{"slug":"source-candidates","title":"Sourcing candidates on Parlel: a recruiter's guide","description":"How recruiters source candidates from published Parlel profiles: skill search, availability filters, verification signals and outreach that works.","cluster":"Find people","updated":"2026-09-21","url":"https://parlel.com/guides/source-candidates","markdown":"Recruiting on Parlel starts from a structural advantage: every profile is published deliberately, carries structured work history and skills, and is readable without a login -- by you and by your tooling. No InMail credits, no connection request before you can read a profile. Here is how to source well.\n\n## 1. Translate the req into skills, not titles\n\nTitles are employer-specific fiction; skills travel. \"Senior Backend Engineer, 5+ years\" becomes a skill set: the languages, the infrastructure, the domain. Search those on the [people directory](/people) -- our [skill search guide](/guides/skill-based-search) covers how to pick terms people actually list -- and treat titles as a second pass over the results, not the query.\n\n## 2. Filter by availability first\n\nThe \"open to work\" signal is the highest-value filter for sourcing. A smaller pool of people who want to move beats a large pool of people who do not, and every conversation starts warmer. Only widen to the full directory when the skill pool is genuinely thin.\n\n## 3. Screen on the profile, verify off it\n\nA Parlel profile gives you work history, education, bio and skills. Screen for specificity: quantified outcomes and named systems beat adjective soup. Then verify:\n\n- **Verified employer badges** (e.g. \"verified: @company.com\") confirm the person holds that work address.\n- **The company itself**: is it a [published, verified company](/guides/verify-company)? Cross-check the [company directory](/companies).\n- **Posts**: many profiles carry public posts that show how the person thinks. Reading two posts tells you more than a keyword match.\n\n## 4. Reach out with the profile in hand\n\nBecause you can read the whole profile before contact, generic outreach is unforgivable here. Reference one specific thing -- a project, a post, a skill combination -- and state the role, location posture and why *them* in under 150 words. Sourcing from Parlel and pasting LinkedIn templates will underperform the channel.\n\n## 5. Close the loop with a public role\n\nCandidates take you more seriously when the role is real and readable. [Publish the open role](/guides/publish-roles) on your [verified company page](/guides/verify-company) and link it in your outreach -- a candidate who can read the JobPosting, the company and your profile before replying converts far better than one asked to take a call blind.\n\n## Sourcing at machine scale\n\nIf you run an agency or an in-house sourcing function, two force multipliers:\n\n- **[Watch agents](/guides/monitor-with-agents)** that monitor the directory for new profiles matching your skill set and email you the moment one publishes. Sourcing becomes something that runs while you sleep.\n- **The [MCP API](/guides/parlel-mcp-guide)** (`search_people`, `get_person`) to pipe profile discovery into your ATS or screening workflow.\n\nAnd if you are on the other side of the table, the [job seeker's guide](/guides/job-seeker-guide) explains what candidates see.\n","html":"<p>Recruiting on Parlel starts from a structural advantage: every profile is published deliberately, carries structured work history and skills, and is readable without a login -- by you and by your tooling. No InMail credits, no connection request before you can read a profile. Here is how to source well.</p>\n<h2>1. Translate the req into skills, not titles</h2>\n<p>Titles are employer-specific fiction; skills travel. \"Senior Backend Engineer, 5+ years\" becomes a skill set: the languages, the infrastructure, the domain. Search those on the <a href=\"/people\">people directory</a> -- our <a href=\"/guides/skill-based-search\">skill search guide</a> covers how to pick terms people actually list -- and treat titles as a second pass over the results, not the query.</p>\n<h2>2. Filter by availability first</h2>\n<p>The \"open to work\" signal is the highest-value filter for sourcing. A smaller pool of people who want to move beats a large pool of people who do not, and every conversation starts warmer. Only widen to the full directory when the skill pool is genuinely thin.</p>\n<h2>3. Screen on the profile, verify off it</h2>\n<p>A Parlel profile gives you work history, education, bio and skills. Screen for specificity: quantified outcomes and named systems beat adjective soup. Then verify:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Verified employer badges</strong> (e.g. \"verified: @company.com\") confirm the person holds that work address.</li>\n<li><strong>The company itself</strong>: is it a <a href=\"/guides/verify-company\">published, verified company</a>? Cross-check the <a href=\"/companies\">company directory</a>.</li>\n<li><strong>Posts</strong>: many profiles carry public posts that show how the person thinks. Reading two posts tells you more than a keyword match.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>4. Reach out with the profile in hand</h2>\n<p>Because you can read the whole profile before contact, generic outreach is unforgivable here. Reference one specific thing -- a project, a post, a skill combination -- and state the role, location posture and why <em>them</em> in under 150 words. Sourcing from Parlel and pasting LinkedIn templates will underperform the channel.</p>\n<h2>5. Close the loop with a public role</h2>\n<p>Candidates take you more seriously when the role is real and readable. <a href=\"/guides/publish-roles\">Publish the open role</a> on your <a href=\"/guides/verify-company\">verified company page</a> and link it in your outreach -- a candidate who can read the JobPosting, the company and your profile before replying converts far better than one asked to take a call blind.</p>\n<h2>Sourcing at machine scale</h2>\n<p>If you run an agency or an in-house sourcing function, two force multipliers:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"/guides/monitor-with-agents\">Watch agents</a></strong> that monitor the directory for new profiles matching your skill set and email you the moment one publishes. Sourcing becomes something that runs while you sleep.</li>\n<li><strong>The <a href=\"/guides/parlel-mcp-guide\">MCP API</a></strong> (<code>search_people</code>, <code>get_person</code>) to pipe profile discovery into your ATS or screening workflow.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>And if you are on the other side of the table, the <a href=\"/guides/job-seeker-guide\">job seeker's guide</a> explains what candidates see.</p>","related":[{"slug":"find-people","title":"How to find people on Parlel","description":"Search published professional profiles by skill, location and availability. A practical guide to finding people on Parlel.","url":"https://parlel.com/guides/find-people"},{"slug":"skill-based-search","title":"Searching Parlel by skills","description":"How skill search works on Parlel, how to pick terms people actually list, and how to combine skills with location and availability.","url":"https://parlel.com/guides/skill-based-search"},{"slug":"find-cofounders","title":"Finding co-founders and early hires on Parlel","description":"How founders find co-founders and first employees: searching for complementary skills, reading for builder signals, and approaching well.","url":"https://parlel.com/guides/find-cofounders"},{"slug":"job-seeker-guide","title":"The job seeker's guide to getting hired through Parlel","description":"A complete playbook for candidates: searchable profiles, reading postings, watch agents for new roles, and outreach that converts.","url":"https://parlel.com/guides/job-seeker-guide"},{"slug":"verify-company","title":"Verifying your company on Parlel","description":"How company verification works on Parlel, why the verified badge matters for hiring and sales trust, and how to get it.","url":"https://parlel.com/guides/verify-company"}]}