Any recruiter understands that sometimes the sweet spot for your recruiting efforts is the passive candidate. Especially when a position is difficult to fill and your client wants to see very specific recent experience your database of available employees may not be suitable.
The next step is seeking out the passive candidates. This is, of course, an individual who is currently working and may not be looking for a new position.
Finding passive candidates is, unfortunately, one of the situations that can give recruiters a bad reputation even if it is for the wrong reasons. This may have been the influence behind using the term “Headhunter” negatively. Most working professional don’t have any interest in talking to a recruiter and some even become angry and even verbally abusive on the phone.
It doesn’t have to be that way, especially now with our ability to connect with strangers via social media.
According to a study by Harris Interactive, as referenced in this Forbes article, 74% of American workers are unhappy in their current job. However, only 32% of professionals are actively looking for new opportunities. The Holy Grail of successful recruiting lies within those individuals who want a change but aren’t looking for it.
Here are three simple tips for connecting to passive candidates through social media.
- Bloggers. There are many subject matter experts who take their experience to the blogosphere. Start to follow individuals in your recruiting area and develop relationships with them. Share their content as a resource for others. When a position becomes available reach out to them directly. Based on the good will you have already cultivated they may be more interested in discussing options with you.
- LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn network is only as good as its reach. The more people you connect with the bigger net you cast. If you’ve been developing relationships with the professionals in your first level of connections it will be easy to reach out to them for an introduction of someone who may be a perfect fit for your client.
- Facebook. While some Facebook uses are jacking up their privacy settings after the new graph search and hashtag features were released, there is still a lot of value in searching Facebook for active candidates. Use hashtags to search in your area or for a specific job title or function. You may be surprised at how you are already connected with potential candidates.
Our service streamlines the process all in one place making social recruiting easier than ever. For more information on social recruiting and how to use it for your passive candidate searches contact us at Social Career Page.
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