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Introduction: What Recruiters Do Wrong
Sourcing the right candidates can significantly boost productivity and reduce employee turnover. Yet, despite knowing this, many recruiters get it wrong. Most hiring managers and company founders simply post their job openings on Indeed or LinkedIn—for free—and hope that the right candidates will come knocking. Others list the job on their company website, even when no one knows it exists, expecting top talent to magically find it.
If this sounds familiar, you’re likely selling yourself short. These are some of the most common sourcing mistakes that prevent companies from attracting great talent. So, what’s the smarter way to source candidates?
It starts with one key insight: you need to go where top talent already is. That’s exactly what this guide will help you learn. We’ll break down the best platforms to source candidates from. Let’s get started!
Where to Source Candidates
LinkedIn is one of the most powerful platforms for sourcing top talent, which gives you access to billions of professionals across a wide range of industries. One of LinkedIn’s biggest advantages is that it enables you to reach both active job seekers and passive talent—people who aren’t actively looking but may be open to the right opportunity. With LinkedIn’s advanced search filters, you can narrow down candidates by job title, industry, location, experience, skills, and more.
That said, a common mistake hiring teams make is relying solely on the free version of LinkedIn. While the free Plan is useful, it is not the best in finding high-quality candidates. To truly unlock LinkedIn’s potential, consider investing in LinkedIn Recruiter, a premium tool that offers 40+ advanced search filters. LinkedIn Recruiter starts at $170/month. Just be mindful of LinkedIn’s usage policies, especially when it comes to InMail. InMail allows you to message people you’re not connected with, but it shouldn’t be used for untargeted mass outreach, event invitations, or marketing campaigns.
With over 250 million monthly visitors, Indeed is one of the largest job platforms in the world, making it a powerful tool to get your job listing in front of a wide pool of job seekers. However, to truly maximize your reach on Indeed, it’s more effective to pay for visibility rather than rely solely on free listings. While you can post jobs for free, Indeed limits the number of jobs you can list without paying. Additionally, free listings tend to lose visibility quickly as newer jobs are added, causing yours to be pushed further down in search results.
In contrast, sponsored job posts are given priority in relevant searches and maintain consistent visibility over time. Sponsored listings start at $150 per month. Indeed is a versatile platform that allows you to hire for virtually any position, from software developers and customer service reps to administrative assistants, virtual assistants, and staffing managers.
WeWorkRemotely is a well-known job board dedicated exclusively to remote job opportunities across various industries. With over 6 million monthly visitors, it’s a robust platform for quickly attracting high-quality remote candidates.
You can use WeWorkRemotely to source talent for roles in IT, finance, management, accounting, design, engineering, and more. To post a job, you’ll need to pay $299 per Listing, which stays active for 30 days.
Before posting, it’s important to review the platform’s terms and conditions. Notably, WeWorkRemotely does not offer refunds for partial months of job posting. They also clarify that they are not responsible for the outcome of your Listing, including applicant volume, candidate qualifications, or hiring decisions.
If you choose to create an account, you are solely responsible for maintaining its security and content. Any actions taken under your account are considered your responsibility, and the platform does not assume liability for misuse or unauthorized access.
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FlexJobs is a specialized job board focused on remote, hybrid, freelance, and flexible work opportunities. Whether you’re hiring HR specialists, writers, marketers, or virtual assistants, FlexJobs connects you with a talent pool of over 10 million job seekers actively looking for flexible roles.
One of the platform’s standout features is its strict vetting process designed to minimize misleading job listings. Every job post is manually screened to ensure legitimacy. In addition, FlexJobs provides helpful resources on remote hiring, offering expert articles on flexible work, hiring best practices, company culture, and remote team management.
To start posting, you’ll need to pay at least $399 per month. This Plan includes unlimited job postings and dedicated account support. It’s worth noting that FlexJobs is not a placement agency. It does not follow up on applications or place candidates directly. Instead, it acts as a trusted platform to connect legitimate companies with flexible workers.
RemoteOK is a specialized job board that connects employers with millions of remote job seekers worldwide. It’s especially valuable for tech-driven companies looking to fill remote roles in areas like software development, engineering, research, executive assistants, and more.
Posting a job on RemoteOK costs $299 for 30 days. If you’re hiring at scale, there’s also a 25-post bundle available at a discounted rate of $397 per post, though pricing is subject to change.
