Hiring top talent is the #1 priority for most CEOs across industries. The talent economy is wide-spread and companies often struggle to recruit the right talent by conventional hiring methods. While there are millions of active job seekers, the beauty of recruiting lies in hunting for passive candidates and considering it an integral part of your recruitment strategy.
As per LinkedIn, 70% of the workforce globally comprises passive candidates, with 30% looking for jobs. Finding a suitable candidate among the myriads of applicants can get tough. Most highly qualified candidates are already employed and not looking for a job change.
Employed candidates already have a stable, high-paying, and excellent job at their hands. They are happy with the current company. That is why they probably won’t apply to your job postings.
As a part of your talent acquisition strategy, you must try approaching them. The most effective way to approach passive candidates is through LinkedIn connections, recruitment databases, and social media.
How to Recruit Passive Candidates?
The recruitment strategy of hiring a passive candidate is way more complex than an active applicant. An active applicant is interested and looking for a job in your company. At the same time, the passive candidate may or may not take an interest in your offer.
Here are the top 5 tried and tested tips to help you approach and recruit passive candidates –
Go Beyond the Job Boards
You need to look beyond the job boards when looking for passive candidates. It is because the passive candidates don’t visit the job boards.
Social media platforms like LinkedIn are the best way to find and approach passive candidates. According to market statistics, 89% of the recruiters use LinkedIn regularly. It is a great platform to search for highly skilled candidates. You can see their past work experiences, education details, and courses completed on their profile. It makes it easier to filter the candidates without asking for resumes individually.
With LinkedIn Inmails and RPS, you can instantly approach the candidate. You can even post your job requirement and spread the word among your connections.
Appeal – the Need of the Hour
People don’t change jobs only for higher packages. If your company’s image or work culture is not good, the candidate won’t prefer your company.
Showcase a growing company that values its employees. When introducing the company to the candidate, emphasize the amazing work culture and career advancement and project a stress-free working environment to the candidates.
Candidates these days give importance to a balanced and easy-going working environment and excellent company culture. You have to ensure that the candidate gets a good impression of the company. Though competitive packages will attract the candidate, exceptional branding always wins.
Yours Truly, USPs.
One of the biggest drawbacks with passive candidates is that they are already employed. They may or may not be satisfied in their current job position. However, you do not know their views about their current company.
The best way to attract such candidates is to understand their pain points through their social media posts, reviews, etc. While not many candidates are open to posting their views on social media, a hint of it is enough to break the ice and start a conversation.
All the while you mustn’t reflect a negative image of their company; however, use clever tactics, talk about open position, the responsibilities, and the benefits attached, to create a curiosity. It is the first loop in your recruitment strategy to approach passive candidates. Every company is good, until proven otherwise.
It’s Time to Speed Up
Passive candidates do not have free time to go through tedious hiring stages. They are already busy with loads of work. If your hiring process is lengthy with a long-form and multiple tests, the candidate won’t stay with you till the end.
Take your hiring manager in confidence and accelerate the process for the passive candidates. Give their time the priority and create a flexible interview process to accommodate both your timelines. If you get replies from the candidates, act quickly. If you are slow, they might forget and lose interest in your offer. Flexibility is the key when you are handling passive candidates.
Emails On Point!
A lengthy email is boring to read. When sending emails to passive candidates, always stick to the main points. You should refrain from filling your mail with fluff and jargon. Note down all the important points you need to include in the email. Then write a compelling email that is to the point.
The candidate will not have time to read a long email. But if the email is short with all the crucial points, they will give it a look. Always include your contact details in the mail. It should not be hard for the candidate to reach out to you. You can also include your LinkedIn profile link along with your contact number. These days people find it easier to connect and talk on social media.
Passive candidates add value
Finding the best candidate for a job position is difficult these days. You will need the right tools and techniques to approach and lure the best ones for your job role. Observing passive candidates on different social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, cold emailing them, cold calling them with the right approach, will help you fill your crucial positions effectively. Follow these tips and see the difference!