Tips to Get in Front of a Passive Job Seeker

Ah, the elusive passive candidate! When filling open positions at your company, you want the best person for the job. Active candidates have all their information available for you to read, but you can expand your talent pool by including passive candidates. So, how can you find those who aren’t looking for you, capture their attention and lure them to your company?

Five ways to attract passive job seekers

They might be open to the possibility of new employment, but they’re not actively searching. That’s OK—you can still find passive candidates and include them in your talent search. Here’s how:

1. Write killer job descriptions. Make them catchy and entertaining! Nothing says a job description should be a boring read, so spice up the header and include interesting details about the job and the company. You can even get creative and use some copywriting tactics to make your job description more of a sales message. What would you want to read if you were perusing social media—what would catch your attention, even if you weren’t actively looking for a new job?
2. Harness the power of social media. LinkedIn is your go-to for finding passive candidates—you can easily search for professionals who fit your job descriptions and reach out to them directly. However, Facebook and Twitter allow you to post open jobs in a way the entire world can see (including passive candidates). With Facebook, you can boost your posts so they’re visible to all users, even those who don’t follow your site. With Twitter, you can use hashtags so your tweets will populate for those with similar interests (i.e., people perfectly qualified for the job).
3. Message candidates directly and personalize your note. LinkedIn allows you to send messages to anyone with a profile, which includes passive candidates. When you do, personalize the message in a way that won’t be automatically deleted or sound spammy. What values would the perfect candidate have—what would they be looking for? Use a catchy subject line that will increase the possibility of the person opening the email. Then, pepper the body of the message with information about the job that will appeal to them specifically.
4. Offer referral incentives. One of the easiest ways to fill positions is to hire someone already familiar with your company. By offering referral incentives to your staff, you can target candidates you’re not aware of—but whom one of your employees might know, who’d be perfect for an open job.
5. Work with a recruiter. Recruiters have databases of potential talent, both active and passive, plus they are experts at techniques to source passive talent. By working with a staffing agency, you leave the process in the hands of an experienced hiring professional.

In search of top talent?

Then check out Inter-Connect. We help employers find and place light industrial and office workers. To learn more, contact us today!