Passive candidates are a goldmine for recruiters and companies. They’re people who are already employed, and — let’s face it — not looking for a job. Nor do they have to. While active candidates need a new gig out of necessity, passive candidates want a better opportunity, so their skills and experience levels are generally higher. According to different estimates, up to 70% of the global workforce is made up of passive candidates. So as a recruiter or an employer, you should spend your time and effort reaching out to them. And here’s how.
Personalize LinkedIn Interaction
Nobody wants to feel like they’re just another number to you, which is exactly how generic and impersonal messaging is coming across. The more warmth and humanity you inject into your message, the more likely your recipient will want to engage with you. Show respect for your prospective candidate and adjust your messaging style to fit with theirs (i.e. don’t use jargon, clichés, or flattery that doesn’t sound natural). And no attachments or information dumps either!
Our best tip is to take a quick look at your prospect’s work history, consider recent activity, and see if there are any common connections or groups. Then use their first name in your message, mention the common connection(s) or groups you share, and finish with a clear call-to-action. Keep in mind — passive candidates ignore generic messages.
Pro Tip: You can also send a message via email. In fact, it’s a wiser strategy because many great candidates use LinkedIn only occasionally, especially if they’re not actively looking for a job. So, using email is a better way to ensure your offer reaches the necessary person in due time. If no contact information is available in the LinkedIn bio, you can always use a professional contact finder with a LinkedIn lookup feature – it’s quicker than running a manual Google search or prowling through all other social networks imaginable.
Leverage Other Social Networks
Speaking of prowling other social networks, it’s not such a bad strategy when handled right. After all, LinkedIn is not the only social site where your ideal candidates spend their time – so make sure you also use Facebook, X, and Instagram. With these social networks, you can find passive candidates who might share your company mindset – because these sites can showcase your company culture, share success stories, and reveal employees’ opinions in a more relaxed style.
If you post authentic stories that promote positive values, they have a chance of reaching passive candidates and making the right impression. But remember, cheating won’t help. You have to be a recruiter who believes in what the company is doing. Then, passive candidates will also believe in it.
Encourage Company Overviews
Encouraging employees to post positive company reviews on sites such as Indeed, LinkedIn, or Glassdoor is an effective way to entice passive candidates. As part of their research process, gifted candidates often look for a cultural fit, employee satisfaction, and good work conditions before considering a new job.
Positive reviews help to establish credibility with the public by promoting your organization as an employer of choice that provides excellent working conditions and supports employees in their career goals.
People open to new opportunities will likely investigate these reviews when considering a potential employer. If your employees write positively about your organization, you will gain a competitive advantage over companies that do not invest in promoting their positive brand image.
Seize Every Opportunity to Find New Talent
Attracting passive candidates means taking a proactive approach when searching for talent. And even though social networks, with LinkedIn at the forefront, offer access to a vast talent pool, specialized databases are even better suited for this purpose.
SignalHire, for example, is one of the top recruiting solutions with verified contacts within a single database – and you can search it in bulk by any customizable criteria, like skillsets, job experience, current company, job title, and more. Using bulk searches can be highly beneficial if you want to accelerate your search for a perfect candidate – just make sure you analyze each prospect separately and only contact them with personalized offers.
Invest in Quality ATS
The choice of applicant tracking systems today is simply overwhelming. The good news is that they all cater to more or less the same purposes – managing job postings, organizing candidate data, and ensuring smooth communication. The bad news – different ATSs emphasize different features and focus on different stages of a recruiting funnel.
A lot of quality ATSs today are backed up by AI – for example, some are great at automating conversations, while others can aggregate all publicly available data about candidates in your database. So, identify the stages in a recruiting funnel you need the most help with and choose the best ATS for your corporate goals.
Host Networking Events & Webinars
Another strategy to attract passive candidates is to organize networking events and webinars. Passive candidates might not be searching for a job now, but they will be at some point. Many talented professionals keep an eye on industry trends and potential employers who can offer them better career opportunities.
Events that highlight a company’s expertise and success will build trust in your company while helping participants develop new connections. Encouraging existing employees to attend these meetings is also a great strategy to promote the company’s image. As for HRs, they get a chance to interact with passive candidates and, hopefully, make a good impression.
Encourage Employee Referrals
You may not find perfect candidates on LinkedIn or other social networking platforms – or the search can take longer than you expect (it usually does). But you can always encourage current employees to refer to some of their former colleagues. This strategy has proven to be very effective, as employees often have connections with talented professionals in their industry. Many potential candidates might not be actively looking for a new job but would consider a switch if approached by someone they trust.
If you encourage referrals, you can tap into a broader talent pool by leveraging your current workforce and their connections from former jobs or college. Referrals may also result in a better cultural fit because your employees will probably refer peers with shared professional mindsets and aspirations. In other words, there might be passive candidates out there who are ‘pre-qualified’ for the positions you’re offering.
Showcase Development Opportunities
One of the best ways to engage passive candidates is to clearly explain your company’s career opportunities in a job offer. Highlight the internal career tracks employees can embrace throughout the organization. Even if passive candidates are not “actively” pursuing other positions, it doesn’t mean they’re not interested in advancing their careers. And if you offer a variety of training opportunities or reimbursements for obtaining certifications or attending conferences, it’s even more likely that they will choose your company over others.
But, of course, do not try to mislead anyone with fancy phrases or, even worse, false information. After all, many passive candidates are professionals with a strong work ethic who can read between the lines. Promote your company without cheap advertising tricks, and stay realistic when describing potential career opportunities.
The last tip is to stock up on patience. Searching for passive candidates does not come easy, and you might have to apply some extra effort in that regard. But if you consistently build your company reputation and expand your professional network, we bet this pays off in the long run. Because that’s what attracting passive candidates is truly all about.
