What it means
Source of hire is the channel, campaign, referral, job board, recruiter activity, event, agency, or talent pool credited with producing a hired candidate. In recruiting software, source-of-hire reporting may use application source, first-touch source, last-touch source, recruiter-entered source, campaign tags, referral records, or integration data from job boards and CRM systems.
Why buyers should care
Source-of-hire data influences recruiting budget, recruiter priorities, vendor renewal decisions, and leadership reporting. It can be misleading when attribution rules are unclear, sources are overwritten, candidates apply multiple times, or integrations label traffic inconsistently. Buyers should evaluate whether software explains attribution logic, preserves source history, supports campaign tracking, deduplicates candidates, and allows drill-down from summary reports to candidate records.
Evaluation checks
Review source fields, attribution rules, campaign tags, referral handling, agency records, CRM handoff, duplicate candidate logic, and exportable reports. Ask vendors how source is assigned when a candidate attends an event, receives outreach, and later applies through a job board. Strong source-of-hire reporting makes source investment decisions more credible.
This glossary entry is buyer-oriented guidance, not legal, compliance, or financial advice.