Uncovering Hidden Talent—Comprehensive Guide to Sourcing Passive Candidates

Companies must constantly adapt and improve their hiring process to attract and retain the best talent if they want to stay ahead of the competition. One, often overlooked way to do that is sourcing passive candidates. Many businesses fail to recognize their potential, instead focusing solely on active jobseekers. This narrow approach can lead to missed opportunities and create a talent gap that can negatively impact an entire organization. 

Over 70% of the global workforce consists of passive candidates and companies that do not include them in their hiring efforts are missing out on a vast pool of talent. This can ultimately result in lower quality of employees and decreased overall productivity.

The solution lies in integrating passive candidate sourcing into your existing recruitment process. Using an ATS like Workello streamlines this process by efficiently identifying, evaluating, and tracking candidates from your existing talent pool and previous applicants. In the following article, we will explore proven passive recruitment strategies for the overall success and growth of your business.

How to Source Passive Candidates vs Active Candidates

Source: HeroHunt.ai

Passive and active candidates are two distinct talent pools that companies tap into during the recruitment process. Understanding the differences between these candidates and their sourcing methods is important for maximizing hiring success and acquiring the right talent. Have a look at the key differences between these two types of candidates in the following side-by-side comparison.

How to Find Passive Candidates—Best Sourcing Methods and Resources

Identifying passive candidates requires time and effort, but their specialized skills and experience can potentially bring greater value to your organization. These candidates can be found in various online and offline channels, such as:

• Social media platforms (LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook)—By monitoring industry-specific hashtags, following thought leaders, and participating in relevant discussions, you can identify professionals who demonstrate expertise in their fields. Furthermore, social media helps you gain insights into candidates’ interests, career aspirations, and professional affiliations, which can be valuable in crafting personalized outreach messages
• Employee referrals—Encouraging current employees to recommend colleagues, friends, or former coworkers can significantly expand a company’s talent pool
• Professional networks and associations—also give you access to passive candidates. Attending conferences, seminars, and networking events can lead to connections with industry professionals who may be interested in new opportunities if the right offer comes along. Additionally, these events provide a platform for you to showcase your organization’s culture, values, and growth opportunities, which can be attractive to potential candidates
• Online forums and discussion groups, such as those on Reddit or industry-specific websites—yet another avenue for passive recruiting strategies. By participating in these communities, you can discover talented individuals who are passionate about their fields and actively contribute to discussions. 

Identifying passive candidates requires a multi-faceted approach that encompasses various online and offline channels. Engaging with them in a genuine and non-invasive manner can pave the way for future recruitment efforts.

How to Engage Passive Candidates—First Contact

Engaging passive candidates involves building genuine connections, and that requires an honest, authentic approach. A combination of targeted strategies should be used, such as:

• Offering growth and development opportunities
• Personalizing the approach
• Highlighting the company’s unique selling points
• Providing a positive candidate experience

You should strive to understand candidates’ goals, aspirations, and needs, and demonstrate that you have their best interests at heart. Offering opportunities for professional growth is an example of that. 

Speaking about a candidate’s career growth from their perspective, rather than solely focusing on your company’s interests, demonstrates that your organization truly cares about its employees. Research shows that recruiters tend to overestimate the importance of career advancement and flexible work, and underestimate happiness at work and opportunities for professional development.

Source: LinkedIn

Personalizing the approach, for example, by crafting tailored outreach messages that demonstrate an understanding of a candidate’s skills, experiences, and career aspirations, is more likely to resonate with them and encourage a positive response.

Highlighting the unique selling points of your company and the position by showcasing the organization’s culture, values, benefits, and perks, means that you can make job change seem enticing to candidates who may not have considered your company otherwise.

Providing a seamless and positive candidate experience is essential in attracting and retaining passive candidates. This involves:

1. Clear and timely communication
2. Respecting candidates’ time
3. Moving candidates through the recruitment funnel as smoothly and efficiently as possible

By creating a positive experience, you can leave a lasting impression on candidates.

Best Practices for Sourcing Passive Candidates

Sourcing passive candidates effectively requires implementing a set of best practices to maximize success. In this article, we will discuss 5 of these methods:

1. Understanding the target audience
2. Creating a comprehensive candidate persona
3. Developing a sourcing strategy
4. Leveraging technology to automate and streamline the process
5. Building a strong employer brand

Analytical Steps—Think Before You Act

Understanding your target audience is the first step. It involves empathizing with potential candidates and gaining insight into their needs, aspirations, and expectations from a prospective employer. This deeper understanding allows you to tailor your sourcing efforts in a way that appeals to passive candidates and encourages them to consider your company as a desirable employer. To achieve this level of understanding, you must conduct thorough research, engage in conversations with employees who hold similar positions, and gather feedback from candidates who have either accepted or declined your job offers.

Creating a comprehensive candidate persona involves identifying the skills, qualifications, and experiences required for the role, as well as the attributes that make a candidate a good fit for the company culture. Gaining a clear understanding of the ideal candidate profile enables you to tailor your sourcing efforts and focus on the most promising talent.

Technical Steps—Choosing the Best Tools

Developing a sourcing strategy entails determining the most appropriate methods and channels for reaching potential candidates, such as social media platforms, professional networks, industry events, and online forums. According to Findem survey, email remains the most popular channel for outreach, with 63% of recruiters using it for the best results.

Source: Findem

Leveraging technology to automate and streamline the sourcing process can save you time and money. Recruitment software such as ATSs stores candidate profiles, including their resumes and skill sets, enabling you to search for suitable candidates using specific criteria. 

Recruitment automation tools, powered by artificial intelligence, have advanced significantly in recent years. These tools search the web, gathering and analyzing candidate data, ranging from CV content to social media activity. The AI technology evaluates the collected information to identify candidates that fit the job requirements and those most likely to consider a job switch. This prioritizes engagement with receptive candidates, reducing time spent on uninterested prospects. 

Building a Strong Employer Brand

Finally, a compelling employer brand communicates the company’s values, culture, and commitment to employee growth and development. By picturing your organization as an attractive place to work, you can pique the interest of passive candidates and encourage them to explore potential opportunities. 

The CareerArc survey revealed that an employer’s reputation and brand carry more weight than its diversity hiring practices in influencing both passive and active candidates’ decisions to consider a job offer.

Source: CareerArc

How to Recruit Passive Candidates—Overview

Someone has to say it: the perfect candidate for your vacancy likely already has a job. With only 30% of candidates actively applying for jobs, it’s crucial to address passive candidate sourcing in your hiring strategy. Here’s a brief overview of the key steps and best practices we discussed in this article, which will assist you in: 

1. Identifying
2. Engaging
3. Effectively sourcing passive candidates

Sourcing Passive Candidates With Workello for Success in Modern Recruitment

Sourcing passive candidates is crucial for a successful recruitment process, as it allows you to tap into a broader talent pool and discover exceptional candidates who may not be actively seeking new opportunities. Utilizing social media, employee referrals, professional networks, and online forums are effective strategies for identifying and engaging passive candidates. To manage this process efficiently, it’s essential to have a reliable ATS like Workello.

Workello streamlines your hiring efforts by managing candidate data, filtering applicants, and tracking candidates from various platforms and job boards. In addition, it offers templated pre-employment tests designed by industry experts and a fully automated hiring funnel, ensuring you don’t miss out on the perfect candidate or accidentally send the wrong communication. 

At a bargain price, Workello provides the essential tools you need to optimize your passive candidate sourcing and recruitment process. Click here to try it for free.