Strike Gold: 3 Ways to Find Passive Candidates

Sometimes no matter how much we promote or post a job either online or through traditional media like the newspaper, the perfect candidate eludes us. And so begins the vicious cycle of reposting the position and beginning the job marketing process a second or even a third time. As an employment brand, reposting job openings multiple times can be telling of a company’s reputation. Don’t believe me? Visit Glassdoor to view job seeker’s biggest frustrations and complaints with the hiring process.

As a recruiter and hiring manager we walk a fine line trying to balance relationships with our candidate pool while also looking out for the company where we work and represent. Someone hiring often often spends time in their current databases mining for qualified candidates. But more often than not, someone hiring takes the easy route posting, reposting, listing and promoting an job opening throughout the web.

There is no doubt that prospecting and mining qualified yet passive candidates takes work. However, you don’t have to spend all day to be a sourcing master. Candidates are often in places and communities you’ve likely overlooked.

• References. If your candidate pool has provided a list of professional references, these are a great place to start mining for passive candidates who may just fit the bill. A quick phone call or an examination of their online profile can help level the playing field.

• Employee Referrals. I have found that when providing an employee incentive as part of a company referral program, can yield positive results. Employees tap into their personal networks providing a realistic review of your company’s culture, expectations, and the job. Employee recommendations also to have lower turnover, as opposed to hires from other sources. A simple $500 incentive program with 50% of the referrals bonus provided on the day the referral was hired, as well as their 90^th day, can lower cost per hire, and in my experience produce better quality candidates than other sources.

• Your Current Database. Putting together a value-based distribution list and community of past job seeker candidates can yield positive results. Not every job seeker is the right fit for you but using an employee referral based strategy. AT&T has used their Talent Community to successfully build talent pools by providing helpful tips, hints, and resources available to their database of active and passive job seekers. A simple email newsletter with an opportunity to opt in with an ATS can foster relationships beyond your first level candidate connection.

 
Candidate sourcing and building relationships doesn’t have to be a large and involved task. With a little creativity and value-based relationships, you can build a strong community, providing a steady string of qualified candidates with minimal effort.

Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a HR consultant, new media strategist, and author who writes at Blogging4Jobs. Jessica is the host of Job Search Secrets, an internet television show for job seekers. Photo Credit The Digerati Life.