Why do I just post jobs and hope, instead of finding people myself?
You say sourcing eludes you. Examine that word. It suggests something slippery, beyond your grasp. But nothing is eluding you — you simply have not done it. A posted job is an act of hope. A sourced candidate is an act of will. The posting feels like work because it takes effort to write and money to place. But it asks nothing further of you. That is its appeal. It lets you feel productive while remaining passive. Sourcing has no such comfort — it requires you to approach a stranger and risk silence or refusal. This is not about talent for outreach. It is about your willingness to be uncomfortable on purpose, repeatedly, without proof it will work. That discomfort is the entire job. Stop asking how to become a person who sources well. Start today, badly, and correct as you go.
Posting and waiting is not a hiring strategy — it is the absence of one. You have handed your judgment to strangers who happen to see an ad. Sourcing is not a skill you lack; it is a habit you have not yet chosen. Pick five people today and write to them.
What changes unlock by starting
- You send outreach messages weekly instead of waiting for applications to arrive.
- You keep a running list of people worth approaching, updated as you meet or hear of them.
- You no longer confuse activity (posting) with progress (reaching people directly).
- You can name, without checking, how many people you contacted this week.