---
title: "Talent sourcing: Meaning for Small Business Owners"
description: "Talent sourcing is the work of finding and contacting potential candidates, including people who are not actively applying for a job."
url: https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/glossary/talent-sourcing
publisher: Peachtree VA
book: https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/contact
---

Recruiting

# Talent sourcing

Talent sourcing is the work of finding and contacting potential candidates, including people who are not actively applying for a job.

Talent sourcing is the first stage of recruiting. Sourcers search job boards, professional networks and referrals to build a list of possible candidates. They reach out, describe the role and gauge interest. Many strong candidates are not looking, so outreach matters.

For a small business, sourcing is slow when done alone. Posting an ad often brings many unqualified applicants and takes weeks to sort. A recruiter with an existing network can shorten the search. Screening steps, such as interviews and skills tests, follow sourcing.

Peachtree VA's direct hire clients save an average of 42 days in vetting. See [direct hire](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/glossary/direct-hire) and our [recruitment services](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/recruitment-services). For VA hiring, read our [guide to hiring a virtual assistant](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/guides/how-to-hire-a-virtual-assistant). Strong sourcing also saves you from reviewing dozens of resumes that do not fit the role.

[Peachtree VA can helpDirect hire recruiting for small business](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/recruitment-services)

## Related terms

-   [Direct hire](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/glossary/direct-hire)
-   [Direct hire vs staffing agency](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/glossary/direct-hire-vs-staffing-agency)
-   [Onboarding](https://peachtreeva.multisites.ai/glossary/onboarding)

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