u/Comprehensive_Eye991

Maybe I'm getting jaded but passive candidate sourcing feels structurally different than it did even 18 months ago. Response rates are down, the people who do reply are mostly tire kickers and the candidates who would actually be the right fit are so over messaged they've stopped reading anything that looks templated

Working theory is that the whole motion got commoditized when everyone got access to the same tools. 50 recruiters blasting the same candidate from the same database with the same boilerplate openers means nobody trusts cold messages anymore. Are you guys seeing this too or if I'm just having a rough quarter

Any updates?

Sorted through a bunch of these over the past year to figure out which ones are worth the phone space, here's what I've landed on and roughly what each one produces.

Cashback and receipt scanning

- Rakuten runs in the background for online shopping, the bonuses can be bigger than fetch but only when you shop through it specifically. Ibotta is another grocery-focused one some people stack with fetch since they cover different offers.

- Fetch is the easiest low-effort one, scan a grocery receipt and get points toward gift cards, about $5 to $10 a month consistently for me.

Found money apps (surfacing money that's already yours rather than earning new money)

- Settlemate scans for class action settlements that match the purchases and accounts you've had, I think its great when you want to apply for more than one, I mean its money that its rightfully our haha, I got checks for $50 and $88 so far this year

- Missingmoney is a state unclaimed property search, different pool of money but same ""already yours"" idea

Survey and research apps

- Prolific stands out here because its studies are academic research, the pay is reasonable, and you don't get disqualified ten minutes into screening questions. Around $30 to $60 a month if you stay consistent with it.

Freelancing apps

- Upwork

- Fiverr

Both for small gigs you can finish in an evening, transcription, data entry, proofreading, not passive income but a practical way to turn downtime into money. Pay scales with the specific skills you have.

Selling apps

- Mercari, facebook marketplace, depop depending on what you're clearing out. Cleaned about $200 from my closet last month that would've otherwise been donated.

Was trying to figure this out recently because I always assumed loose t shirts are the only safe option if you’re on the heavier side… but now I’m not fully convinced. tried a few different fits and honestly some loose ones just made me look bigger than I am which was not ideal. then I read somewhere that regular fit or slightly relaxed works better since it doesn’t hang too much. also noticed v neck styles kinda change the overall look a bit gives more shape somehow. colors also seem to matter more than I thought like darker shades feel easier to carry. while going through options I even checked Alibaba listings and saw a lot of different cuts like drop shoulder oversized stretch fit and all that… kinda confusing tbh. still experimenting with what works and what doesn’t. feels like it’s less about size and more about balance but still figuring it out slowly

Bombas are comfortable and feel premium but the tops left marks and they weren't built with poor circulation in mind. Great for everyday comfort, less ideal if binding is a real concern for you.

Viasox are decent, come in fun patterns which matters more than you'd think when you wear the same socks every day, and the seamless toe is genuinely good. My issue was durability, they thinned out faster than I expected.

Diabetic sock club sits in the middle on price, the tops are noticeably looser which is the thing that matters most for me, and the made in USA thing I appreciate. None of them are perfect but if circulation is your main concern, a sock actually designed around that will beat a general comfort sock every time.