Passive candidate recruiting

Passive Talent - Not As Passive As You Think [INFOGRAPHIC]

Take it from someone who’s been there in the not-too-distant past: it may not take much to get your ideal passive candidate talking about a career switch. Consider me Exhibit A. I wasn’t looking before I joined the LinkedIn team, but once approached, I was intrigued by the pitch…and the rest is history.

We already know that top talent is 56 percent more likely to care about finding the right culture, and it stands to reason that presenting a relevant opportunity is table stakes - but if you meet those criteria, and offer the chance to make an impact while doing challenging work, you’re in with a legitimate shot.

Our latest research - based on Lou Adler's seminal work on the "Early Bird Sourcing Strategy" - shows that the majority of passive candidates describe themselves as 'Explorers' – not looking, but willing to talk. And in fact, if you focus only on the passive talent tool (which comprises about 80 percent of the fully-employed workforce), you’ll find those who are truly ‘approachable’ (whether 'Tiptoers' or 'Explorers') far outnumber the ‘Super-Passives’ who claim they’re not interested in even discussing a move.

Passive Active Candidate Split

Reluctant to approach your dream candidate because they only started their job eight months ago? Our research shows you shouldn’t let that stand in your way, since professionals with short tenure are just as likely to be in Explorer mode.

Want to break gently into recruiting passive talent? Build your confidence with an assignment in Singapore, where six out of every seven passive candidates are approachable.

As members of the Recruitment Product Consultant team at LinkedIn, my colleagues and I spend our days counseling clients on how to optimize their ability to recruit the best talent - which is often passive - via LinkedIn. The encouraging news is that overall, passive talent simply isn't as passive as you think. Do you hold the keys to their next great career move? What are you waiting for?

For advice from passive candidate recruiting experts and a downloadable tip sheet on how to work with passive talent, visit our recruitment best practices center.

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