Why sourcing in United States is different
These decide the channel, the language and the realistic start date.
At-will employment makes the start date fast
Notice is typically two to four weeks. The practical constraints are equity vesting cliffs, bonus payment dates and visa timing rather than contractual notice, which makes the US the quickest of our markets from accepted offer to first day.
The offer conversation is about total compensation
Base salary alone is not a competitive statement at mid and senior level. Unvested equity is what a candidate forfeits by leaving, and it is frequently the deciding number. We capture the equity position during qualification, not at offer stage.
Pay transparency changed the first conversation
A growing number of states and cities require pay ranges in postings and restrict salary-history questions. That makes the range a normal early topic rather than an awkward one, and it gives candidates a verifiable benchmark before they reply. Our state guide has the detail.
CAN-SPAM permits cold email, with conditions
Unlike several European markets, US federal law does not require prior consent for commercial email. It requires accurate header and subject information, identification of the message as a solicitation where applicable, a valid physical postal address, and a working opt-out honoured promptly. Calls and texts are governed separately by the TCPA, which is far stricter.
Thirty metros, not one national market
Supply, pay and willingness to relocate differ sharply between New York, the Bay Area, Seattle, Boston, Austin, Chicago, Atlanta and Denver. A national campaign that is really a Bay Area campaign produces candidates who will not accept a Midwest band.
Remote and hybrid are different candidate pools
A remote-posted role draws nationally at a national price; a hybrid role in a named metro draws from a commute at a local price. These are different populations with different cost curves, and we source them separately rather than blending them.
What is lawful when approaching candidates in United States
Electronic-marketing law differs sharply between our markets. We work to the local rule, not to a single global playbook.
| Channel | What applies | How we work |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial email | CAN-SPAM Act — no prior consent required, but accurate headers, a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out are mandatory | Sender identified, physical address included, opt-outs honoured promptly and permanently |
| Calls to mobile numbers | TCPA — prior express consent required for autodialled or prerecorded calls; penalties are per call | Manual dialling only, no autodialler, no prerecorded messages |
| SMS | TCPA applies; consent requirements are strict | Used only where a candidate has given the number for that purpose |
| Do Not Call Registry | Applies to telemarketing calls | Business recruitment calls are screened against our own suppression list |
| Salary history questions | Prohibited in a number of states and cities | We ask for expectation, never history, in every US market as standard |
| Background screening | Fair Credit Reporting Act governs third-party reports; state and city rules vary on timing | Screening is run by the employer or a licensed provider, after a conditional offer where local rules require |
Where candidates actually respond in United States
Observed from our own campaigns, not from a vendor survey.
| Population | Best channel | What we see |
|---|---|---|
| Software and infrastructure engineering | Direct message naming the system, the scale and the stage | Volume outreach has destroyed response rates; specificity is the only thing that works |
| AI and applied research | Approach referencing published work, with the compute and data position stated | Compensation is rarely the first question; the problem is. See the US AI talent market |
| Biotech and clinical development | Email, formal, with the therapeutic area and phase named | Programme stage matters more than company size |
| Financial services and trading | Discreet email; compensation structure stated early | Candidates expect the bonus and deferral structure up front |
| Manufacturing and industrial | Phone, during the working day | Low professional-network coverage; phone research finds people digital sourcing misses |
| Cleared and government | Formal email; clearance level established first | Clearance, not salary, decides who is actually appointable |
How long before a candidate can actually start in United States
The number that decides whether a hiring plan is real.
| Level | Typical notice | Add for |
|---|---|---|
| Individual contributor | 2 weeks | Little else; the US moves fast |
| Senior and staff | 2–4 weeks | Equity vesting cliffs and bonus payment dates |
| Director and VP | 4 weeks | Transition planning; occasionally longer |
| C-suite | 4–8 weeks | Board transition and equity negotiation |
| Visa-dependent | Varies widely | Transfer timing, petition processing, and in some cases lottery exposure |
| Cleared roles | 2–4 weeks plus clearance transfer | Clearance reciprocity and sponsor action |
| Contract and consulting | 0–2 weeks | Worker classification review |
What a United States sourcing engagement delivers
- A written sourcing brief — the role, the target population, the must-haves separated from the nice-to-haves, and the explicit exclusions.
- A longlist of qualified, verified people — identified by research rather than pulled from a database, with current employer, level and location confirmed.
- Compliant outreach — approaches made in the channel and the language the market actually responds to, inside the local electronic-marketing rules.
- Qualified candidates with a written summary — motivation, notice, salary expectation, location and any restriction, captured before you spend interview time.
- A response and decline record — who was approached, who engaged, who declined and the reason each gave. This is the clearest read you will get on how your role and package are landing.
- Weekly written updates with the pipeline attached, not a monthly summary.
- The full dataset, handed over — yours permanently, including the people who said no this time and may say yes next year.
Sectors we source in United States
Deepest where the population is hardest to reach.
- Technology and AI — software, infrastructure, machine learning, security and product.
- Life sciences and healthcare — biotech, pharma, devices, CRO, payer and provider.
- Financial services — banking, asset management, insurance, fintech, risk.
