the uncertainty of joining, if selected.

#Acquire growth mindset

According to a LinkedIn survey, 80% of the passive job seekers are content with their current jobs.

These candidates will only change their jobs if it offers them more challenging roles, an increased chance of growth, and a better work-life balance. Thus, they are self-motivated and have a growth mindset. It eventually helps the hiring organizations to acquire candidates who already have a positive attitude, positively impacting the overall culture of their organization.

#Hire proven skillset

Passive candidates are desirable, even to their current employers. They are an asset to the organization and have proved themselves over time. Hence, it is an assurance to head-hunters that candidates have the required skills (through your in-depth research about the candidate).

A candidate with a proven skillset will require little to no training if they join your organization, which will save your resources after recruitment.

#Ensure higher retention rate

Passive candidates have stable jobs. They will pursue other opportunities only for valid reasons. They are honest about why they are changing jobs if at all they are willing.

They will join an organization if the future employer tick marks all their terms and conditions. Therefore, they will stick with the organization for a longer time, increasing the organization’s retention rate.

How to Start Passive Sourcing

Passive sourcing isn’t about job postings or applicants. It’s about anticipation, precision, and timing—spotting top talent before they even consider a move. It’s a game of strategy. Play it right, and you’ll tap into the best candidates before anyone else even knows they’re available.

How to Train and Prepare Passive Sourcer

A great passive sourcer isn’t just finding candidates—they’re building future hires before the competition even sees them coming. Train them to think smarter, engage better, and stay ahead. That’s how you win.

1. Shift from Recruiting to Hunting

Recruiters react. Sourcers hunt. This isn’t about waiting for applications—it’s about knowing where the best talent hides and how to approach them before they even start looking. Teach them to think like talent scouts, not job fillers.

2. Get Laser-Focused on Targeting

Throwing a wide net? Waste of time.

• Define exactly who fits the role and why.

• Teach Boolean, X-ray searches, and AI sourcing tools.

• Go beyond LinkedIn—GitHub, Twitter, niche forums. The best talent isn’t always where you expect.

3. Outreach That Actually Works

Finding candidates is easy. Getting them to respond is the real challenge.

• No copy-paste messages. Personalization is key.

• Show them how to warm up candidates through engagement—comments, shares, industry conversations.

• Role-play responses. Train them to handle pushback, gauge interest, and pivot fast.

4. Teach Them to Think in Data

Sourcing isn’t guesswork—it’s strategy. Every message, every interaction, all tells a story.

• Track response rates. What’s working? What’s getting ignored?

• Map out competitor hiring trends. Where is top talent going? Why?

• Build predictable, repeatable pipelines. No more scrambling when a role opens.

5. Make Employer Brand Their Secret Weapon

Top candidates don’t just want a job—they want the right company.

• Teach them how to sell the company without overselling.

• Show them how to leverage content, employee stories, and culture insights in outreach.

• Help them build credibility as industry insiders—not just recruiters.

6. Play the Long Game

Great sourcing isn’t about quick wins—it’s about relationships.

• Train them to stay in touch, even when there’s no open role.

• Show them how to turn passive talent into active candidates—without pressure.

• Teach them to spot career moves before they happen. Timing is everything.

7. Keep Them Ahead of the Curve

Sourcing evolves—fast. If they’re not learning, they’re falling behind.

• Push them to attend webinars, experiment with new tools, and refine their approach constantly.

• Encourage peer learning—great sourcers sharpen each other.

• Build a team culture of staying one step ahead.

Passive Sourcing with Rent-A-Sourcer

Here's how Rent-A-Sourcer enhances passive sourcing with these key features: