Strategies recruiters can use to find quality CVs

Every recruiter is working towards achieving their recruitment goals and targets. Here the first step towards achieving the same starts with finding and attracting relevant and quality candidate CVs for which recruiters engage in candidate sourcing. This step in a typical recruitment process is known to be one of the trickiest and most time-consuming.   

In addition to the challenges mentioned above, several other challenges are associated with finding and acquiring relevant CVs. All such challenges should encourage you to pursue your talent hunt. In this write-up, we will address all such roadblocks one by one. But before we get into those solutions, let’s understand what the most common barriers faced by recruiters during a candidate hunt are.   

Challenges faced by recruiters while finding CVs 

  • Not finding relevant candidate profiles by organic search 

  •  Underqualified candidates concerning the job requirements  

  • Quality CVs that do not match the job requirements 

  • Candidates being unresponsive 

  • Candidate not interested  


Considering all such challenges, we’ve got you this highly recommended step-wise approach to help you pick the right needles from the haystack which will gear up your next candidate search. Now, before you start your search pay attention to the following aspects. 

Work on the following aspects before venturing into your candidate search 

Step 1: Understand the job role and its basic requirements. 

Step 2: Work on understanding and calibrating the job description and keep it handy to share with your potential candidates. 

Step 3: Look for scopes to leverage your personal and professional network. 

Step 4: Consider utilizing your social media handles provided you have an open professional social handle where you can post your requirement. 

Step 5: Do quick research on the job portal where you have the maximum chance to find your desired candidate. 

Indulge in a pro-active candidate search 

You can search for candidates directly on a search engine like Google or conduct a targeted search on a job portal. Here for both kinds of searches, it is essential to work on the search terms and the combination of the same for carrying out your hunt.  

At the same time, several job portals and websites also allow you to post job vacancies. Here it is vital to select the appropriate keywords and hashtags that can be included in the post to enable a targeted reach and also to keep the job post searchable.  

You often might not get relevant profiles even after executing the perfect search strategy and posting an enticing job post. In such a scenario, try conducting a candidate search more than thrice by trying different combinations and permutations of search terms. In several job portals, there will be advanced features to search for similar CVs for a sample CV which can fetch you the closest profile. 

Things to do when you come across quality candidate profiles 

As a first step, when you come across a relevant candidate profile, note the date when it was uploaded and last updated. Prefer considering recent and updated profiles. Now the most challenging part is communication. Yes! Communicating with a candidate for the first time is similar to making a cold call or sending a cold email. It might be due to multiple reasons - the candidate might be busy with their current job, lack of interest, unclear job title and description, etc. issues with employer branding and company culture, employee benefits, credibility of the job advertisement, and so on.   

#1 Have a robust candidate communication system in place 

Email communication is the most widely used formal mode of communication with a potential candidate. Make sure to send an email with the necessary details and your contact details to every relevant profile you come across so that the candidates can revert during their available time.  

Make sure to include the following details in your candidate outreach email 

Job title: Mention a clear job title with the most commonly used synonyms. 

Job description: Add a calibrated job description. 

Basic job requirements: Mention the skill requirements-both, hard and soft skills. 

Basic candidate qualifying criteria: Required educational qualification and experience. 

Location: Company/branch physical address 

Mode of work: WFH/WFO/Hybrid 

About the company: Include the website link and contact information. 

#2 Candidate relationship with different modes of communication 

 Though email is the most sought-after mode of communication, it is a reality that emails have very low open and click-through rates. Therefore, it is recommended to carry-out communication through several other communication mediums such as phone calls, WhatsApp and SMS broadcasts, Messengers apps, and so on. Here WhatsApp broadcast is well-known for receiving the highest response rate. Similarly, social media can also be used to communicate as people spend considerable time there. 

#3 Sending periodical updates 

When you are contacting a candidate for the first time, you might not get a response. Candidate sourcing experts recommend sending follow-up messages, emails, and calls. Here is a pro tip from top recruiters: utilize email templates specific for candidate outreach for better response. And as and when you start handling bigger hiring projects, it is vital to enable bulk communication strategies to minimize time and effort. 

#4 Look for passive candidates 

Top talent can be acquired by attracting passive candidates. For instance, if you are looking for a backend developer for company A, you can try targeting backend developers from company B because they might be looking for a job change. You can also contact the existing backend developers from company A and learn where they worked before to target similar candidates.  

#5 Ask for referrals 

One of the best ways to acquire candidates quickly can be achieved by asking for referrals. Referrals can be from the candidates who responded but are not interested to apply, employees in a similar role from other organizations, and, employees from the same organization. You can also ask a candidate who showed interest to recommend their friends in case of multiple openings. Here it is preferrable to keep the job referral program open for all. It is also essential to keep the referral rewards as enticing as possible. 

#6 Join talent and recruiter networks 

 Networking is key for candidate sourcing, and thought leaders from the talent industry highly recommend it. Moreover, having a solid network can accelerate your candidate-sourcing endeavor. Strengthen and acquire new connections periodically to be prepared for future hiring projects.  

#7 Start collecting CVs  

Whenever you come across a candidate profile, start collecting and saving the CVs and their contact details. This is because an irrelevant or less qualified profile for a particular job role might perfectly match an upcoming job opening. Maintain an internal database where you can sort and bucket candidates according to their skills and experience for future use.  

#8 Technology and collaboration 

In this era of modern recruitment, where most of the hiring processes are tech-driven and automated, it is imperative to stay in line with the current trends. Recruitment marketplaces are well-known to provide lucrative benefits, especially to freelance recruiters and agencies. In addition to offering tools and technology, they also provide new business opportunities and manual support to take care of operational hassles which would help you focus more on candidate sourcing thereby enabling more candidate deal closures. 

Final Takeaways 

Finding the best cultural fit for a job vacancy within a deadline becomes more difficult with evolving hiring trends. But the good news is - it offers immense business opportunities for recruitment agencies, freelance recruiters, and candidate sourcing experts.  

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Written by:


Vidhya V,

6 December 2022

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