In 2015, sourcing isn’t what it used to be. According to the current report from LinkedIn Talent Solution, companies now find their best talent using social professional networks, which have risen over the last four years to become an excellent source of quality hires.

Top sources for quality hires: Online job boards and social professional networks

Social professional networks rise to become a top source for quality hires. The tool is the fastest growing source of quality hires globally, increasing 73% over the past 4 years. Get ahead of this trend by tapping into social professional networks for quality hires.

Top source for quantity: Internet job boards

Job boards produce highest quantity of hires. This is likely due to the sheer ease of applying to jobs online. However, quantity doesn’t always equal quality. Recruiting leaders need to manage the application process to ensure they get a high quantity of quality hires.

Notable differences in top sources for quantity of hire due to culture variation. UK companies lead in usage of 3rd party staffing firms, used equally as much as social professional networks.

Sourcing: Career-centric online media provide both quality and quantity hires

64% of global talent leaders believe they’re not doing a great job tracking return on investment on sources of hire. Get the most bang for the company’s buck by investing in these top sources of hire. Maximize the company’s ROI by investing in the sources that return both quantity and quality candidates.

Companies also have an opportunity to close the gap in passive candidate recruiting. While three quarters of professionals consider themselves “passive,” only 61% of companies recruit passive candidates. In fact, companies in the US and China are most aggressively recruiting passive candidates. Companies can close the gap by having both an active and passive candidate recruitment strategy.

Both small and large companies recruit passive talent globally. There is no significant difference between the extent to which a small versus large company recruits passive talent. However, small businesses recruit differently.

Sources of quality hires differ for small businesses. Small businesses are more reliant on internet job boards and less reliant on internal hires than their large company counterparts are. With less time and fewer internal people and positions, small business recruiting leaders need to find ways to help talent find them.

Sourcing: The continued rise of mobile

Candidate mobile job seeking behaviours rise globally. The mobile revolution is in full swing in the talent industry with both candidates and companies increasing their mobile recruiting behaviours. Mobile recruiting will continue to be a big theme in 2015.

More global companies are investing in mobile. Thus, companies who are up to the challenge could invest in mobile strategies, and optimizing their job postings and career sites for mobile.

See: Forget Mobile Version, It’s Time to Focus on Mobile Apps

The original report first appeared on LinkedIn Talent Solutions