2. A good job candidate is hard to land.
That’s especially true when it comes to passive candidates — those individuals
currently employed but who may be open to new opportunities. But there are
strategies you can use to grow your sources of qualified candidates and keep them
engaged so when you’re looking to fill that next job role, you’re not solely reliant on
posting new job listings. As a recruiter, you’ll want to make sure you always have a
warm pipeline of potential candidates to tap into as positions are available; you can
easily find the right skillsets and reach candidates with up to date contact information;
and, you have a queue of candidates who will be receptive once you reach them.
The solution is to practice ongoing brand awareness, relationship management and
passive candidate engagement. It’s all about keeping these potential employees
feeling good and interested in your organization before, during and after your initial
outreach. It’s about educating your hiring managers to interact with this audience,
building and marketing your brand, and playing the social media field to engage.
This playbook offers best practices as well as practical tips on finding, engaging
with and recruiting passive candidates.
Look for
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for helpful
tips and
information
on best-in-
class passive
candidate
engagement!
3. www.skillsurvey.com
Table of Contents
— ‘Hard-to-Get’ Passive Candidates: Why They’re Worth Pursuing
— Finding Passive Candidates
— Get Social, Online and Off
— Referrals Make it Easy
— References Expand Exponentially
— Other Sources
— Engaging: Keep up the Dialogue
— Hooking Them: Brand and Engagement Management
— Winning with a Passive Candidate Strategy
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4. ‘Hard-to-Get’ Passive Candidates —
Why They’re Worth Pursuing
Did you know that three quarters of the fully-employed workforce could be
considered passive candidates? They’re people who have a current position
so they’re not on a formal job search, but who would be open to a new position
if it was presented.
Why should you care about passive candidates? For one, they’re not so passive,
really. According to an Indeed.com report1
, 7 in 10 (71%) of workers say they’re either
actively looking at other job opportunities, or open to new career opportunities. And,
another 58% said they look at job postings every other month. In a new report by
ManpowerGroup Solutions2
, they are called “continuous candidates.”
And, there is another category of candidates you should also keep in mind. Consider
all the great candidates you’ve encountered who may not have been the best fit for
the position you had available at the time, but who would be top contenders when
the right role comes around.
Highly skilled
workers are
more likely to
be open to new
opportunities.
1 Talent Attraction Study: What Matters to The Modern Candidate, Indeed Inc., 2015
2 http://www.manpowergroupsolutions.com/manpowergroup-solutions/candidatepreferences/
5. You Know They’re Experienced
The Indeed report found that 85% of employers agreed with
this statement: “‘Highly skilled workers’ are more likely to keep
an eye out for new employment opportunities.” Plus, for hard-
to-fill positions with specific skillsets, they may just be the only
candidates you can find.
You Know the Competition
They’re less likely to be interviewing with other companies —
and that means you’ve got more of a shot to land them. You
are competing with a defined salary and benefits plan.
You’re more likely to get the ‘real deal’
during the hiring process
Since they’re already in a position, initial conversations with
passive candidates are likely to be real conversations about
their skills, talents and goals versus well-prepared, rehearsed
presentations. After all, you contacted them — not the other
way around.
Room to recruit?
Active candidates are 48%
satisfied with their current role,
while passive candidates are
76% satisfied.
—LinkedIn Talent Trends 2015
6. Finding passive candidates
Get Social, Online and Off
Potential candidates who are currently employed are increasingly aware of
other opportunities in the job market, and they’re using more sophisticated
tools to keep an eye on those openings. According to Jobcast3
, 14.4 million
job seekers have used social networks to find a job, and 73% of companies
have successfully hired a candidate using social media.
Social professional networks such as LinkedIn are the largest source of
“quality hires,” according to LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends 20164
. In the
report, 43% of companies surveyed said their top source of new talent came
from social professional networks.
3 26 Social Recruiting Stats & Facts, 2014
4 LinkedIn surveyed 3,894 talent acquisition decision makers in corporate HR departments.
Go to conventions and
other events for your industry to
meet and network with potential
candidates. Get their cards;
connect on social media; save the
hard sell for later.
Post about job
opportunities in strategic
groups on LinkedIn. Or, tweet or
post in Facebook about a success
story. Again, no hard sell—draw
them in.
Speak at industry events,
networking meetings and
job clubs. Talk about your
organization; promote the brand
to make it about attraction – not
promotion.
