There are two general types of job candidates: active and passive. Active candidates are typical job seekers who apply for open positions and submit their resumes through the application portal. They make up only 30% of the possible available workforce.
Passive candidates weren’t initially considering a career transition but might move to a new position if they received a great offer. But passive candidates, by nature, are more difficult to source even though they make up over 70% of the global talent pool.
There are plenty of reasons to employ passive candidate sourcing, including confidence, competence, compassion, and candor. Let’s take a closer look.
Career Competence and Candidate Confidence
Finding and hiring passive candidates can lead to more qualified employees. Knowing that an employer is seeking their specific skillset gives many passive candidates confidence that they are experts in their field and worth the career change.
The National Association of College and Employers survey conducted in 2019 indicated that critical thinking and problem-solving are at the top of the list for essential career competencies. Collaboration and professionalism were next on the list. Passive candidates, who have a direct track record of these skills, can be highly desirable in the marketplace.
Empathy and Compassion
Now more than ever, empathy and compassion in the workplace are becoming critical issues for employers. A report by Businessolver indicated that workplace empathy is on the rise due to the COVID-19 crisis. 70% of employees surveyed felt their employers were more empathetic than in previous years.
While employees want their business leaders to be compassionate, this translates directly to job candidates. To build a culture of empathy in the workplace, companies need to hire compassionate people with experience under their belt. Seeking passive candidates who demonstrate compassion can pay off.
Honesty and Candor
At the same time, passive candidates tend to be more honest about what they need in the workplace. An astounding 78% of active job seekers will lie in the hiring process. Active job seekers may have the mindset of landing the job in any way possible, unfortunately ending in a bad hire.
A passive candidate would have no reason to lie. They aren’t looking for a new job and are often just as happy refusing a job offer as accepting one. Companies can learn a lot about their hiring process simply by talking to passive candidates regardless of the outcome.
Flexible Recruiting Timelines
What you may overlook in terms of hiring passive candidates is the benefit of their flexible recruiting times. In a 2019 survey from PricewaterhouseCoopers, 61% of candidates indicated they felt “ghosted” by a company, reducing their chances of considering a job if the company contacts them again. But the hiring process can be impacted by so many factors, including budgets and hiring freezes.
Considering passive candidates, they are more likely to be flexible in terms of recruiting timelines. They have a job and weren’t looking to leave, so they can be more patient and willing to work on your schedule. You can take your time with the offer and onboarding process and work together to ensure that everyone is satisfied with the timeline.
Conclusion: Use Talent Intelligence to Find and Evaluate Passive Talent
While passive candidates themselves aren’t looking for jobs, recruiters and hiring managers should be looking for passive talent. But once discovered, the same prescreening and vetting process should be in place.
Talent Intelligence can be there every step of the way. Using advanced AI technology to help determine the hireability of every candidate, you can feel assured that every decision made is the right decision.
