Four Steps for Recruiting Passive Candidates
With national unemployment levels remaining at near historic lows it’s becoming more and more difficult to recruit talented job seekers, despite industry. In order to compensate for this shortage of available talent, savvy recruiters often focus their efforts on passive candidates—those who are already employed but may be willing to make a move—in order to fill open positions. Finding these candidates, however, can be a real challenge. If you’re exploring the option of recruiting passive candidates, here are four basic steps you may follow to find the right talent as quickly as possible:
Start with a search: It all starts with finding candidates who, though they may not be actively searching for work, have skills and experience that are relevant to the position you are seeking to fill. LinkedIn is a great place to start as it allows you to search based on specific user demographics, but don’t overlook other social media platforms such as Facebook, especially if you target your search to specialized groups that have a similar focus to the position you’re looking to fill.
Write a compelling email: Once you’ve found multiple individuals that satisfy your requirements, it’s time to make the first contact. It’s important to be compelling, focusing not on compensation right out of the gate but, rather, on company culture and career growth. Many passive candidates are perfectly satisfied where they are and won’t go through the stress of making a move based on money alone. However, if your company culture or the opportunity for growth is more appealing to them than their current situation, they may be willing to talk.
Schedule exploratory calls: After you’ve taken the time to narrow down your list to a few candidates with strong potential, it’s time to schedule phone calls to discuss the nitty-gritty details of the position. This is a final screening to gauge interest before a formal interview process, so make the most of it, especially if your candidates don’t have the exact experience you’re looking for. Be sure to thoroughly explain the job and ask exploratory questions that will give you clues as to the candidates’ competencies and desire to make a change.
Begin the interview process: After you’ve searched for and identified your top candidates, it’s time to move into the formal interview and hiring process. At this stage, your process should continue as normal until you’ve made the offer and placed the right candidate into the position.
Though recruiting passive candidates can be challenging, it can also lead to a treasure trove of highly-skilled candidates that are flying under everyone else’s radar. The steps listed above can start you down the path of recruiting these candidates and, if you still need a little help finding the right people for your business, AtWork can help. Visit AtWork.com/locations today to find a branch near you!
