I'm genuinely asking because I'm trying to figure out the best way to approach this in 2026.

Every recruiter I talk to says outreach isn't working like it used to. Response rates are down, candidates are ghosting, and inboxes are flooded with messages.

The inbound side isn't much better. Resumes written by AI are getting through all the filters. Bots are applying to hundreds of jobs in one night. A real person is getting buried under a pile of applications that all sound the same or are "perfectly" matched to the job description.

This makes sourcing passive talent feel like the most genuine way to find people. I still see generic messages like "exciting opportunity at a fast-growing company" being copied and pasted into LinkedIn messages.

I'm curious to know what's actually working right now. Are recruitment leaders taking outbound approaches seriously, or is it still just an experiment? How are founders screening candidates when resumes can't be trusted?

How are you finding the right people these days?