- Semiconductors and hardware — design, process and manufacturing engineering.
- Industrial, aerospace and defense — including cleared populations.
- Energy and climate technology — project, commercial and technical roles.
- Consumer, retail and logistics — commercial, supply chain and network operations.
What talent sourcing costs in United States
Fixed project fees or an agreed day rate — never a percentage of salary.
| Engagement | What it covers | Typical fee | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-role sourcing project | One role, one metro, longlist to qualified shortlist | $3,000–$7,500 | 2–4 weeks |
| Multi-role or campaign sourcing | Three to eight linked roles, or a volume campaign on one population | $9,000–$28,000 | 4–10 weeks |
| Dedicated sourcing seat | A named researcher working only your roles, monthly day-rate retainer | $5,200–$9,500 per month | Rolling monthly |
A contingency agency at 20% of a $150,000 salary charges $30,000 for one hire and keeps the research. A month of dedicated sourcing capacity costs a fraction of that, works several roles at once, and leaves you owning the dataset.
Every engagement is a fixed project fee or an agreed day rate, set before work begins. There is no commission, no percentage of salary and no placement fee, and the dataset is handed over permanently. The fee comparison calculator shows what that difference comes to against a contingency model.
US talent sourcing FAQs
What is talent sourcing in the US?
Talent sourcing in the US is the identification, qualification and engagement of candidates for live roles across the relevant metro markets. It builds a researched longlist, approaches it lawfully, and establishes interest, total compensation expectation and a realistic start date before anyone reaches your interview loop.
How much does talent sourcing cost in the US?
A single-role sourcing project typically costs $3,000 to $7,500. A multi-role or campaign engagement typically costs $9,000 to $28,000. A dedicated sourcing seat typically costs $5,200 to $9,500 a month.
A contingency agency at 20 per cent of a $150,000 salary charges $30,000 for a single hire and keeps the research.
Is cold email to candidates legal in the US?
Federal law does not require prior consent for commercial email. CAN-SPAM requires accurate header and subject information, identification of the message where it is a solicitation, a valid physical postal address, and a working opt-out mechanism honoured promptly.
Calls and text messages are governed separately by the TCPA, which is considerably stricter and carries per-message statutory damages. We dial manually, never use an autodialler or prerecorded message, and only text candidates who gave the number for that purpose.
Do you ask candidates for salary history?
No, in any US market. A number of states and cities prohibit it, and the compliant approach is simpler to run consistently than a state-by-state rulebook.
We ask for expectation, and where a posted range exists we state it up front, which is what pay-transparency law has made the norm anyway.
How fast can a US candidate start?
Two to four weeks is typical, because employment is generally at will. The real constraints are equity vesting cliffs, bonus payment dates and, for visa-dependent candidates, transfer timing.
We capture all three during qualification so the start date in your plan is the real one.
Do you source for remote roles?
Yes, and we size the remote and hybrid pools separately because they are different markets at different prices. A remote-posted role draws nationally at a national rate; a hybrid role in a named metro draws from a commute at a local rate.
Blending the two is how a compensation band ends up uncompetitive in one direction and overpriced in the other.
Can you handle equity in the qualification conversation?
Yes, and it is one of the most useful things sourcing can establish early. We capture what is unvested, the vesting schedule and the candidate’s own valuation assumption, so your offer team knows what a move actually costs the candidate before the negotiation starts.
What do we receive at the end?
The qualified candidates and the whole working file: the brief, the metro-level longlist with employer and level verified, the approach and response record with decline reasons, and a written qualification summary per candidate. All yours permanently.
Will you tell us if the compensation band is wrong?
Yes, usually within two weeks, and the decline record is the evidence. Because we are paid for the work rather than on placement, reporting that your band is below market costs us nothing and saves you a wasted quarter.
If you want the band tested before you open the role, that is compensation intelligence.
Do you work with our in-house recruiting team?
Usually. We run research and first-touch engagement behind a team that owns the process, the ATS and the candidate relationship from shortlist onward. We can also work white-label behind an agency or alongside an incumbent RPO.
Can you source cleared candidates?
We can identify and approach them, within the limits of what is publicly observable. In defense and national security, clearance level and reciprocity rather than compensation decide who is appointable, and we establish it before a candidate reaches your process.
How do you protect our employer brand?
By not running volume outreach. Every approach is individually written and specific to the person, we never contact anyone twice after an opt-out, and we can run the campaign confidentially without naming you until a candidate is genuinely interested.
Primary sources and how we check
- CAN-SPAM Act compliance guideFederal Trade Commission
- National Do Not Call RegistryFederal Trade Commission
- Telephone Consumer Protection Act rulesFederal Communications Commission
- Using consumer reports for employmentFederal Trade Commission
- Prohibited employment policies and practicesUS Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Form I-9 employment eligibility verificationUS Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Occupational Employment and Wage StatisticsUS Bureau of Labor Statistics
Figures quoted on this page were checked against the sources above on 20 October 2026. Statutory rates, thresholds and quotas change: where a number drives a budget or a legal obligation, confirm it against the primary source before you rely on it.