What talent sourcing covers
Talent sourcing is the work of finding people who are not looking for you yet. For most executive, specialized, and hard-to-fill Federal positions, the strongest candidates are employed, satisfied, and not reading vacancy announcements. We find them, check their public professional background against your criteria, and start a conversation on your behalf.
- Candidate identification across professional networks, industry associations, conference speaker and attendee lists, publications, academic programs, and our own recruiting network.
- Lead qualification against your written criteria. We match public professional information to the sourcing criteria your agency provides. This is a sourcing screen, not a Federal qualification determination.
- Candidate outreach with Government-approved messaging about your mission and the opportunity, sent by staff who identify themselves as contractor personnel.
- Talent pipeline management: every interested candidate is logged by occupation, source, engagement status, and follow-up date, and the pipeline is refreshed at least monthly.
Where our role ends
When a candidate is interested, we send them your USAJOBS announcement or designated application channel and encourage them to apply. We do not tell anyone they are qualified, eligible, referred, or selected, and we never promise an interview, grade, or salary. Your agency’s HR specialists and hiring managers make every one of those decisions.
What you receive
- Candidate sourcing and lead reportEach lead with current role, relevant experience and skills, location, public profile, source, and the basis for identification. Monthly or as directed.
- Candidate outreach activity reportWho was contacted, through which channel, response, interest status, and whether the USAJOBS link was sent. Monthly.
- Talent pipeline trackerInterested candidates by occupational area and recruitment priority, with engagement and follow-up status. Monthly, in Excel or your preferred format.
How it is measured
| Standard | Target |
|---|---|
| Leads that meet your written sourcing criteria, checked by sample | 90% or more |
| Lead records complete enough to show the basis for identification | 95% or more |
| Outreach that identifies us as a contractor and claims no hiring authority | 100% |
| Interested candidates sent your USAJOBS announcement | 95% or more |
| Pipeline accuracy and completeness | 95% or more |
Leads that miss the criteria are replaced at no additional cost.
Questions about talent sourcing
What is the difference between talent sourcing and executive search?
Commercial executive search usually runs through placement: the firm presents a shortlist and is paid when a candidate is hired. Federal talent sourcing stops earlier. We identify and engage candidates and send them to your application process, and your agency handles assessment, referral, and selection under Federal hiring rules.
Who owns the talent pipeline?
Pipeline records created for your contract, including outreach logs, interest status, and information candidates give us, are Government records and transfer to your agency at contract end. Data held under third-party platform licenses, such as full professional-network profiles, is referenced by link rather than copied, to respect those platforms’ terms.
How do you protect candidate information?
We treat candidate data as personally identifiable information: access limited to project staff, encrypted storage, no use for any other client or purpose, and retention and disposal on your schedule. See federal compliance for details.
Can you source for positions that are not posted yet?
Yes. Building a pipeline ahead of a vacancy is one of the most useful things sourcing can do. Candidates are told the opportunity is anticipated, and they are sent the announcement when it opens.