Recruiting Passive Candidates: 4 Tips to Tailor Your Messaging

April 25, 2013

Recruiting Passive Candidates: 4 Tips to Tailor Your MessagingWhile recruiting for a startup or expansion-stage company, you may find that many candidates who become interested are considered passive.
Passive candidates are those that are currently working and not actively applying to job openings or seeking alternative employment.
When reaching out to passive candidates about a job opportunity through various channels, there are four things you need to keep in mind to tailor your message effectively.

4 Tips for Recruiting Passive Candidates

1) It’s Not About You

“Hi my name is Katy and I’m a recruiter…”
If you open your email to a passive candidate by spewing out info on a company or a job description, chances are the person won’t need to be told you’re a recruiter. Instead of introducing yourself and making the message about how YOU need to fill a position, start off by making it about the candidate from the get-go.
“I noticed your extensive experience working with Java and back-end technologies. I took time to review your portfolio as well, and was impressed with your recent projects.”
By opening with messaging about why you reached out to the candidate, he or she is more likely to stop, read your email, and get back to you. Make sure that your emails and other messaging are personalized and custom-created for each and every candidate.

2) It Is About Using “You”

You have to remember passive candidates are currently working, and it may be more challenging for them to picture themselves at a different company.
When describing the job in your message, instead of being abstract and explaining that, “This person will work with…” try using “You will be working with…”
By adding “You” to the message, candidates will be more apt to see themselves performing in that job function.

3) Close with Confidence

At this point you’ve explained why you reached out, you pitched the company, and you explained what the candidate could do and expect in this specific role. Now what?
Don’t end a great message with a passive, “perhaps we can talk sometime this week.” Try setting a specific time with something like, “Let’s talk briefly this week — how does Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning work for you?”

4) Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up

You’ve strategically pieced together a personalized, specific message to a candidate. You hit send and eagerly wait for the thankful response the candidate is bound to rush back to you with asap. Considering the perfect message you sent, how could they not?
Wake-up call: You need to follow up. Otherwise, the the time and energy you spent reaching out to the candidate will be a complete waste. I usually do a three-strike rule. After three messages sent to a candidate without any response, I can assume they are definitely not interested.

Bottom Line

Creating effective messaging for passive candidates may take a bit more time, but the thoughtfulness will most certainly pay off more than the typical “shotgun” approach. Try these methods to improve your success in recruiting passive candidates.

Have you had success recruiting passive candidates? What tips and tactics have you used?

Recruiting Lead - Software

<strong>Katy Smigowski</strong> is the Recruiting Lead-Software at <a href="https://www.fitbit.com/">Fitbit</a>, where she is directly managing sourcing team, recruiting process and recruiting strategy dedicated to driving software hiring in our Boston office. Prior to Fitbit, she was a Talent Specialist at OpenView responsible for recruiting initiatives for both the firm and its portfolio companies.