Quite a while back, particularly in the years following the Great Recession, recruiting passive candidates wasn’t as imperative. Open job positions were restricted, and candidates couldn’t be as choosy as today. Nonetheless, when the rates of unemployment are low, recruitment turns into genuine workmanship.
You may discover your organization looking to hire passive candidates — those exceptionally qualified people who aren’t effectively searching for a new position, yet who likewise should think about a change for the correct chance. Hiring them takes artfulness, as their inspiration varies from that of dynamic candidates who are looking for jobs.
You need to be highly influential to persuade passive candidates, just as your sales abilities, as they may not be familiar with your organization.
Why Recruit Passive Candidates?
A passive candidate is somebody who isn’t effectively looking for a job. 75% of the populace falls into this classification, as per a 2015 LinkedIn study.
Presently, one may ask why in the world would anyone need to move toward individuals who aren’t looking for employment — unquestionably, isn’t it a waste of time?
3 Advantages Of Employing Passive Candidates
However, this is not true. There are various advantages to employing passive candidates, including:
- Passive candidates are exclusive. By definition, they will not be meeting, or in any event, searching for different positions.
2. They will be better/more important. You can target them all the more thoroughly (you pick who to approach).
3. After accepting a task, they’ll be more dedicated. They’re unmistakably not frantic and willing to accept any old work; you’ll realize they want to work with you and care about the work.
How To Target Passive Candidates: Checklist
Here’s a bulletproof 6-pointer HR checklist that will help you with recruiting passive candidates effectively and efficiently:
1. Invest in Artificial Intelligence
It’s no secret that artificial intelligence (AI) has changed the recruiting industry. Using advanced automated tools to source candidates not only saves time but can also help you discover higher-quality candidates.
Think about it: the biggest challenge with passive candidates is knowing which ones will be receptive to a job change. AI-enabled tools can scour the web and analyze vast quantities of candidate data, and then predict which passive candidates are open to new jobs. It’d be near-impossible for a recruiter to perform this type of predictive analysis manually.
If you haven’t embraced artificial intelligence yet, it’s time to get on board. 55% of recruiters say that AI will be the main part of the recruiting process within the next five years.
2. Involve Your Hiring Manager
When you’re trying to hire passive candidates, you need your hiring managers to be involved in the process from start to finish. After you get an understanding of the position you’re hiring for, talk with your hiring manager to set expectations.
As passive candidates tend to have less free time to devote to the hiring process, make sure your hiring manager is available to interview candidates immediately. Also, let them know that you’ll need them to be available to quickly answer questions from candidates. Your hiring manager will be the subject-matter expert when it comes to the details of the job.
3. Expand Your Search Beyond Job Boards
It’s time to get creative. Consider where else you might find candidates outside of traditional online job boards. You might also consider reaching out to recent hires for referrals. You could even go as far as offering a referral program with bonuses or perks associated.
Look to social media as well, but don’t think about just the traditional platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Branch out and join the social media groups where the professionals you’re seeking naturally gather. For example, this might be a forum for IT professionals where they share resources.
But take it slowly when you join these groups. You have to join as a fellow expert and take time to build trust with the group members. Start as a silent participant, and when you have a feel for the type of normal interaction that occurs in the group, share your expertise by engaging in conversations not related to the position. When you feel comfortable, you can then mention that you’re a recruiter or hiring manager who has an open position.
78% of recruiters claim that referrals provide them with their best candidates. Employees aren’t going to reach out to people they won’t want to work with, and they won’t put their name on the line for a candidate they don’t believe in.
4. Make The Interview Processes Flexible
Passive candidates often hesitate to approach a new role because they don’t have time to go through the interview process. If a passive candidate takes time out of their schedule to interview with you but has a bad experience, they’ll never leave their current job for your company. Bad interview experiences make 65% of candidates lose interest in the job.
When you contact passive candidates, let them know your interview process is flexible. Thanks to recent technological advances, there are several ways you can virtually meet candidates without requiring too much from them. Follow up a phone interview with a video conference call rather than an in-person interview. Eventually, you will want to meet in person, but by that point, the candidate will have a good idea whether or not they want to join your company.
5. Lure Candidates With The Things They Currently Don’t Have
It’s human nature to want what you can’t have. Sometimes the most effective way to win over passive candidates is to play off the weaknesses of their current employer.
Study the company they’re working for, including the culture, work environment, benefits, and growth opportunities. Find out where that company falls short. When you talk to the candidate, you can emphasize how your company can fill in these gaps, without bashing their current employer.
For example, if you’re recruiting a candidate who works at a company that’s known for its dull work environment, talk about what your company does to foster a lively culture, such as team-building or volunteer activities.
This may be the missing link in your candidates’ career, and it could have the power to turn their “no” into a “yes.”
6. Move Things Along Quickly
When a candidate shows interest in a position, you’ll need to act quickly since they may not necessarily need the job. This may entail working around their schedule. Flexibility is key.
If they reach out to you, be prepared to take action right away before they lose interest or second-guess their decision. Don’t wait for candidates to set up a meeting. Take the initiative, and try to get on their calendar within days of your phone call.
While you’ll want to keep the process moving quickly, be sure to perform your normal interview procedure before making an offer. Moving quickly doesn’t mean throwing caution to the wind.
Sourcing Passive Candidates
With any job, when you accomplish something adequately long, it’s simple for your system to become flat. In any case, sadly, as the recruitment scenario changes and innovation keep on propelling, the standard, worn-out strategies will presently not work. New devices and recruiting procedures aren’t something to be careful about. All things being equal, it is said, embrace these new techniques as more productive and powerful approaches to locate the best candidates.
Candidates who are actively looking for jobs may make a recruiter’s work simpler, however as you probably are aware, the ideal candidate will not simply stroll through the entryway, fit to be recruited.
Sourcing passive candidates may be to a greater extent a test, however, it’s a fundamental strategy in the present serious, high-speed recruiting scene.
The better news is, passive candidate recruiting isn’t pretty much as troublesome as it appears. Truth be told, 85% of employees who already have jobs are open to changing occupations! Attempt the checklist mentioned above, and you’ll rapidly discover and draw in with various passive candidates — some of whom may have an enormous effect on your organization for quite a long time to come.
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