One of RemoteOK’s standout features is its commitment to salary transparency. When posting a job, you’re required to include a salary range. This helps candidates make informed decisions and saves them from having to search for compensation details elsewhere, thereby improving trust and attracting serious applicants.
Like RemoteOK, Jobspresso is a dedicated platform for remote jobs, connecting employers with skilled professionals across a range of fields, including customer support, product management, sales, design, marketing, content writing, and more.
Before your job goes live, Jobspresso reviews each Listing to ensure its legitimacy and protect job seekers from scams. To post a job, you’ll need to select a pricing plan. Options include:
Basic Plan: $349 for a single 90-day job post
Featured Listing: $399
3-Pack Bundle: $1019
5-Pack Premium Bundle: $1,389 for five posts 90 days
Remote.co is a trusted platform for hiring remote talent across various industries, including marketing, healthcare, data entry, bookkeeping, accounting, and finance. Whether you’re looking to fill full-time, part-time, or freelance roles, Remote.co connects you with qualified candidates who prefer flexible work arrangements.
Like Jobspresso, all job listings on Remote.co are manually reviewed to ensure they are legitimate. The cost to post a job is $299; it’s essential to review the platform for any additional fees before proceeding. According to their terms and conditions, Remote.co does not offer refunds, so be sure the platform aligns with your hiring needs before using it. One of the key benefits of using Remote.co is access to expert insights and hiring tools that help you optimize your remote hiring process.
Working Nomads attracts millions of users annually, making it a strong platform for sourcing top remote talent. It’s well-suited for hiring roles such as account managers, support specialists, data analysts, sales representatives, real estate agents, and more. Like Remote.co, all job posts are manually checked to ensure credibility and protect job seekers from scams.
Pricing is based on the number of job listings:
1 job post: $199
3 job posts: $567
5 job posts: $895
Each Listing stays live for 30 days, and you have the option to automatically renew your posts on a monthly or annual basis, depending on your hiring needs.
If you’re looking to hire Philippines-based remote talent, OnlineJobs.ph is a specialized job board designed just for that. It’s ideal for finding skilled professionals, including video editors, content writers, developers, marketers, researchers, accountants, web designers, and more.
This platform offers you access to a large and highly active Filipino talent pool. To connect with candidates, you’ll need to pay to post a job, with pricing ranging from $69 to $99, depending on the plan you pick. What sets OnlineJobs.ph apart is its 100% money-back guarantee. If you don’t find a great candidate, you’re eligible for a refund, which adds an extra layer of confidence to your hiring investment.
Reddit.com/r/forhire is a popular subreddit on Reddit that allows you to post job listings and connect with freelancers across various industries. It’s a valuable resource for connecting with developers, designers, writers, editors, project managers, virtual assistants, and more.
To maintain quality, the subreddit has strict posting guidelines. For instance, you must clearly state your rate or budget. Posting work that is either free or extremely low-paying is not permitted. Additionally, commission-only jobs are prohibited unless accompanied by a base pay of at least $15/hour.
While posting is free, you’re expected to avoid image-only or low-quality posts. Make sure your job listing is clear, detailed, and professional. For best results, review the full list of subreddit rules before posting. Despite being a free forum, reddit.com/r/forhire can be surprisingly effective for finding quick freelance help from a diverse and engaged community.
Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent)
Wellfound is a top hiring platform for startups, offering access to over 10 million startup-ready professionals. It’s ideal for finding talent in roles such as operations, design, sales, marketing, and more.
While you can post jobs for free, you’ll get better visibility and attract higher-quality candidates by subscribing to one of their paid plans, which range from $149 to $200 per month. Subscriptions are billed monthly upfront and automatically renew unless canceled.
Before posting, be sure to review Wellfound’s terms and conditions. Notably:
Compensation must be disclosed for each role.
Company information must be transparent—concealing details is not allowed.
Wellfound is a top hiring platform for startups, offering access to over 10 million startup-ready professionals. It’s ideal for finding talent in roles such as operations, design, sales, marketing, and more.
While you can post jobs for free, you’ll get better visibility and attract higher-quality candidates by subscribing to one of their paid plans, which range from $149 to $200 per month. Subscriptions are billed monthly upfront and automatically renew unless canceled.
Before posting, be sure to review Wellfound’s terms and conditions. Notably:
- Compensation must be disclosed for each role.
