You\u2019ve got your eyes set on that perfect candidate. Skills that match your needs? Check. Experience? Again, check. The right values? Absolutely. An excellent fit that could hit the ground running almost from day one.<\/p>\n
The only problem? They\u2019re not looking for a job.<\/p>\n
Perhaps they\u2019re not exceptionally thrilled with their current role, but haven\u2019t decided on a future career path \u2014 or even someone who was once a candidate for another role in your company.<\/p>\n
But for whatever reason, they\u2019re passive candidates for now, not really in the job market.<\/p>\n
The irony is that some passive candidates may be better for a specific role than anyone actively looking, so how do you best engage with these candidates? A recent SmartRecruiters webinar<\/a> offered some excellent tips.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to LinkedIn, about 60 percent of candidates are \u201csemi-passive.\u201d The upside is that these candidates are already on your radar and you\u2019ve already spent time evaluating them. The downside is that they\u2019re tougher to engage \u2014 perhaps unwilling to talk to you, let alone consider an offer.<\/p>\n Overall, you can engage more effectively with passive candidates when you\u2019ve established an employer brand that reflects values likely to resonate with them, and you\u2019ve demonstrated those values.<\/p>\n Think about it this way: Would you rather buy a product or service from an organization you already know and respect than from some company you\u2019ve never heard of?<\/p>\n With that in mind, here are 9 specific ideas for engaging with passive candidates from our webinar:<\/p>\n Cold phone calls and emails aren\u2019t very productive. Engage with passive candidates through mentioning some common experience to break the ice. Even better? Ask a third party who knows you both to introduce you.<\/p>\n That great employer brand<\/a> you have should ring through all of your communications, so there\u2019s no excuse for boring job ads. Make sure each one emphasizes the positive impact a candidate would have and success they\u2019d enjoy.<\/p>\n Even active candidates drop out when applications take seemingly forever and interviews are tough to schedule. Be flexible because passive candidates already have jobs \u2013 and remember, you\u2019re reaching out to them so you owe them respect and courtesy.<\/p>\n Just as you don\u2019t hire a resume, but hire a person, present your opportunity in terms of the specific team a candidate will work with. Each department in your organization has its own subculture, so help candidates envision themselves in that setting \u2013 even introducing them to team members.<\/p>\n Not being open with passive candidates can be costly, so always be honest about the specific nature of a role you\u2019re trying to fill. It\u2019s better to part ways than onboard a new employee who will leave in a few months and put you back at square one.<\/p>\n Candidates who are undecided may have conflicting feelings of somehow being disloyal to their current employers. Helping them make the decision that\u2019s best for them enhances your own reputation long into the future.<\/p>\n All too many opportunities to hire a great candidate get lost when recruiters don\u2019t collaborate effectively with hiring managers. The hiring manager<\/a> is actually in a better position to sell a job than you are, so be sure you\u2019re both working together as an effective team.<\/p>\n Sometimes we tend to focus too narrowly on one candidate. When it comes to screening, think about \u201cscreening in,\u201d not \u201cscreening out.\u201d That way, you build a talent pool<\/a> where you may be able to engage with several excellent passive candidates for a role.<\/p>\n Being in such a rush that you hire the wrong person can be a very expensive mistake, both in time and money. If a candidate isn\u2019t the right fit, keep looking. You can always stay in touch with passive candidates for future needs.<\/p>\n Remember, passive candidates can be a better fit for highly specific roles than anyone actively looking, but engaging with them requires some unique approaches.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve only barely scratched the surface on these issues, so be sure to watch our webinar, \u201c9 Ways to Engage Passive Candidates<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You\u2019ve got your eyes set on that perfect candidate. Skills that match your needs? Check. Experience? Again, check. The right values? Absolutely. An excellent fit that could hit the ground running almost from day one. The only problem? They\u2019re not looking for a job. Perhaps they\u2019re not exceptionally thrilled with their current role, but haven\u2019t […]","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":33977,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":""},"categories":[838],"tags":[],"series":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/blog_engage-passive-candidates.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Podcast-icon.jpg","download_link":false,"player_link":false,"audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/hiring-success-podcast\/id1472174987","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9oaXJpbmdzdWNjZXNzcG9kY2FzdC5jYXN0b3MuY29tL2hpcmluZy1zdWNjZXNzLXBvZGNhc3Q","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"soundcloud":{"key":"soundcloud","url":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/smartrecruiters\/sets\/hiring-success-podcast-1","label":"SoundCloud","class":"soundcloud","icon":"soundcloud.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3bM8YzLjM2G9qJXLBBySaB","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.smartrecruiters.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast","embedCode":"Being real. Being genuine. It really pays off.<\/h2>\n
1. Don\u2019t be impersonal<\/h3>\n
2. Never forget your story<\/h3>\n
3. Deliver an excellent application and interview experience<\/h3>\n
4. Don\u2019t treat your company as a monolith<\/h3>\n
5. Don\u2019t sell a job you don\u2019t have<\/h3>\n
6. Don\u2019t frame leaving as \u201cselling out\u201d<\/h3>\n
7. Get hiring managers involved early on<\/h3>\n
8. Expand your focus<\/h3>\n
9. Don\u2019t hire quickly because of time pressures<\/h3>\n
Be proactive to attract those great passive candidates<\/h2>\n
9 Ways to Engage Passive Candidates: Experts Tell How.<\/a><\/blockquote>