What Is Your Recruitment Strategy for Passive Talent?
Your recruitment strategy should not be one size fits all. This article will discuss what “passive talent” means, why you should be (heavily) considering this particular group, and exactly how you can start targeting these individuals. This is the key to filling those stubborn vacancies.
Passive Talent May Be the Answer to Your Stubborn Vacancy
Regardless of the industry, it seems like there is always that one position that is impossible to fill. Maybe it has been open forever, and you cannot seem to find the perfect fit, or perhaps it is one of those roles that is constantly turning over after just a couple of months. Either way, you seem to have exhausted all of your standard recruitment channels. At this point, it is time to get creative.
Why you should target passive talent
Passive talent is an area that is often overlooked. You might be thinking, “what is the point of targeting individuals who are not even looking for a new job?” Remember, just because someone is not currently looking does not mean they could not be swayed. Here are a few reasons why you should consider switching your focus to passive talent:
- Recruiting for your industry is highly competitive, and the standard recruiting pools could be running dry or sucking up all of your resources.
- These individuals do not need to take a job (they already have one), so they are more likely to have relevant skills and make a move only if they feel like it is a perfect fit.
- This recruitment strategy allows you to be specific about the type of experience or skills you are looking for, which can help grow and strengthen your team.
Venues to explore for passive talent
These candidates are not actively looking for a new position (which includes an estimated 70% of the global workforce), so you will not necessarily find them by posting on the regular job boards. Here are some of the best venues to reach passive talent:
- Referrals: This is one of the best recruitment venues, period. Talk to your star employees; chances are they know someone with a similar set of skills and work ethics that could be interested in a new opportunity. Offer a referral bonus for an extra incentive.
- Social Media: LinkedIn and Facebook are both effective ways to source passive talent. You can use filters to find people with the right work experience and send direct messages on LinkedIn. You can also post job openings in relevant social interest groups on Facebook.
- Recruiters: Tapping a professional to help expand your job search is always a good idea. Professional recruiters typically have large recruiting networks and contacts that can significantly extend your reach.
In our next installment of the passive talent series, we will explore exactly how you can write an open job description that can help lure passive talent out of hiding. Since these individuals are not actively passing out their resumes, you need to be very strategic about this step.
Have you lost a great candidate recently to a counter-offer? Maybe you lost them to a competing offer? The competition for exceptional talent is at a fever pitch right now. If your interview funnel has been less than satisfactory and your pool of qualified talent is drying up I invite you to a complimentary consultation on how to attract great talent on a consistent basis AND how to procure them so you don’t lose them to competing offers. Reply to this email to schedule. I promise that in our call together you will leave with 2 or 3 ideas that will greatly impact your ability to find, attract, and procure the top 10-15% of the candidate pool on a consistent basis.
*Not all articles are original works of Vincent Scaramuzzo or Ed-Exec, Inc.*
Vincent Scaramuzzo is the President of Ed-Exec, Inc. A leading Education Executive Search Firm. He is also a contributing author to various education publications regarding education recruiting. As a specialist in the education field for over 18yrs., Scaramuzzo works nationally. He can be contacted at vincent@ed-exec.com (860)-781-7641.