Whether the job market is slowing, growing, or staying steady, the labor market is consistently tight in many industries, such as healthcare, elder care, technology, transportation and logistics, skilled manufacturing, skilled trades, and other essential sectors. Even in hospitality (restaurants, hotels, tourism), skilled professionals and top quality candidates are hard to find. 

How do you attract the best candidates when so many other companies are vying for the same, high-caliber talent? The answer is to go after passive job candidates – those who have the precise experience and skills you need, but who aren’t actively looking for a new job. They’re harder to find, but so worth it. 

This article shares how to identify and attract passive candidates in a tight labor market for your critical open positions. 

Passive candidates comprise the largest talent pool in the world 

Widely cited statistics say that about 70% of the global workforce is considered passive talent (not actively job hunting). Yet not all of these happily employed workers are open to new opportunities. While about 40% are open to the right opportunities when approached by a company or recruiter, about 30% are not interested at all in moving on from their current jobs. 

All in all, there are more passive (and recruitable!) candidates out there than in any other segment of the workforce. 

What about the other 30%? Many recruiting efforts target active job seekers; however, since only 30% of workers are actively job hunting, companies that rely solely on responses to job postings are recruiting from the smallest slice of the workforce. 

It’s important to note that many active candidates have the same skills and experience as passive candidates – but many also have circumstances impacting their active status, such as furloughs, layoffs, or simply the desire to explore something new. They represent available talent, high quality talent, and are essential in the hiring market, though just one piece of a much bigger pie. 

Beyond skills: Why passive candidates get hired so often 

Here’s another interesting statistic. As many as 40–45% of new hires are passive candidates – professionals who are privately recruited, rather than applying for jobs. These are the reasons employers and talent recruiters often prefer to find and recruit them: 

• They are already employed and proven performers. 

• They are harder to find, which means the competition is less likely to be interviewing them. 

• They are more likely to be on an intentional, stable career path (know exactly what they want). 

• They are referred or directly recruited – methods that are proven in increasing hiring success rates. 

Finding, interviewing, and onboarding passive talent takes a load off of hiring managers and talent recruiters, especially during the vetting process and when it’s time to conduct interviews. Everyone gets straight down to business because everyone knows who’s at the table and what they want and need.

The challenge is minimized with the right recruitment strategies

Whether the top-tier labor market is tight or not, employers lacking a passive candidate recruitment strategy struggle to find and attract passive talent. The best way to address this challenge is through a specific and tailored approach.

Here’s why these candidates are so hard to find: 

• They’re not participating in the traditional job market. 

• They’re working, wholly focused on making a mark in their current roles, companies, and industries. 

• They’re not signaling their availability through job boards, applications, or word-of-mouth. 

Without those signals, passive candidates are pretty much invisible when using traditional recruiting tools, and this creates multiple barriers for employers and recruiters; at least, those without a strategy.

Recruiting passive candidates requires different tactics than traditional recruiting, with the most effective strategies and recruitment criteria focused on visibility, relationships, and reputation in the market.

5 effective strategies to identify and recruit passive candidates

1. Leverage referral programs with employees and colleagues

We’re all familiar with the expression that word-of-mouth is the best advertising, and this is highly relevant in attracting passive talent. Employee and colleague networks are some of the most reliable paths to reaching otherwise elusive passive candidates.

High performers tend to know other high performers in their industries, and their referrals come with built-in trust and credibility. Referred candidates are more open to conversations compared to a cold outreach from an employer or recruiter.

Many companies report that referrals from their employees and colleagues generate some of the highest-quality hires and longest retention rates with those hires. Some companies incentivize current employee referrals with perks or bonuses after ideal candidates are hired.

2. Build talent relationships before you need to fill a role

Forget transactional recruiting and focus on creating relationships. The best hiring managers and talent recruiters treat this recruitment process a bit like succession planning. They start conversations with passive candidates months (or even years) before a job becomes available.

This is especially true for middle management to leadership and executive-level roles because it builds familiarity, trust, and ultimately, opportunity for both parties. These relationships are created through networking, informational conversations, getting connected on professional platforms like LinkedIn, and meeting up at industry conferences and events.

Savvy hiring managers and recruiters regard trade shows, conventions, and other industry events as opportunities to identify and get to know passive candidates. Word of caution: It’s important to be discrete when approaching prospects.

3. Project your strong employer brand, reputation, and workplace

When passive candidates eventually consider making a career move, they gravitate toward organizations and leaders they already know and respect. (See #2 above!) Make a commitment to investing in ways that show thought leadership.

For example, offer industry insights that others don’t have, such as producing industry trend reports, research, or case studies, or share expert commentary on LinkedIn or in trade journals. Make your leaders more visible in the industry. Tell positive and engaging employee stories.

Educational content (webinars, videos, newsletters) also attracts the attention of top talent, builds trust, and demonstrates thought leadership. Above all, take every opportunity to communicate your company mission, values, and healthy company culture and workplace.

4. Start mapping talent and developing tailored outreaches

Talent mapping is a proactive recruiting strategy that identifies and tracks potential candidates (near or far) in a specific industry or role before a job opening exists. Think of it as your strategic map of the talent landscape – where the best talent currently works and who might be a potential future hire.

Your map can reflect top performers at competing companies, professionals with specialized expertise, or emerging leaders in key roles. Armed with this information, employers and talent recruiters are able to develop and conduct carefully personalized outreaches when jobs open up, focusing on solid, mutually aligned career opportunities.

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking and career site, is a great tool for identifying passive candidates. Business professionals across most industries maintain active LinkedIn profiles, and many engage daily through posts, likes, and shares. Company pages show lists of employees who hold LinkedIn accounts, and joining LinkedIn Groups specific to your industry will also expose you to top industry talent.

5. Offer a compelling career story and candidate experience

In many cases, a passive candidate’s interest and decision in making a critical move is driven less by salary and more by career trajectory and lifestyle impact. In other words, they typically choose to change jobs only when a new opportunity is clearly better for their professional goals, personal lifestyle, and family dynamics than what they enjoy in their current role.

To persuade many, if not most, of these candidates, a hiring manager or talent recruiter must be able to articulate that a job opportunity represents meaningful work, advancement or leadership opportunities, strong career growth opportunities, and especially organizational stability with a long-term vision.

Come straight to the source for top-tier talent

As shared in the above tips and strategies, recruiting passive talent requires credibility, relationships, compelling job opportunities – and utmost discretion to protect the privacy of employed, experienced professionals. Goodwin Recruiting has spent the past 25+ years building a nationwide talent network to help companies like yours find right-fit, top candidates for your team.

Our expert recruiters prioritize building long-term, trusting relationships with our candidates for the life of their careers. So, when time is of the essence, let us lead you straight to proven candidates who can move your business forward. We know who and where they are, and we’re a trusted partner in helping our clients succeed in the hiring process.

Consider us your passive talent pipeline!

Connect with Goodwin Recruiting and let’s start a proactive conversation about your current and future talent needs.