Best strategies to attract passive job candidates

Passive job candidates are not actively looking to switch jobs. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t meaningful ways to engage with them, and make a compelling case for them to consider a job in your organization. Here are the best strategies to attract passive job candidates.

1. Establish a strong online presence to attract passive job candidates

A strong online presence is necessary if you are to attract passive job candidates. Using the best search engine optimization or SEO practices is the starting point in establishing the same. Frequently sharing engaging posts on your company’s social media sites including LinkedIn is another strategy to this end. The content you share needn’t all be overtly professional in tone either. Plenty of young job seekers appreciate a casual tone of employer brand communication even as they remain serious about their career. Depending on your target audience, you may even share content formats traditionally not associated with brand communication, like memes.

2. Get referrals from current employees

Very few strategies match the efficacy of this step. If the company provides great benefits and work culture, your current employees would be happy. Leverage this to gain referrals when a new role opens in the company.

Also, ask them to share the job opening in their personal social media accounts and offline gatherings with peers. Establish a program by which an employee stands to gain monetary or other benefits if someone they refer joins the company.

3. Bide your time to get the right job candidates

One of the most frustrating things about being a recruiter is finding an ideal candidate for a role, only to learn they are unwilling to change jobs. Many recruiters forget about these candidates and move on. That may not be a smart move though. Instead, include such candidates in your talent community. Keep communicating with them. Share content that would help them improve their professional skills even more. You could also share content which discusses your company’s culture. Ask them to update you if they are looking to switch jobs again.

Mostly, getting a passive job candidate to apply for a job is only a matter of time. If you are still in touch with them at the right time, they would probably show an interest in taking up a role in your company.

4. Engage directly with potential candidates on LinkedIn

Of all social media platforms, none is more ideal to engage with qualified professionals than LinkedIn. The service, dedicated to professional networking, has information for recruiters including candidates’ educational background, work experience and in some cases, portfolios of works and recommendations by other professionals.

If you have identified potential passive job candidates, reach out to them directly. Inform them about the role that’s open and invite them to apply for the same. In this process, you choose a select few candidates from among a crowd. This shows you value them. This gives them further impetus to apply for a role in your company.

5. Take part in live events

Networking events and industry-specific trade shows frequently happen online and offline. Some of them are perfect venues to meet with highly skilled talent. You could impress upon the talent about the various benefits of working in your organization while showcasing the company’s work culture.

Another approach is to invite potential candidates to a virtual or in-person tour of your office. Aside from giving them a tour of the workplace, it also gives them a chance to interact with others in the company, giving them a glimpse of the work culture and people.

6. Establish a strong employer brand

Many factors could set the company apart from its peers- like work from home options, medical insurance cover that extends to parents of the employees and employees being given stock options. Decide the primary factors which make your organization a unique workplace. Then, communicate these points over your social media platforms, websites, and events.

Such communication should be part of your marketing strategy whether you are actively recruiting or not. Getting a positive review of the company’s work culture in an independent third-party article would also help.  Share relevant documents about the work culture and employee benefits with the reviewers, and invite them to assess the office and work culture for themselves. Passive candidates usually do extensive background research about a company before deciding whether to join or not. Given this, review-articles and the like are very important.

7. Use a robust tech platform

Many steps we mentioned here could be easily accomplished if you use the right tech platform- like TalentNet. TalentNet is your One Doorway to all types of talent, including full time, contingent and freelancers. TalentNet comes loaded with features that make it perfect to attract and engage passive talent. You could create your own talent community that includes passive talent. Keep engaging with them as the platform supports two-way communication. Customize the messages that you share- personalized communication helps bolster relationship with the candidates. When there are job openings, share them all from a single platform, and those in the talent community would be notified immediately.

Ready to attract top talent? Book a demo with TalentNet today to learn how to implement the best strategies for passive candidate sourcing.