7. Finding passive candidates
Referrals Make It Easy
Some of your best, new talent will come from employee referrals. According
to LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends 2016 report, 26% of HR professionals
consider employee referrals an “essential and long-lasting” trend in recruiting.
About one-third, 32%, said employee referrals were their most important
source of quality hires within the past 12 months.
What makes them high quality hires? Because they’re being recruited by
someone who knows them, they’re likely to be a cultural match. It’s also
faster to hire new talent from employee referrals, and once hired, they
stay longer. The 2016 Jobvite Index5
reports that new employees hired via
referrals from existing employees are hired 55% faster than those who came
through a career site. Meanwhile, 46% of employee referrals stay for three
years or more while only 14% of those hired from job boards stayed for that
period.
5 The Jobvite Index aggregates social recruiting data drawn from over 600 Jobvite customers who use social recruiting applications.
BEST PRACTICE
Keep your employees regularly
informed of new positions that are
available. Try newsletters or emails
with a call-to-action (CTA) to
forward referral contact
information.
8. Make it as easy and simple as possible
for employees, especially those who
are just hired, to refer a candidate.
Don’t expect employees to navigate your applicant
tracking system (ATS) to input referral information.
Just ask that they email name and contact information —
then have a talent acquisition team member enter the information.
Send them a link that they can use to submit
a contact’s email or one forward to a contact.
Provide employees with a referral email template they
can use to send their contacts information and
direct potential candidates to where they can easily apply.
Have a process in place for new hires that asks
for referrals as part of their initial on-boarding.
9. Finding passive candidates
References Expand Exponentially
Another rich source of passive candidates are your candidates’ references.
Top reasons active candidate references are golden:
— You can easily access contact info. References’ contact information is
always provided! No digging required to start building your database.
— Good people know good people. References are your already vetted
candidates’ managers and peers. Otherwise they wouldn’t be listed.
— They’re likely to be in the same industry, or your desired job role … a bonus
for those hard to fill positions.
— You typically get two or more for one. Because you usually get contact
information for 3-5 references for each job candidate, it’s an exponentially
growing passive candidate source.
Searching for
passive job
candidates?
Good people
know good
people.
10. It’s easy to build a rich, quality database of passive
candidates from references, if you’re using online
reference checking technology.
Make the reference checking process more efficient, and more informative
and build a new talent pipeline at the same time. In addition to responding
to surveys about the job candidate, references provide key contact
information. They do so because the system generates and sends them an
email request from someone they know: your job candidate.
With SkillSurvey’s Pre-Hire 360®, on average, surveys are completed by 4
references in less than 2 days. As part of the process, references can be
invited to join the hiring organization’s talent pool.
Pre-Hire 360 also has an add-on solution SkillSurvey’s SourceTM
to manage
the reference/passive candidate database such as setting up specific talent
pipelines based on key job criteria and creating alerts when a match for
talent takes place.
And, through integration with your ATS, you can mandate or foster
consistent use of reference checking. As a result, you streamline processes
and consolidate your reference data into a single easily-accessible database.
11. Other passive candidate sources
Sometimes the best candidates to consider are those who have
already expressed interest in your organization. They may be
the “silver medalists” who were not quite the best person for the
particular job that was open at the time, but who would be perfect
for another position.
Set up your ATS, database or other solutions to flag these
candidates and keep them in your pipeline. It is one of the features
of SkillSurvey Source, along with a candidate dashboard that
makes it easy to select a candidate and send communications.
We’ll discuss later how important it is to maintain communications
so you have a receptive response if you decide to reach out to a
past candidate for a new position.
12. Engaging: Keep up the Dialogue
Social media has extended the way you can target and engage with
candidates, not only because you can influence future job seekers but also
because you can build referrals.
Job seekers, passive or active, are like the rest of the population — they
visit and re-visit social media daily. According to 2015 Pew Research Center
statistics, 63% of Americans use social networking sites. Seven in 10 (71%)
adult Americans who use the internet participate on Facebook, 58% of the
adult population. Among adult internet users, 28% use LinkedIn, or 23% of
the entire adult population.
In terms of usage, 70% of Facebook users engage with the site daily and 45%
do so several times a day. For LinkedIn, 13% engage daily and 7% visit several
times a day.
Communicate and
keep your brand top
of mind by posting in
candidates’ industry-
or job-related groups.
67% of those who
used social media to
find their most recent
job used Facebook.
