4. The 80-20 of Sourcing
The Pareto Principle applies perfectly to sourcing. I’ve found that 20% of my effort usually yields 80% of the results.
For most roles, you can generate a solid shortlist with 5–10 hours of sourcing.
But for those niche or critical roles, the final 20% of the talent pool can take 80% of your effort. It’s important to assess whether that extra time is worth it.
If the role is critical or evergreen, then yes, it’s worth going the extra mile. Otherwise, focus your energy where it has the most impact.
5. Deep Work
Distractions are everywhere, but deep, focused work is where the magic happens. I block out 1–2 hours every day for uninterrupted sourcing.
This is when you turn off notifications, shut out distractions, and dive deep into work.
It takes practice, but over time, your ability to focus will grow.
Deep work isn’t just about finding candidates, it’s about creating space for meaningful, high-impact work that moves the needle.
6. More, Better, Before New
Often we jump to new solutions. But we’re not getting the most out of our existing process, people, or tech.
Which means there’s also a smaller chance the new solution will have the impact we’d like.
Here’s how to avoid shiny objection syndrome when sourcing:
1 - More
Before investing in something new, focus on doing more:
→ More time spent on the kick-off process
→ Send more outreach messages
→ Follow up more often
2 - Better
Improve how you execute the current activities:
→ More efficient or robust kick-offs
→ Improve the Boolean strings used for search
→ Implement a new copywriting technique in outreach
3 - New
After exhausting those options consider new things:
→ Tech
→People
→Processes