AI Candidate Sourcing – Finding candidates beyond traditional methods


AI is the ability of a machine to exhibit learning, perception and problem-solving. For recruiting it can be used for anything from scanning resumes to vetting for characters. AI can also help you find higher quality candidates by increasing the accuracy of candidate matching or re-engaging prior candidates – and it helps you reach the less active candidates.

So, how would that work exactly you might wonder?

Well, this technique has been around for some years and is commonly used in marketing. Only quite recently the recruitment business started using AI to support their sourcing and automate manual legwork and improve the effectiveness. The most commonly used AI sourcing in recruitment is via social media where likes and followers etc. are tracked along with own profile data to customise the communication – targeting individuals based on their interests and social media behaviour. Mercuri Urval has taken this technique many steps further by having access to the world's largest database. This gives us the opportunity to target candidates regardless of media.

Our Digital Footprint

Let's follow Karen, CEO at company X, for one day.

Karen wakes up at 6:00 a.m. and turns on her smart-TV to catch up on the world news she missed while she was asleep. During breakfast she reads a message from an old friend on social media, she browses her two preferred business websites and quickly scans LinkedIn before leaving for an external meeting. Throughout the day Karen attends several meetings before she wraps up and goes home. Exhausted she crawls up in the sofa with her laptop to book the family trip to London they have been planning for a while. She also browses LinkedIn to see who is recruiting for what. She's not looking for a job, but she is interested in what the industry and the competitors are offering. She then listens to music whilst waiting for her family to arrive home.

Karen's digital footprint today reveals a lot about who she is, what she likes and where she is at in her life. Her smart-TV tells us what she prefers to watch and Spotify tells us what music she likes. All the personal information on her social media (married, kids, what posts she reads and likes, companies and friends she follows, etc.) tells us even more. Her mobile phone reveals all locations she has been at. She also booked a flight to London so we know she's going away and when. Her digital footprints together with a lot more she leaves behind in just one day will reveal a lot about her – building up a picture of her life and habits.

Every day our digital portrait of who we are keep growing. A portrait more public than we could ever imagine.

So how does this work in everyday life?

All these digital footprints are available for commercial purposes and this is what Mercuri Urval uses to send out relevant job opportunities in relevant channels to relevant candidates.

You see, AI Candidate Sourcing not only makes it easier for candidates to see jobs relevant to them, but it also helps us to attract relevant candidates that have the track record and skills needed for the job.

Artificial Intelligence for recruiting is the learning or problem-solving that a computer can do in the recruitment workflow. The system uses all the data it is provided with to target our potential candidates in media. We supply the data such as desired background, location and segments as technical skills, leadership etc. and the system learns along the way how and where we find them in the most efficient way by focusing on conversions (applications).

The Benefits

This is a very effective and efficient way of attracting candidates! The benefits are obvious;

  1. Targeting Precision
    1. We reach both passive and active candidates
    2. High affinity, relevant jobs to relevant candidates maximizes the efficiency.
    3. We can attract and reach candidates for one reason or the other we otherwise would not find or cannot approach
  2. Candidate Experience
    1. The candidate is only exposed to relevant offerings from your brand, enhancing the brand experience
    2. Candidates that have been exposed to the offer and are aware of the job opportunity are much more open to an approach by our consultants.
    3. Our solution has an easy to apply feature, only 10 seconds needed
  3. Cost Efficient
    1. Maximised reach by having access to the worlds largest data base with minimum spend as we only pay for relevant candidates
    2. We reach our audience regardless of media
    3. Technology manages the administration

Above all this, AI Candidate Sourcing will expose your brand in a relevant environment, for a relevant audience in a 21st C setting, making your company's brand perceived as forward thinking.


  • Artificial Intelligence