How to Engage with Passive Candidates
Once you have created a list of passive candidates to begin reaching out to, you want to make sure you’re approaching them in the right way.
Be Straightforward
People receive emails and social media messages constantly, so you must stand out to engage passive candidates. The best way to catch their attention is by being honest and straightforward with your intentions. They are not going to leave their current job unless it is for an opportunity that they think will benefit them, whether that is due to increased pay, growth opportunities, work-life balance, etc., so it’s important that you lay out those benefits early on to catch their attention and demonstrate your willingness to work with them.
Be Personable
When you are engaging passive candidates, it’s important to tailor your approach so they feel comfortable exploring a new opportunity with your company. However, it’s also easy to come off as disingenuous, especially if you are in a rush to find a candidate or if you are engaging with too many passive candidates at once. Patience is key. Take your time to explore their professional social pages to find out what they are interested in or to see what their career trajectory has looked like so far. When you reach out to them, share any work your organization has done recently that is relevant to their interests and ask them about their personal career goals.
By being personable and showing your interest in them, you can begin to establish a relationship that is focused on helping them reach their goals and helping you build the right team.
Educate Them on Your Company
Unlike active candidates, passive candidates may have no background on what your company does or how you operate. Educating them about how each piece of your organization comes together is crucial for helping them see their part in it. There are a few ways you can do this, but we suggest one of these:
- Connect them with current employees who are on the teams that they would be working with to answer any questions and build connections that may be key when convincing them to join your company.
- You can also encourage current employees to share their journeys within the company if career growth is an important factor for them.
Putting faces to your organization and hearing stories from current employees will make it easier for them to understand what they can expect in the role and what the day-to-day would look like.
Don’t Overwhelm Them
While active candidates may appreciate communication and even over-communication, passive candidates will run at the first sign of pushiness. Being overly communicative may look like a sign of desperation or stress, which could reflect badly on the organization and how it operates. It’s important to be cautious and respectful of their time, considering that they are likely busy with their current job as well. If you can tell they are pulling away, don’t be afraid to address it and ask them directly if this just isn’t the right time or what part of the role doesn’t appeal to them.
Asking these questions can help you realize if something needs to be adjusted with your approach or with the role itself.
Keep In Touch
If they aren’t looking to switch jobs right now, that doesn’t mean all your work is for nothing! Keep in touch with passive candidates, sending them a message once in a while to check in and see how they are doing or see if they are progressing in their career the way that they imagined. Doing this shows your commitment to them and keeps that relationship strong. Plus, you never know if, down the line, they’ll have other connections they can put you in touch with that will be the perfect fit.
