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How To Target Passive Candidates

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by Resume-Library

As a staffing professional, you’ll definitely be used to reaching out to candidates about potential job opportunities; but in the current market this is getting trickier to do. In this article, we’ll explain why you should target passive candidates (and how to do it).

Why Should You Target Passive Candidates?

The U.S. employment rate is at a record high and while this is positive for the economy, it also  means that there are less people actively looking for new jobs. That’s why there’s more pressure on staffing professionals to target passive candidates as well as active ones.

What’s more, some people reckon that passive candidates could be better quality. The logic behind this is that they’re already a valuable asset in their current company. They’re highly sought after and are less likely to lie to make themselves look good.

That’s not to say that the candidates who are actively looking for a new job are no good. But, you might be hiring for a hard-to-fill role and have no choice but to target passive candidates. If this is the case, read on for our top tips on how to do so.

Invest in the Right Platforms

A huge part of targeting passive candidates is using the right tools. After all, it’s not exactly going to be easy to source potential hires if you’ve got nowhere to search for them on.

The most obvious place to start is an online job board. You might choose to access these directly, or integrate them with platforms like Haley Marketing’s Career Portal to enable you to manage your searches in one place.

Either way, you’ll want to ensure that they have relevant resumes in their databases. The good news is that most candidates will register their resume online and expect to hear from staffing agents at some point – so it might not be as tricky to approach them.

Put Yourself in Their Shoes

In life, no one wants to be sold to. And while this is a major part of your job as a staffing agent, you’ll need to tone it down if you want to target passive candidates.

So, don’t go in all guns blazing when you make your approach. You should always aim to build positive relationships with potential candidates and remember that they might not have even thought about changing jobs.

Make the conversation about them: Are they happy in their current role? Would they be open to a new position? What skills do they have that impress you the most? Then introduce the role you’re hiring for, explaining why you think it would be a great fit for them.

It’s all about putting yourself in their shoes. How would you want someone to target you about a role when you aren’t even thinking about changing jobs? And what would make you actually want to respond to them?

Don’t Be Afraid to Follow Up

While you don’t want to be too keen when you target passive candidates, there’s definitely no harm in following up with these individuals after your initial contact. Especially if they didn’t reply.

For this reason, it’s a good idea to not include the job posting when you reach out to them in the first place. This is because you can use it as an opportunity to follow up if they don’t reply.

If you still don’t hear anything after this, it’s perfectly acceptable to send them a final reminder, though you might want to also wish them luck in the future and suggest they get in touch when they’re ready for a move.

After all, you’ll want them to come to your staffing agency when they’re good and ready; not to anyone else! This light contact should be friendly and definitely not salesy (as mentioned above).

Consider the Whole Package

Think about it: What would make you want to leave a job you’re perfectly happy in? You’re never going to pique the interest of passive candidates if the company’s package isn’t competitive and appealing. While you can’t necessarily control this as a staffing agent, how you market the role is important.

There’s definitely a balance to strike here. After all, as mentioned above you don’t want to go in all guns blazing. Instead, you need to understand what their current package looks like and how your role measures up against them.

When pushing your role, if you know it offers a strong package then use it to your advantage. Try not to mention salary until you have a good idea of what they’re currently making, but feel free to disclose the rough bracket if it feels appropriate to do so.

Alongside this, if there are growth opportunities, you should definitely highlight this. Many passive candidates will eventually move jobs if there’s no room for development in their current position.

Successfully Target Passive Candidates

These are just some of the ways you can secure the interest of candidates who might not be actively looking for a new job right now. In the current market, taking a proactive approach to hiring is a must; but how you approach professionals about your role is really important.

By taking note of the advice above, we hope that you’ll be able to grow your talent pool and make the right hires for your clients’ needs.

 

About the Author: Resume-Library is one of the fastest growing job boards in the U.S, providing the ultimate hiring solutions for thousands of staffing agencies and employers of all sizes. With access to an entire pool of resumes belonging to talented job seekers, hiring professionals are able to headhunt the perfect candidates to fill every vacancy.

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