What Are Passive Candidates and How Can I Attract Them?

In the world of recruitment, there are essentially two types of candidates: active and passive. Active candidates are those who actively seek out job opportunities, whereas passive candidates are those who aren't currently seeking a new role but may still be interested in exploring new opportunities. Passive candidates are often highly skilled and experienced, making them a valuable asset to any organisation. So, how can recruiters attract these passive candidates and convince them to consider a new job offer? In this blog, we'll dive into the world of passive candidates and explore some effective strategies for attracting them to your organisation.

The Value of Passive Candidates

Before you can effectively attract passive candidates, you need to understand why they're valuable. Passive candidates are often highly skilled, experienced, and currently employed, which means they're in a strong negotiating position. They're not desperate for a new job, and they're not actively seeking out opportunities, making them a somewhat elusive target. However, if you can successfully attract a passive candidate and convince them to consider a new role, you'll be adding a talented and experienced professional to your team who may be able to bring fresh ideas and perspectives.

The Importance of a Strong Employer Brand

Passive candidates are often attracted to strong employer brands. They want to work for organisations that are well-regarded, innovative, and offer opportunities for career growth and personal development. If you want to attract and engage with passive candidates, you'll need to invest time and effort into developing a strong employer brand. This means demonstrating your company culture reflective of your values, offering competitive packages and benefits, and showcasing your company's successes and achievements - and why talent would want to join you.

Using Social Media 

Social media can be an effective tool for reaching passive candidates and building engagement. Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok allow you to target specific demographics and industries, making it easier to connect with the right talent. Post regular updates about your organisation to show off your brand personality. Showcase your employees, share industry news and insights to establish your organisation as a thought leader. You can also use social media to connect with potential candidates directly, either through private messaging or by engaging with their posts and updates.

Leverage Your Network

Your professional network can be a valuable resource for finding passive candidates. Reach out to colleagues, former employees, and industry contacts to ask for referrals or recommendations. Attend industry events and conferences to meet new people and expand your network. You never know where you might find your next passive candidate, so it's important to be proactive and build as many relevant connections as possible.

Offer Opportunities

Building a talent pool and launching a targeted recruitment marketing campaign will help to attract passive candidates and build a solid employer brand reputation.

Ultimately, the key to attracting passive candidates is to offer an opportunity that's too good to pass up. This means showcasing your organisation's strengths, highlighting the potential for career growth and development, and offering an attractive package. Passive candidates may not be actively seeking out job opportunities, but they're often open to considering new roles if the opportunity and package is right.

Passive candidates can be a valuable addition to any organisation, but attracting them requires patience, persistence, and a strategic approach. It's a long-term strategy, and it requires a continuous effort to build relationships and engagement.

Contact Eploy for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) Expertise

At Eploy, we offer a highly configurable Applicant Tracking System designed to help you attract, hire, and speed up the process of recruitment. Get in touch with our specialist team at Eploy to find out how we can help you meet your recruitment goals or schedule a personalised demo. No hard sell, no strings attached. Just some winning ideas to help you with your recruitment process.