# How to source candidates as a recruiter (3 ways compared)

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For AI agents: [Markdown version of this page](https://aiagentskills.biz/md/how-to/recruiters/candidate-sourcing.md) · [llms.txt](https://aiagentskills.biz/llms.txt) Guide · 3 ways compared

# How to source candidates as a recruiter

There are three honest ways to source candidates: manually (about 2-3 hours per role), with DIY AI prompting, or with a $19 ready-made agent. This guide compares all three with real pros and cons.

Hand it an approved role and a sourcing target. You get back a review queue of candidate LinkedIn URLs, each with job-relevant evidence and a source trace, saved as a Google Sheet in your own Drive. Here are the three honest ways to get it done, with real trade-offs.

[Compare the 3 ways](#compare)[Skip to the ready-made agent](#way3) [Home](/) › [How-to guides](/how-to/) › Candidate Sourcing

## Way 1: without AI (the manual way)

**Honest cost: 2-3 hours per role.**

1.  Run LinkedIn searches by hand, trying different title spellings and filters.
2.  Open every promising profile in a tab and read it against the role.
3.  Copy names and profile URLs into a spreadsheet one by one.
4.  Add an evidence note per row from memory, while the tab is still open.

Sourcing means opening tabs, running the same LinkedIn searches, copying profile URLs into a sheet and trying to remember why each person looked right. Two hours later you have nine rows, no evidence column, and a hiring manager asking where the shortlist is.

### Pros of doing it manually

  - Free except your time - no tools, no accounts.
  - You learn the job deeply and control every detail.
  - No data leaves your hands.

### Cons of doing it manually

  - 2-3 hours per role - every single time the job runs.
  - Quality depends on your energy that day.
  - More volume just means more hours; it does not scale.

## Way 2: with AI, but without AI Agent Skills (DIY prompting)

A chat assistant genuinely helps here. The catch is that you become the workflow designer. What you have to figure out yourself:

  - You must write the sourcing prompt yourself and keep tightening it when results drift.
  - You must define the output columns and evidence rules, or every run comes back shaped differently.
  - You must re-paste the role, the sheet and the rules every single run - nothing persists between sessions.

Here is a starter prompt that works - copy it and bring the inputs listed:

    Find 10 candidates for this role: [paste role summary and must-have skills]. For each candidate give me: name, LinkedIn profile URL, and one line of job-relevant evidence with the source you used. Present it as a table. Do not contact anyone and do not invent profiles - if you cannot verify a profile exists, say so instead of listing it.

More on this prompt: [the free ai candidate sourcing for recruiters prompt page](/prompts/recruiters/sourcing-agent/).

### Pros of DIY prompting

  - Free, or nearly - any chat assistant works.
  - A first draft in minutes instead of hours.
  - Fully flexible: tweak the prompt for any edge case.

### Cons of DIY prompting

  - You become the workflow designer: prompts, test data and output rules are yours to write, test and maintain.
  - Output drifts between sessions unless you re-paste the rules every run.
  - Nothing is saved for you - sheets, structure and context are rebuilt each time.

## Way 3: with AI Agent Skills ($19, one-time)

The [Sourcing Agent](/recruiters/sourcing-agent/) is this job already designed: fixed evidence rules, output contract, test fixtures and stop points. You ask once:

> Hello, find me 10 product designers

And a finished, review-ready artifact lands in your own Drive:

| Name               | LinkedIn                                    | Evidence                                                          |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Sample candidate A | `linkedin.com/in/sample-product-designer-a` | Product systems work at two B2B SaaS teams; source checked        |
| Sample candidate B | `linkedin.com/in/sample-product-designer-b` | Mobile design portfolio and relevant role history; source checked |

*Sample data shown. Your workspace fills with your real work.*

Setup takes about 10 minutes: buy, hand the three files to the assistant you already use (Instinct, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other assistant that reads files), approve the fictional-data test. Then it runs on a standing cycle or a one-line ask, and stops at every human gate. [Full method](/how-it-works/).

### Pros of the ready-made agent

  - About 10 minutes to a tested setup, not an afternoon of prompt tuning.
  - The same output shape every run - evidence rules and stop points are already designed.
  - Runs on a standing cycle or a one-line ask; files land in your own Drive.

### Cons of the ready-made agent

  - Costs $19 once, where DIY prompting is free.
  - The output format is opinionated - you adapt the template rather than rebuild it.
  - It still stops and waits for your approval at decision points; it is not zero-touch.

[Get the Sourcing Agent · $19](https://aiagentskillsbiz.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/fa649777-fe8d-4ccf-9978-978c36fc8553)

## The honest comparison

|                      | Way 1: manual          | Way 2: DIY AI                                  | Way 3: $19 agent                   |
| -------------------- | ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| Time to first result | 2-3 hours per role     | An afternoon of prompt tuning                  | About 10 minutes, tested setup     |
| Every run after      | Same hours, every time | Re-paste the rules, sheet and context each run | One short ask, or a standing cycle |
| Consistency          | Depends on the day     | Drifts between sessions                        | Same output shape every run        |
| Cost                 | Your hours             | Free, plus your time                           | $19 once, files kept forever       |

The manual way teaches you the job. DIY prompting is fine for a one-off. The agent wins when the job repeats every week.

More: the [Sourcing Agent product page](/recruiters/sourcing-agent/) · the [AI candidate sourcing for recruiters guide](/agents-for/recruiters/candidate-sourcing/) · [AI agents for recruiters](/agents-for/recruiters/)

## Questions people ask

### What is the fastest way to source candidates?

The $19 ready-made agent: about 10 minutes of setup, then one short ask per run. Manual takes 2-3 hours per role; DIY prompting takes an afternoon of tuning plus upkeep.

### Can I source candidates without AI?

Yes - the manual steps are on this page. Expect 2-3 hours per role each time the job runs.

### Is the $19 agent worth it over DIY prompting?

If the job repeats weekly, yes: you stop rebuilding prompts and re-pasting context every run. For a one-off, DIY prompting is fine and free.

Last updated 13 September 2026 · Reviewed by the AI Agent Skills team.