The Five Best Ways to Recruit Passive Candidates

From ERE.Net | posted by Louis Kadetsky on June 10, 2010

Active job-seekers may be easiest to find, but it's the passive candidate who can deliver the most value.

Because they aren't looking for something new, the competition for passive talent may not be as intense, so here you could score a real victory for your company's war for talent. You have to work a little harder to reach your recruiting objective and find someone who isn't actively seeking to be identified.

Operationally, recruiting in the passive job market comes with unique challenges. As corporate recruiting departments are tasked to run leaner, cut costs and reduce time to hire, the workload associated with searching for passive talent seems impossible. How do you justify to your executives that you should spend more time and resources to discover passive talent, when there are plenty of active candidates eager to be found?

At the end of the day, if you can identify passive talent and bring them to new hire without increases in time to hire, expense or workload, you'll be able to gain an advantage in the talent market. Work with KGTiger's STREAM service to develop rich talent pools, and we'll help you overcome the five major obstacles associated with recruiting passive candidates.

1. Offer a step up
Passive candidates aren't looking for lateral moves. You need to offer them a step up - financially, in title or to a new or interesting area within a given sector.

2. Show how the boss will deliver value
Passive candidates tend to want managers who will invest in their careers, mentor them and bring them growth opportunities regularly. Merely trading one boss for another won't cut it for the passive candidate.

3. Make the upside clear
You're looking to disrupt the life and career of someone who hasn't overtly expressed an interest in change. So, be prepared to show in many ways - from compensation to culture - how the decision to work for your company will pay off.

4. Avoid overselling
Even if your candidate doesn't notice, he or she will talk about the opportunity with friends and family. But if you're overselling the opportunity, one of them is bound to notice. Be honest, direct and clear.

5. Stay involved the whole time
You are the first person with whom the candidate will interact, and it's your job to shepherd the process to its ultimate conclusion. Make sure you're informed about the position and the status of the hiring process all the time. Be prepared (and available) to discuss any concerns the candidate may have.

The quest for top talent isn't easy but with careful planning and forethought it can be stimulating for you, the recruiter, and powerful for your company's talent organization.