Human Resources Blog - Spark Hire

The Easiest Ways to Connect with Passive Talent

The Easiest Ways to Connect with Passive TalentWhile it’s great to have eager, excited candidates applying for jobs within your organization, sometimes the ideal person for the role isn’t even looking for a new opportunity at that time. These types of candidates are referred to as “passive talent.” In order to appeal to passive talent without coming across as overwhelming, utilize these strategies:

Don’t sell your company in every single interaction

The best way to attract the attention of a highly qualified yet passive candidate is by engaging them in an honest conversation. Instead of trying to give them a sales pitch about why your business is great, you want to start by talking to them in far more general terms. Writing a blog is a great way to do this, particularly when you’re regularly populating that blog with interesting and pertinent content. Once this individual sees that you have unique takes on industry news and aren’t simply just trying to woo them, you can begin to develop a formidable connection. When you try to sell your company’s benefits during every single interaction, they’ll quickly grow tired of talking and cut ties.

Make sure that you’re taking care of your employees

Regardless of your industry or the size of your city, the way in which you treat your employees matters. If your team members are perpetually unhappy, word will get out and it will become increasingly difficult to land top-tier talent, especially if these individuals aren’t actively looking for new opportunities. To give your business the best chance at recruiting passive talent, take a look internally first. Are staff members happy? Is morale high? Are there growth opportunities available? When all of these things are in place, it’s much easier to land the best in the business.

Work around them, not the other way around

When you’re trying to appeal to passive talent, you have to be willing to work around these individuals and their needs. One effective way to do this is by offering video interviews. The professional can record their answers at a time that’s convenient for them, rather than having to rearrange their whole day to come into your office. When you make it convenient for a candidate to find out more about your business on their timetable, you’re increasing your chances that you’ll pique their interest.

How do you go about appealing to passive talent? Let us know in the comments!

Image: Jakub Jirsak/BigStock.com

Lauren Levine

Lauren Levine is a copywriter/blogger who contributes to a number of magazines and websites including The Frisky, USA Today, and others. She also authors her own blog called Life with Lauren. She loves cooking, anything on the E! network, and is trying to convince herself that running isn't so bad.