The passive job seeker is a working professional who is not actively looking for work, but when contacted directly by a recruiter is open to discussing new job opportunities.
Finding above average employees who fit the requirements of the role and the culture of your organization is not an easy task. Many times the ideal candidate is already gainfully employed or simply not looking for work. As a hiring manager it’s your job to find the best candidate by looking at all the possibilities, and an opportunity many hiring managers miss is the passive job seeker as a potential source for suitable candidates. A recruiter can help you gain access this group.
A passive job seeker is someone who is a working professional who is not actively looking for work, but when contacted directly by a recruiter these candidates are open to discussing new job opportunities. Understanding the passive job seeker, involves accepting the idea that workers are eternally restless. For many, they see themselves holding a position that may be one or two levels below where they want to be. There are many reasons the passive job seeker may peek over the fence to see what their next opportunity could be. If they don’t have to peek over the fence and that opportunity comes knocking on their door, even better!
Everyone is a potential Recruit
A recent survey states that only 30% of those viewing job postings on their site are coming from passive job seekers. It also states that nearly 1 in 5 of those who already have a job say they’ve been approached by a recruiter for a position they never applied for. According to the survey 85 percent would be willing to talk with a recruiter, while only 15 percent said they were completely satisfied and wouldn’t change jobs. Most of those passive candidates are interested in achieving a better work/life balance or gaining more opportunities for advancement.
Not only does this prove the value and importance of using a recruiter in your candidate search, but also that the passive candidate can quickly become active if the right opportunity comes along. How do recruiters attract the passive candidate. The first step to attract passive candidates is to think like one. This means using social media tools like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook as well as in-person networking events and industry mixers to scope out potential candidates and to learn their employment motivations.
The bottom line is that all employees are potential future hires. A worker’s current status in the job market has nothing to do with their talent or their willingness to look at other opportunities that present themselves. The reverse is also true, that great performers might be currently unemployed, caught in a downsizing, and very actively looking for a job right now. A recruiter will make it their job to make sure no stone is unturned when looking for the ideal candidate to fill a role. This means souring and screening both active and passive job seekers to ultimately find above average candidates for the position.
