Rethinking Passive Recruiting - Benefits of a Focused, Active Approach

Hiring TipsEmployer Branding

Recruiting passive candidates can be a difficult task that requires a lot of time and effort. Many recruiters find it difficult to identify and contact these types of candidates. The active job market, especially in the technology sector, is highly competitive and there is a growing shortage of qualified candidates. And since automated tools allow recruiters to reach almost anyone, top candidates are bombarded with requests. Passive recruiting seems like a fascinating, less traveled path- but it has its challenges.

Let's start with a few reasons why passive candidate recruitment can miss the mark:

1. Selective range

Without working for a recognizable brand, your appeal to potential candidates will likely fall flat. You also run the risk of your communications being mistaken for spam. The best passive candidates are already getting deluged with these types of messages.

2. It's a long process

In a time when recruiters are pushing to scale their hiring efforts, passive recruiting is anything but scalable. It takes significant resources - usually a one-to-one outreach - to make contact. Since the passive candidate doesn't even know they're on your radar, it'll likely take some time for them to respond. Even if they do, there are several more steps to add to an already lengthy process.

3. Results are unpredictable

It is very difficult to find the formula for making a successful contact with a passive job candidate. Every candidate is different, and if he is not actively searching for a job, he will be focused on his current career - recruiters will play a subordinate role in this for him.

4. It can be uncomfortable, especially for competitor employees

Outreach to passive candidates can be done in many ways, but one of the more aggressive tactics is targeting a competitor's top talent. If you reach out to connect with a superstar employee of a rival company, it creates the impression that you're trying to poach good talent. Although this is a common practice in the recruiting world, it can cause unrest within the company and among other businesses.

The active way to recruiting success

It should not come as a surprise that working with the right recruiting model from the beginning leads to better results and creates a more pleasant experience for candidates and employers:

• Technology is of paramount importance across industries. Therefore, it is helpful to know that in the pool you are searching, everyone is waiting for the next big opportunity.
• If you only look at past experiences and don't deal with future intentions and goals, you're not doing much more than being on the passive side. It would be better if each candidate could tell his own story: where he was, how this affected his career path, what he is looking for and in what environment he wants to land.

The more you know about the individual, the better.

• A more balanced candidate experience is required for the right active approach, one in which personalized encounters and the shared goal of finding the right position create a stronger relationship and, as a result, better chances for success.