Finding Best-fit Candidates with Phenom X+ Source: A Step-By-Step Guide

Finding the right talent can be challenging — especially when candidates don't quite fit the criteria. But what if your Talent CRM could do the thinking for you?

In a recent episode of “Dear Phenom” – a new series for customers to learn more about how to get the best out of their Phenom products — Jared Bouchard, Director of Customer Enablement at Phenom, answers the following email from a customer:

Dear Phenom, I have a project manager role that is hard to fill. I keep getting candidates with backgrounds that don't fit my criteria. How do I find somebody more in line with my needs?

Bouchard walked through how X+ Source can surface top candidates based on skills, experience, and more — helping recruiters go beyond job titles to find the perfect match.

Watch now to see how AI-powered sourcing makes hiring easier or read on for the highlights and step-by-step directions on how to use X+ Source to the fullest.

What is Phenom X+?

Phenom X+ represents the combined power of AI, generative AI, and agentic AI solutions that are designed intentionally for HR use cases. X+ automatically enhances content creation, workflows, and processes for talent acquisition and management teams:

X+ Generative AI allows HR teams to engage their data conversationally throughout the Phenom Intelligent Talent Experience platform. It naturally infuses into workflows by enabling recruiters and managers to:

• Ask for detailed candidate insights

• Craft personalized emails, SMS, and WhatsApp messages at scale

• Develop tailored interview questions based on candidate profiles and job requirements

X+ Agents go a step further as an applied AI partner — these specialized AI agents are fine-tuned for key HR tasks. Rather than simply responding to prompts, X+ Agents are designed to:

• Execute complex talent workflows to fulfill specific applied AI needs, like sourcing candidates

• Make intelligent decisions based on organizational preferences and industry knowledge

• Continuously learn and optimize their performance

X+ agents go beyond traditional keyword matching by using AI to understand the requirements, such as location, skills, and experiences that make candidates successful, even if their job titles may not align perfectly with what you've searched for. This advanced search approach to sourcing helps recruiters discover hidden talent that might otherwise be overlooked.

X+ agents can get as specific as you need them to be for your industry. For example:

• You can use a Healthcare Sourcing Agent to help you fill high-need positions urgently (think registered nurses, care managers, or licensed practical nurses). This agent can discover, engage, and convert talent while accounting for the unique needs of critical healthcare roles. The result is a steady pipeline of pre-screened, qualified candidates ready to step in where they're needed most.

• You can use X+ Agents for Hiring Intelligence that can refine knowledge worker evaluations with AI that conducts candidate screening and interview scheduling at scale. These agents execute objective assessments to ensure both skills and cultural alignment, while safeguarding interview integrity by detecting bias, verifying answer authenticity, and providing real-time guidance to hiring teams.

By implementing Phenom X+ Agents like X+ Source, talent acquisition teams can spend less time searching through countless resumes and more time connecting with the right candidates, creating a more efficient and effective sourcing process.

Related reading: Meet Phenom X+ — Generative AI for HR — And 18 Platform Innovations to Transform Hiring, Retention & Development

What is X+ Source?

X+ Source is Phenom's premium agentic sourcing tool that allows recruiters to quickly search for candidates using conversational language instead of complex filters. It searches both your Talent CRM and external cloud leads to find the most qualified candidates based on skills and experience — not just job titles. As Bouchard explained, X+ Source helps you "find candidates outside of the box" when traditional methods aren't yielding the right results.

X+ Source leverages advanced AI models, combining:

• Phenom's customized AI (Llama) model to identify key details from natural language prompts

• OpenAI's GPT-4o mini model for expanding questions, summarizing information, and suggesting related queries

How do I use Phenom X+ Source to find best-fit candidates?

Finding the perfect candidate can often feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Traditional recruiting methods require applying complex filters and manually reviewing dozens (or hundreds) of profiles and resumes. Phenom X+ Source makes it easier to discover and engage candidates while simplifying shortlisting and outreach — all within the Talent CRM to speed up the hiring process.

Getting started with X+ Source:

1. Find the X+ Source icon at the bottom of the left-side menu bar in your Phenom Talent CRM

2. When you arrive on the page, you'll see suggested jobs based on open positions in your Talent CRM

3. Enter your candidate search criteria using natural, conversational language (e.g., "nurse practitioner with 3 years of experience within a 50-mile radius of Philadelphia" or "project manager with 5 years experience")

Finding the Top Candidates with X+ Source

When you enter your search query, X+ Source automatically:

• Understands your search parameters, including job title and experience requirements

• Returns matching candidates from both your Talent CRM and external cloud leads

• Displays candidate cards showing name, current role, company, location, and an AI-generated summary

• Provides an option to see more detailed information about each candidate, including top skills and experience

For a more comprehensive view, toggle on "Display More" to see additional candidate details, including top skills, degrees, and total years of experience. As you scroll down, you'll see suggested filters based on your search criteria, helping you refine your results further.

If a suggested candidate isn't relevant to your search, you can provide feedback to the system by clicking the "thumbs down" button on the candidate card, helping X+ Source learn and improve its recommendations.

Managing Your Talent Pipelines

X+ Source makes it easy to organize and take action on your candidate search results:

• Add promising candidates to your shortlist by clicking the "+" icon on individual cards or use "Add all to shortlist" for bulk actions

• Remove candidates by clicking the "X" icon in the shortlist panel or the "Deselect" button on the candidate card

• To clear your entire shortlist, click the three dots at the top of the list and select "Clear Shortlist"

Once you've built your shortlist, you can:

• Add candidates to selected Lists, Jobs, Projects, Campaigns, and Events

• Forward the shortlist to a hiring manager to review

• Use the "Reach Out" option to email shortlisted candidates individually

• Invite candidates to apply for a position or register for an event

• Review and customize email templates before sending

Need to run a new search? Simply:

• Click "New Search" at the top right of the screen

• View your recent searches on the left side of the screen

• Access your shortlisted candidates for each previous search by clicking on the query

• Refine your results directly from the search screen without having to start over

Related reading: Introducing the World’s Most Advanced Applied AI: Solving Real HR Challenges Across Industries, Eliminating the Gap Between Business Goals & HR Strategies

X+ Source is changing how recruiters find and engage talent by focusing on skills and experience rather than keywords. By using natural language search and AI-powered matching, you can discover qualified candidates faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Ready to learn more? Watch our HR Innovation Showcase on demand and meet the most advanced applied AI that's transforming hiring, development, and retention.