Source: Jobvite’s Job
Seeker Nation Study 2016
13. LinkedIn is the most popular place for recruiters to mine job candidates
(87% of recruiters6
use LinkedIn), and it’s where job seekers do things like
get referrals or view an opportunity or read a current employee’s perspective
on their workplace. Maximize your presence to stay top of mind. Post, or
share updates about your organization, trends in your industry or news
about employees. Make sure your organization keeps up its page and builds
followers.
In a recent Linkedin Webinar, Josh Brown Talent Acquisition Manager at
Clemson University, noted that his organization has used the Sponsored
Updates feature to promote posts to specific audiences based on group, job
role or industry.
A good way to reach and influence passive candidates is to join the LinkedIn
groups to which they belong. How to find out that information? Ask job
candidates. You can also survey your current employees – chances are they
belong to many of the same groups. Using LinkedIn Recruiter you can also
identify the LinkedIn Groups these new contacts are part of. “When we load
these contacts into LinkedIn, we not only engage with them early, we also
find relevant groups full of potential candidates,” says Brown in an article in
The Higher Education Workplace. “These are groups we never would have
discovered on our own.”
Case Study
Clemson University synched its
online reference database of
contacts to the LinkedIn Recruiter
tool to expand and enrich its
passive candidate database.
Here’s how it worked:
References opted in through
Pre-Hire 360 with their current
job and contact information.
The team used LinkedIn, which
then searched and synched
those candidates’ full profile
information, including work
history and other resume data.
Clemson’s Results — after one
year of using Pre-Hire 360, the
average number of reference
responses increased to more than
4 per candidate and over 400
passive candidates are opting-in
for future consideration through
Clemson’s passive talent network.
6 2015 Jobvite Recruiter Nation Survey
14. For Facebook, posting information about jobs on your company or
organization’s page makes it easy for your employees to share jobs with
their own network. Thus, your recruitment efforts can easily go viral. Beyond
that, you can post to relevant Facebook group pages. For example, if you’re
trying to fill a public relations position, post in a Facebook public relations
group page. Facebook also offers advertising options to reach its user base
based on key demographic criteria, which is another area that the Clemson
recruiting team has met with success.
If your company is a lifestyle brand or in the consumer goods space, social
media channels such as Instagram and Snapchat may be better tools
to reach your audience. These, can be top tools of choice for recruiting
millennials, or entry level candidates. With snaps and videos of events,
employees, product highlights and other events, you can shape and build a
story about your brand. These tools are good for keeping your audience in
the loop about job developments, too, via snaps of job ads.
Get in the habit of
re-posting or
forwarding your
organization’s
marketing
announcements with
an HR spin.
For example, when
forwarding a post
about a new product
announcement,
highlight your “stellar
product team.”
Facebook Tips
When writing your post, make the first
four words attention-grabbers.
Post with appealing pictures of your
offices, employees and customers.
15. @SkillSurvey
ebook offers
advice on
attracting passive
job candidates:
Make your
landing page
or talent portal
simple!
Blogs are also a great way to influence and build favor with potential
candidates. One best practice is to frequently monitor blogs and forum posts
in order to identify potential, passive candidates. Like their posts, and, where
appropriate, give feedback. For example, if your candidate writes about a
grueling job interview process, offer tips on how to perform well in a one-on-
one.
For Twitter, maintain a regular stream of tweets. You can tweet about new
jobs and events (for example, a community service day or an earnings
announcement) to your followers. Encourage employees to tweet about jobs
to their friends and followers (their reward is referral fees). Follow industry
influencers, retweet and use trending industry hashtags when you can to
expand your reach.
Danielle Johnson of SkillSurvey likes YouTube because “people love
videos.” Her advice: “Go above and beyond the regular text format and
take advantage of more interactive opportunities, for example videos that
showcase how former candidates you’ve hired have progressed in their
careers.”
Regardless of the platform, don’t forget to ask candidates to follow or like
you. By doing so, they stay up to date on new positions and other news at
your organization.
16. Hooking Them: Brand and
Engagement Management
So, now that you’ve found passive candidates, how do you get them
interested in your organization — and your brand — and maybe consider a
move? Well, that’s what recruitment marketing is all about. Consider these
strategies:
Become a brand ambassador. Create a hiring brand message
platform that aligns with your overall corporate message and
vision – so that it’s always clear to candidates who you are, what
your corporate strengths and competitive points are and what
value there is for them in coming to work for you. Get personal,
and make it exciting and compelling.
Get up to speed on digital marketing strategies and techniques.
The goal is to get passive candidates to join your talent network.
