How Do I Look for Passive Candidates?

A traditional recruiting effort limits your options. To break out of these restrictions, you should also target other possibilities, potential hires outside your normal applicants. But how? How do you effectively look for passive candidates?

Think about what happens during the normal process of filling an open position. You place a job posting and wait for people to find it. You only get to choose from a set of candidates who fit a very narrow set of conditions. Namely, they are 1) qualified for your position, and 2) currently looking for work.

When you think about it, that’s a rather thin sliver of the market. After all, the best candidates likely already have a job…and your competition is doing everything it can to keep those top employees in place.

By developing a process for targeting passive candidates, you can expand your options and gain access to extraordinary talent. Doing this requires setting up the proper infrastructure and altering your approach to recruiting.

Here are some tips to help you look for passive candidates:

Social Media

Social media provides a crucial tool for developing passive talent. It allows you to build a compelling portrait of life at your company. At the same time, you can research and build a connection with talented people in your industry. When the time is right, you can also reach out to these prospects and make a more direct pitch.

Encourage Employee Referrals

Get your current employees involved in the process. After all, they have a direct connection with your day-to-day operations. As a result, they know the kinds of skills that thrive in your organization. Also, they likely have contacts with others in the same field. As a result, your workers become an excellent way to discover passive talent.

On the informal level, you can simply let your employees know about potential opportunities. Ask them to reach out to their friends and acquaintances to find likely prospects.

Or you can take the process a step further. Create a formal referral process, with rewards and other incentives to encourage your employees to find passive talent.

Stay In Contact with Former Candidates

Every time you fill a position, you meet a host of other applicants that, for one reason or another, didn’t make sense for that particular hire. Don’t lose contact with these qualified candidates. They might represent excellent hires for other roles.

Keep in contact with your top also-rans. Follow their careers and promote an ongoing relationship. When it comes time to fill another position, these pre-vetted candidates become excellent passive options.

Foster Your Employer Brand

Make workers want to come to you. By developing an attractive employer brand, you encourage ambitious and self-starting candidates to seek you out. They will hear how great it is to work at your organization and reach out to you about potential opportunities.

Doing this requires a commitment to employee relations. Focus on culture and promote a strong work/life balance within your company. Treat outgoing employees well and monitor review sites, like Glassdoor. Again, lean on social media and other online resources to promote the value of working at your firm.

Build a Community

Use other online resources to create a community of like-minded people. The same way people gather digitally to discuss Star Wars or college football or fashion tips, you can foster a group of people interested in your industry. These enthusiasts can become a talent pool for you to draw on for future employment opportunities.

Form these groups by becoming a thought leader in your industry. Publish blogs and unique research on your website. Look for ways to break out of your narrow company to concerns to connect with the broader community.

Old Fashioned Networking

Remember meeting people in person? We know: that’s so 2019. But eventually, we’ll get back to events like conferences, client meetings, business lunches, and trade shows. When that happens, those meet-ups provide an excellent opportunity to cultivate passive talent.

By opening up your horizons, you increase your chances of finding the perfect employee for every open position. Cultivating passive candidates is one way to do that. Looking for even more options? Partner with a strong staffing agency, like SmartTalent.

Contact SmartTalent today to locate the ideal candidates for your organization.