We hate to break it to you, but in today’s tight labour market, top talent won’t just miraculously show up in your ATS. Strategically sourcing passive candidates is the game-changing solution your organisation has been looking for. Passive candidates now account for 70% of the global workforce. If hiring top talent is on your to-do list, then you need to be proactively searching for employed candidates, nurturing relationships, and engaging the passive workforce.
Wondering how your company can implement an effective passive candidate recruitment strategy? Here’s how.
1. Build Hype Internally Using Employee Referral Programs
Employee referral programs are a cost-effective recruitment strategy that can significantly reduce your company’s average time-to-fill. Not only are referrals a leading source of superior candidates for 88% of employers, but they yield higher retention rates and generate the best return on investment compared to all other hiring sources. By designing a successful referral program, your company can tap into an entire pool of qualified passive job seekers and create a culture of buy-in from your employees.
In order for your company to increase brand awareness and attract passive job seekers, it’s imperative to invest in a robust advertising campaign on social media. Why? Your business needs to be where the candidates are – and in today’s digital era, that’s on social media. By setting up a strategic job advertising campaign on social media, your company will see a tremendous uptick in quality applications.
The most effective social channels to advertise on are Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. These channels provide employers with the power to craft sponsored ads, which you could leverage to showcase open positions and elements like your company culture, to draw viewers in and attract passive job seekers.
Diversifying your social strategy may seem a bit intimidating at first. However, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the efficacy of targeting candidates where they spend the bulk of their time. On Instagram, for example, the “Stories” feature has become increasingly popular over the years – especially among the younger generation.
3. Use Retargeting Ads to Stay Top-Of-Mind
What the heck is retargeting? Have you ever researched a product you were interested in online and suddenly that product seems to appear virtually everywhere you look on the web? That’s retargeting. Instead of that trendy blouse or those running shoes you had your eyes on, you’d leverage these ads to promote your company culture and open positions. By having a tracking solution installed on your career page you’ll be able to properly capture candidate data and reach those candidates again.
Implementing a retargeting campaign ensures your brand remains top-of-mind for high-quality candidates you’re trying to reel in. Retargeting will also help improve application completion rates and increase visibility for your company. After all, you’re reaching candidates who have already shown interest in your workplace by visiting your career site.
4. Emphasize Branding, Culture, and Growth Potential
There are a few elements of recruitment marketing and talent acquisition that teams tend to overlook when executing their strategy. To capture the attention of passive job seekers, you need to focus on what makes your organisation unique. Why is it a rewarding place to work? The marketplace is competitive; to be successful, your employer brand must stand out from the pack. Nearly 87% of Millennials (the bulk of today’s workforce) say professional development and career growth are incredibly important to them. What’s more, approximately 80% say the cultural fit is a large determining factor in choosing to work for one employer over another.
Think about it realistically: a passive candidate wouldn’t elect to leave their current position unless they were confident the new role you’re pitching will be more fulfilling and rewarding. So, when connecting and engaging with passive candidates, don’t try and immediately sell them on one specific open role. Instead, highlight employer branding, company culture, and opportunities for growth within your organisation. By doing so, you’ll see a corresponding uptick in applications.
5. Burden-Free Is the Way to Be
We’re going to dish a little cold, hard truth on you: passive candidates don’t “need” a job, so if you make connecting or the application process difficult, you’ll immediately lose their interest. Making a candidate jump through hoops just to get in contact with your company is not going to do you any favours and having a mobile-friendly career site is critical for success. High-quality talent will never be “desperate” for your attention. Instead, they value transparency, authenticity, and open communication. Make sure dialogue is seamless throughout each step of the sourcing and recruiting process.
The Benefits of Passive Candidate Recruiting
Sure, active candidates make recruiting easier. However, in today’s fast-paced and competitive hiring landscape, sourcing passive candidates is essential for attracting the best and brightest talent out there. So, how can your company revamp your strategy to attract more passive candidates? These solutions will help you shift your talent acquisition and recruitment marketing strategy in order to build a sustainable and profitable business. Try them out!
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