If you're asking passive talent "So tell me why you want to work here..." You're Doing It Wrong. #facepalm #talent42
— Amybeth Hale (@researchgoddess) June 27, 2013
‘Passive talent’ is a phrase I’m sure anyone involved in
recruitment & hiring will be very familiar with, but for the benefit of
those new to hiring, it’s a catch-all phrase to describe high calibre potential
employees who are not actively looking for a career move, but who might move if
the right opportunity were to find them.
It’s widely accepted that around 80% of the workforce in the
UK (or 79% worldwide according to those in the know at LinkedIn) fall in to the
category of being ‘passive’, whilst the remainder are those who are proactively
searching for a move.
When searching for the best available talent for a vacancy,
it therefore makes sense to be fishing from both ponds, rather than just
posting an advert online and hoping that the best candidate will fall within
the 20%. Another widely held view is that the 80% contains a higher proportion
of quality candidates – those who are most effective in their given role, and are
therefore well rewarded and happier in their existing employment.
All common sense so far, but when it comes to actually
engaging with ‘passive talent’ many employers fail to adapt their communications
and interview questions accordingly to reflect the fact that they are the
pursuers and not vice versa - as highlighted so well in the Tweet above. Incidentally, accordingly to her Twitter bio, Amybeth is a 'Senior Talent Sourcer' for Microsoft in the US - a business and brand which I'm sure doesn't exactly struggle to attract potential hires.
These candidates do not expect to answer why they want to
work for your organisation or why they want to leave their current employer
(certainly at first stage interview). They might not want to do either… yet!
They must have some level of interest to have made it
through to interview, but there is still work to be done to move them from
being merely interested on an exploratory level to being prepared to leave a
job they were otherwise happy in to join your firm.
If the individual has been introduced via a recruiter/head-hunter
you have an advantage. The recruiter should be able to provide more information
on what makes the applicant tick – what would appeal to them, and what their
current position might lack.
Things to consider:
·
Standard
interview questions: do these need adapting? Instead of ‘Why do you want to work for us?’, how
about: ‘What would you be looking for
from an organisation if you were to move from your current employer?’
· The
interview process: does the direct line manager typically get involved at
first stage interview? If not, this needs to change. The candidate will want to
see who they would be working for if they’re to take the process any further. Could
you also bring in someone who would work in the team alongside the individual,
who can champion the business to them on
a peer-to-peer level?
· Selling
the opportunity: have the interviewers been briefed on how to sell the
company and the opportunity they can offer? Do they all know there is more of a
need to do so?
In summary, I’m not suggesting you should have to jump
through hoops to entice someone to your organisation, but by recognising an
individual is already content in their current position and making a few tweaks
accordingly to the interview process, you are more likely to secure the best
available talent for your business when the opportunity arises.
Do you have any tips/advice for employers looking to attract
passive talent? Or any related experience you’d like to share. If so, please add
to the comments below…
