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Candidate sourcing tools: how to choose one

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A sourcing tool helps you find candidates, including the ones who haven't applied. But the tools are very different: some search LinkedIn's network, some search CVs from job seekers, and some let AI find and rank candidates from your job ad. Here are the four kinds, an overview of the tools recruiters in Denmark most often come across, and seven questions that make the choice easier.

Four kinds of sourcing tools

  1. LinkedIn's own. Recruiter Lite, Recruiter and, for agencies, Recruiter Professional Services. You search LinkedIn's network yourself with filters and Boolean, and write with InMail.
  2. CV databases. The Jobindex CV database and Jobnet for Employers, the Danish public job portal. They hold job seekers who created a CV to be found.
  3. AI sourcing. Juicebox, SeekOut and Navigent. You start with a job ad or a description, and AI builds the search in a large database and ranks the candidates.
  4. Platforms with sourcing. hireEZ and Gem. Sourcing is one part of a larger platform with CRM, ATS, scheduling and reporting.

Overview

The numbers of candidates and the prices are the public ones, as each vendor shows them, excluding VAT.

ToolCandidatesPrice
LinkedIn Recruiter LiteYour network to third degreeBought online, monthly or yearly
LinkedIn RecruiterAll of LinkedInOn request from LinkedIn
Jobindex CV databaseMore than 445,000 searchable candidatesFree access, DKK 3,085 per hire, for agencies also DKK 105 per contact
Jobnet for EmployersAbout 150,000 active CVsFree
Juicebox800 million profilesUSD 0, 119 or 199 per user per month
SeekOutMore than 1 billion profilesUSD 179 a month, USD 149 billed yearly
hireEZMore than 1 billion profilesFrom USD 494 a month for one recruiter
GemMore than 800 million profilesOn request
Navigent+305 million profiles, +1 million DanishFree: 2 searches, 1 more per colleague, up to 5. Basis DKK 1,499 and Pro DKK 3,749 per user per month

Read the comparisons one by one: LinkedIn Recruiter, the Jobindex CV database, Juicebox, hireEZ, SeekOut and Gem.

Seven questions before you choose

1. Who do you need to find?

A CV database finds the people who are looking. To also find the ones who aren't, you need to search professional profiles, with LinkedIn or an AI tool. Read Passive candidates: how to find and reach them.

2. How well does the tool cover Denmark?

A global number says nothing about how many fit your role in Aarhus. Ask for numbers for your titles in Denmark. Navigent shows them for selected titles in the candidate atlas.

With LinkedIn and the CV databases, you build the search yourself with filters and keywords, which takes time and experience. With AI sourcing, you start from the job ad. Read Boolean search for recruiters hiring in Denmark if you want to do it yourself.

4. Can you see why a candidate was picked?

A ranking without reasons is hard to trust and hard to explain to a candidate. Look for evidence for each requirement, and for what the data can't answer.

5. How do you contact the candidates?

InMail, a message through the database, or email and LinkedIn from your own accounts. Also check whether the tool tracks opens, and what a reply does to a sequence.

6. Where is data processed, and who's responsible?

If the tool processes candidate data on your behalf, you're the data controller and you need a data processing agreement. Many American tools process data in the United States. Read the vendor's list of sub-processors and GDPR and sourcing passive candidates.

7. What does it cost per hire?

Don't only compare the price per user. Count time, contacts and fees too. Read Cost per candidate and cost per hire in Denmark.

Use several together

Most recruiters use more than one tool. Post the role, search a CV database for the people who are looking, and use LinkedIn or AI sourcing for the ones who aren't. Keep one list of the people who said no thanks, so nobody is contacted again from another channel.

Frequently asked questions

What is a candidate sourcing tool?

A sourcing tool helps a recruiter find and contact candidates, including the ones who haven't applied. It can be LinkedIn's own tools, a CV database, or a tool that uses AI to find and rank candidates from a job ad.

What's the best sourcing tool for hiring in Denmark?

It depends on who you need to find. For active job seekers, a CV database such as Jobindex's or Jobnet's is the obvious place. For passive candidates, you need to search professional profiles, with LinkedIn Recruiter or an AI tool, and for white-collar, specialist and management roles in Denmark, Navigent is made for exactly that.

Are there free sourcing tools?

Yes. Jobnet for Employers is free, the Jobindex CV database is free for companies until a contact leads to a hire, and Juicebox has a free plan with a limited number of searches. You can try Navigent free: 2 free searches, 1 more per colleague, up to 5, no card.

What does a sourcing tool cost?

From free to several thousand kroner per user a month. Juicebox costs USD 119 per user per month billed monthly, SeekOut USD 179, hireEZ from USD 494 for one recruiter, and Navigent DKK 1,499 per user per month excluding VAT on Basis. LinkedIn Recruiter and Gem are priced on request.

Sources