Evaluate all of your online assets and make sure there is an easy
way for candidates to join with hyperlinks in emails or social media
posts. For help, collaborate with marketing and leverage content
they’re already using to reach customers, for example, newsletters,
success stories and client testimonials.
Building a Hiring
Brand
Tech giant, VMWare
was featured in a recent
case study on ERE.net
which discussed how
the company created
messaging to compete for
talent against new, trendier,
Silicon Valley firms.
Following in-depth
employee surveys, the
team discovered that for its
employees, it came down
to “owning your future.”
The hiring message was
boiled down to “Dare to
drive change: dare to be
yourself” and profiles of
employees were used
alongside the messaging
on a new, engaging
company careers page and
in advertising campaigns.
17. TIP
Instead of having a candidate
upload a resume or fill out a
lengthy form on your site, ask
them for their preferred quick
way to get in touch, e.g. text,
email or phone.
Beef up the careers section of your website to keep passive
candidates interested — even enthralled. For example, develop
compelling real-life stories and videos about current employees
and their successes at work. Then, put them up on your site.
Promote your talent network on your website. Make it easy with
a link which allows them to sign up to join your talent pool and
be notified of positions. Adds Johnson of SkillSurvey: “Make your
landing page or talent portal simple, with the least amount of steps
involved for navigating and submitting information. Don’t make
them jump through hoops because they want to learn more about
your brand.”
Assess every touch point of your candidate
journey. Make sure every candidate’s (and
potential candidate’s) exposure with your hiring
brand leaves them with a positive feeling whether
there’s a current open position for them or not.
Benefits of a
Live Chat on
Your Website:
—You make your
organization instantly
available to candidates.
—You put a human face to
your organization.
—You show your organization
is technically savvy.
18. Treat Candidates with Kid Gloves
Your hiring managers are your front-line folks when interacting with candidates. That’s
why it’s so important that they understand passive candidates’ unique situation, as well
as their motivation.
The first, most important thing to remember when engaging with passive candidates, said
Johnson: “If a passive candidate reaches out to you, get back to them within 24 hours. If
you let more time go by, you may miss out on your opportunity because a lot can happen
in a day.” For instance, a potential candidate may get interested in one of your competitors,
or they may become busier with their own work schedules and may be unable to respond,
she added. “A lot of companies miss out here because recruiters aren’t proactive enough in
responding.”
Engaging with passive candidates is different than with others. In addition to promoting
your organization, you have to provide incentives for them to want to leave their current
position. This may mean a very high-touch approach such as including the team or
executive interviews in the hiring process.
Also, this means the conversation doesn’t begin with a formal interview. It begins with a
discussion about what’s great about working at your organization and what the candidate
will stand to gain.
#Recruiters:
Passive job
candidates need
TLC. Once they
contact you, get
back to them
within 24 hours.
19. Winning with a Passive Candidate Strategy
When you continue building a talent pool of quality, passive candidate contacts, and
employ best practices to communicate and nurture those relationships, it all leads to
heightened interest in your organization.
Take your passive candidate engagement strategies
to the next level of success!
SOURCES
—“Relationship Building & Your 2016 Recruiting Strategy,” Jibe.com blog, May 2016
—“Recruitment Marketing: Your Thank-You Page Is Broken,” eremedia.com blog, May 2016
—“How to Post a Job on Facebook,” Workable.com blog, March 2016
—“Engage Passive Candidates: The Three Rules of Recruitment Marketing,” Talentculture.com blog, October 2015
—“Four Tools for Improving Your Response Rates When Sourcing Passive Candidates,” Socialtalent.com blog, October 2015
—“Why Relationships are Key to Recruiting Passive Candidates,” Ziprecruiter.com blog, June 2015
—“6-Step Guide to Building The Perfect Employee Referral Program,” LinkedIn 2015
—“How to: Use Snapchat for Recruiting,” Socialtalent.com blog, November 2015
—“Engagement and Attraction: How to Recruit Passive Candidates Effectively,” idibu.com blog, August 2015
—2014 Jobvite Job Seeker Nation Study
—“Passive is Positive,” Jobvite.com blog, September 2014
—“7 Keys to Finding Passive Job Candidates,” ZipRecruiter.com blog, September 2014
—“Passive Candidate Engagement Strategy: Tips Using Social Media,” ERE.net Webinar, January 2014
—“20 Tops Tips to Recruit Passive Candidates,” Dice.com blog, July 2012
—”VMware Turns Things ‘Upside Down’ With Brand, Website”, ERE.net, June 2016.
