Slow Dance While Hiring The Passive Candidate

The reason you are eyeing a passive candidate is that they have skills or qualities that stood out over the average candidate. However, it is most likely that a passive candidate is either disinterested or hesitant to talk at the outset, and as a result, is going to be turned away by your traditional job description that is crawling with skills requirements. As a career move, it should highlight some key performance indicators and at least one high impact of the role in the form of a major challenge. Emphasize the ‘what’s in it for me’ value proposition for the prospective employee – the high importance of the role and the impetus it would give to the person hired.

For your job to be seen as a career move, you would need to include some factors that are probably missing in the person’s current job but would certainly be a career need. Enlist at least one phenomenal job objective that ties in with being indispensable to your company’s goals and mission. Leading a bigger team, an important role in plum projects, learning new skills are all examples of what these factors could be, and that would take the person from no to the magic yes.

The passive candidate must be able to instantly relate to the job you are offering once you show them their compensation potential, use of latest technology in the company and other such information that you can clearly see as missing in his / her current job.  The passive candidate is probably passive because they probably don’t realize the pains until you can show them something way better in the offer you have.

Express now, your plausible concerns about some of the tasks that they are doing or not, which is sure to make them even more eager to know and engage with you. As an example, you could point out that they have never really been a key player in a strategic company endeavor but that you would still like to know what their most significant contribution to management affairs been. Point out that you would just like to ascertain if it would be a fit or would over-extend the individuals’ capabilities. This is a sure shot move to get the candidate to be forthcoming and sell you on why they are qualified for the job and would be the best fit.

This is a very important dance move – it’s how you entice the candidate with the details of benefits and high points of the job.  When a passive candidate feels that a senior person is leading this search, he or she is more likely to react positively rather than if you had a consultant do the work. Make the offer when you believe the candidate is fully convinced of the possibilities in the role and is as excited to join, as you are to extend an offer.

If despite your best and most concerted efforts, the person still refuses, use your networking skills and ask the person to give you a few good references for people who could probably fit the job.  This saves time for you to start the process from the beginning and also keep this person within your networking system. Also, always keep in touch – while the passive candidate may not be available today, but whenever they are, you should be the first contact they reach out to. Remember that this is a marathon and not a sprint and while most of the hiring is need-based, in young companies, you should always be open to get the good guys in.