How to Reach Passive Job Candidates
When it comes to finding the best talent, a large portion of potential job candidates can be passive as they have many options. It can be difficult making your opportunity stand out to these candidates, so here are some strategies to appeal to even the most passive of talent.
Make Candidates Fall in Love with Your Company
It's important to understand that in order to attract a certain type of candidate, you need to have a defined employer brand first. Identify some of the strongest values that your company offers and highlight this in content and testimonials across your website, LinkedIn, Indeed, or wherever you hire from. Candidates that place value in these aspects will have much higher interest.
Connect & Relate Through Social Media
86% of job seekers use social media in their job search. Your social pages are a go-to for candidates that want a better understanding of what working for you is really like. It's smart to showcase events, achievements, and inside looks at what it's like to be on your team. This transparency helps candidates relate to your brand, and develop an interest in your mission.
Look Inside for Great Referrals
A great referral program is an efficient way to bring in passive candidates who already get along with at least some members of your company. Referrals have been shown to reduce the time to hire by almost 50% compared to candidates from a company's career site. With a trusted connection, candidates are much more likely to consider the opportunity, and you can rest easy onboarding a new employee that your employee(s) already trust.
Make Hiring a High Priority
Especially in startups, but in all companies as well, effective hiring needs to be a high priority! The talent you bring in can be one of the most important factors in your company's direction. We recommend setting aside a set amount of time each week for recruiting and hiring. Ensure that all stakeholders in the process are kept informed about progress, challenges, and targets.
Keep a Full Talent Pool
Searching through hiring pools a little every week is a great strategy to find great talent and monitor new hiring opportunities. It's equally important to keep track of passive talent you've found. While they may not be ready to join now, keeping a wish list of potential candidates is a worthy investment that can lead to great talent acquisition. Just because they're not interested now doesn't mean they won't be in the future. Trust takes time to build and opportunities require the right timing, so it's important to realize that candidates aren't a lost cause just because they can't join yet.
By making talent acquisition a priority and consistently monitoring your talent pool, even passive candidates can be great acquisitions to your team. Equally important is giving candidates a real reason to want to join, whether that be the great work environment you clearly communicate to them through digital and social outlets, or the connections and friendships they have with your team members. Getting the right talent is just as important as finding the right customers, so we encourage you to utilize these steps in your recruitment strategy.
If you ever feel the need for support finding the right talent, we're experts in the field and would be happy to help! Just schedule a call at the link below: