Recruitment Consultants

Passive Talent: Why Your Next Hire is Already Employed

Passive Talent: Why Your Next Hire is Already Employed

Open candidates make up about 75% of the workforce. With such a majority it stands to reason that the highest performing candidates will fall under this category and there’s a number of reasons that they appeal as prospective hires:

They have a proven track record of working in a similar environment. They are more likely to be up-to-date with industry developments and have an overall better feel for the role. They are an asset to their current employer so should be an asset to you!

Because they are already employed, they are more likely, to be honest in their self-promotion. They don’t need a new job and so have less to gain by embellishing their experience or skills.

An active candidate is likely to have applied for a large number of roles, some of which may only be loosely related to their field. An open candidate, however, is more selective and will only be interested in roles they feel are a better fit than their current one. They are not looking for a job, they’re looking for the job!

How do you target this elusive cohort of happily employed star performers? Actually, it’s easier than you think. The reality is that people don’t have the same loyalty to companies anymore and are nearly always ‘open’ to opportunities. Employees see themselves as the commodity and the brand they’re interested in building is their own. The average job-cycle of a Millennial is 2-3 years, after which they up sticks and leave for pastures new.

1. Build your brand

Building relationships with open talent should start long before you have a job vacancy. Attracting candidates is about anticipating future needs, not reacting to current ones. Leverage events being run in your community – avail of speaking opportunities and attend networking events whenever possible. Share content in the form of blogs, videos, and photos and master social media platforms to engage your audience and tell your story. Make sure that all the content you publish showcases who you are as a brand. Keeping track of who engages with it, will help in identifying the most relevant open talent for your company.

2. Be direct

If you are interested in someone professionally, don’t be afraid to reach out to them and ask them to meet or connect online. It’s hugely flattering to have someone be interested in your expertise and what you do – most people will be responsive when you ask them. Once contact has been made, keep it as real as possible. Tell them about the cool stuff you’re working on, but be open about the challenges also. Solving problems and innovating are the two factors most likely to stir an interest, so don’t hold back when explaining your companies pain points. A smart person will see the opportunity to be able to fix them.
Be straightforward about what you want from them. The ambiguity surrounding job titles, job specs and salaries will only discourage candidates from applying for your role.

3. Think of the candidate’s journey

You need to ensure that you’re easily accessible. Over 90% of candidates won’t complete an application if the process is not mobile optimised or takes more than 2 steps. Our research shows that career sites and apps are the most used medium when searching for new opportunities. Ensure yours has a responsive design to work with a range of devices and has advanced search capabilities.

4. Be discreet

Privacy is key. Passive candidates don’t want their current employers to know they’re open to a potential move so keep your relationship confidential by offering late evening interviews and accepting older employment references.

5. An offer they can’t refuse

Now that you’ve got their attention, what can you do to seal the deal? Our research shows that there are three things that help propel an open candidate to make the move…. Surprisingly, it’s not all about the money!

6. Promotion, not plateau


7. Education

Open talent can often be wooed by the opportunity to further their education or develop their skillset. The option to progress and grow within their role might be just what they are looking for in a new position.

8. Flexibility

As technology continues to evolve, employees are moving away from the 9-5 desk mindset and want the option to dictate their own hours and work remotely. Surveys show that 40% of people say flexibility around working hours would convince them to stay in their jobs.

With younger generations, this is even more prevalent. We can already see Gen Z, the generation following Millennials, look to pursue a number of projects and roles at the same time. As such we’ll see a rise in a more task-oriented working day rather than hours. Getting ahead of the curve and transforming how people work will draw the most innovative open talent.

Source: Dee Murphy – The Head of Content and Employer Branding at Jobbio specialising in employee development and effectiveness, helping people discover what excites them, developing their brand and giving them the tools to build a life around what they enjoy doing in a unique and valuable way. Article taken from