- Company information must be transparent—concealing details is not allowed.
ProBlogger is a job board that stands out due to its niche focus on content creation and blogging. Whether you’re looking to hire SEO content writers, article writers, freelance journalists, video editors, product marketing specialists, or YouTube channel managers, ProBlogger is an excellent platform to find qualified candidates.
To post a job on ProBlogger, you’ll need to pay a minimum fee of $80. The process involves completing a registration form, where you’ll provide essential details on the “sign-up” page. Additionally, ProBlogger offers membership packages, including:
5 Standard Ads Package: $320 for 1,095 days (includes access to 10 premium candidates)
3 Featured Ads Package: $385 for 1,095 days (includes access to 15 premium candidates)
Once your subscription is activated, you’ll gain access to ProBlogger’s additional products, including newsletters. Some important terms and conditions include: you must be at least 18 years old to use ProBlogger, and payments are non-refundable.
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Social media platforms
If you are completely overlooking social media when hiring, it could be one of the biggest reasons you’re not attracting great candidates — especially passive ones. We often assume top talent is actively searching job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed, but some of the best people aren’t looking at all. They’re just going about their day — scrolling on Instagram, watching a YouTube video, or reading tweets.
This means:
🚨 Your job post will likely get buried on job boards with hundreds of listings.
🚨 You will miss out on passive candidates who would have applied if they only saw it.
Let’s break it down with a real scenario:
Let’s say James is your ideal hire — sharp, dependable, and exactly the kind of person you’d love on your team. But James isn’t browsing job boards. He’s busy working his current job, scrolling through Instagram during lunch, or watching YouTube tutorials in the evening.
You decide to partner with a well-known local Instagram account and pay them to share your job post. James doesn’t follow the page, but his college friend Daniel does — and Daniel tags him in the comments: “This is so you.”
Now, James clicks, gets curious, and applies. Boom — your job just reached someone incredible without relying on traditional job board traffic.
That’s the referral effect. It’s not just viral — it’s personal. And it only happens on social media.
And that is why more and more business owners are:
- Posting job openings in their Instagram stories or Reels
- Dropping roles in their YouTube community tabs
- Sharing job needs in Facebook groups or Twitter posts
Why? Because social builds trust. A post from a familiar face or local news page feels personal and real. It doesn’t feel like another random listing on a generic job board.
Therefore, to get the best candidates:
✅ Share your job post on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or X (Twitter).
✅ Partner with trusted local news pages or influencers to boost visibility and credibility. That shows you’ve invested money, which signals a serious opportunity.
✅ Reach candidates where they already are.
You should not ignore social media because a great job post can be shared widely, reaching passive candidates through their networks. Jobs can go viral, just like memes.
And since everyone is online, you don’t have to guess where they’re, do you? They’re on platforms with billions of users:
- Instagram: 2.4 billion users
- YouTube: 2.7 billion users
- Facebook: 3 billion users
- X (Twitter): 450+ million users
By posting on social media, you’re not just reaching job seekers — you’re reaching entire social circles that can refer to and amplify your role.
Your next great hire isn’t checking job boards. They’re on social. Get them from there.
Build Your Employer Brand
Hiring top talent starts with building a strong employer brand, and Glassdoor plays a crucial role. Nearly half of all job seekers use Glassdoor during their job search to evaluate a company’s reputation before applying.
If your company doesn’t have a strong presence yet, now’s the time to start. Glassdoor allows you to showcase your company culture and values, giving candidates a clearer picture of what it’s like to work with you. Encourage your current employees to leave honest, positive reviews to help build credibility and trust. This way, you will easily attract the right candidates for your company.
Final Thoughts
The best candidates are always in high demand, so you can’t afford to sit back and wait for them to discover your job opportunity. To attract top talent, you need to be proactive and strategic in how you source. The platforms we’ve covered above can help you reach the right people, but sourcing is just the first step. To ensure you’re hiring candidates who actually deliver results, use WorkScreen.io, the smarter hiring platform.
Getting started is simple:
- Sign up at WorkScreen.io
- Choose a plan that fits your needs.
- Create your job post.
Workscreen will help you generate a link that you can share on different sourcing sites. After that, WorkScreen.io will automatically evaluate every applicant, score them, and rank them on a clear leaderboard—so you can easily spot top talent, save time, and hire with confidence.
