Virtual Interview Days & Meet & Greets

Regardless of where you stand on the practice of finding passive candidates, the reality is we need passive candidates if we’re going to make successful hires and fill our staffing needs in the tight labor market.

Many referrals from employees and colleagues are not active job seekers, yet they remain one of the most sought-after candidate pools to hire form.  It is not to say that employed candidates are better to hire, it is to emphasize that there are many more passive candidates that could be a good fit for your open positions than there are unemployed or active job seekers. The trick is letting them know you are hiring, and how to get in front of them.

What is a Passive Candidate?

Passive candidate are currently employed and are not actively looking to change jobs, but may be open to a new opportunity if it presented itself.  On average only 30% of the workforce is actively looking, which means 70% of the workforce remains passive.  Among passive candidates:

• 15% are occasionally networking and researching new opportunities
• 45% remain open to speaking with recruiters
• 40% describe themselves as content in their current roles and will not entertain new job offers

An important point to consider is even though 40% are ‘not interested’, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be positioning your company in front of them.  At some point, they often do move to the other profiles, and they will remember your company when that time comes.

How to Engage with Passive Candidates

There are three main talking points that can get a passive candidate’s attention.

1. Better salary and benefits
2. New responsibilities and room for growth
3. Better work/life balance

A lot has changed in recruiting, but when it comes to these points, a lot has stayed the same.  People typically respond when one, or all of these conditions can be improved by taking on a new job.

Before you begin any type of outreach to passive candidates, there are a few things you need to have in order.

1. Set up a referral program
2. Work on your employer brand
3. Provide the best possible candidate experience.

Referrals remain a powerful tool to fill open positions.  For a referral program to be successful you need to keep it simple, offer incentives and give recognition when someone is hired through the program.

To attract these passive candidates, even after a referral, your company brand needs to meet their expectations.  A positive company culture that is diverse and inclusive and values work/life balance will go a long way to getting that candidate to the interview table.

The interview and their experience from the moment they meet you, to the time they receive a job offer needs to be professional.  The candidate needs to feel as if they are the only person the company wants for that position, and they value them even before they are offered the position.  This type of approach will often stand out among other employers that may be interested in the same candidate, and make the difference in their decision.

Providing Access to Your Company – A person who is a passive candidate, is employed and has very little time to spare.  If you get their attention through networking, referrals or other efforts, they will want to speak with you or gather more information without requiring a great deal of time.

Virtual Interview or Meet and Greet Days are a great way to let this audience know that you are looking for experienced candidates and provide remote access to meet and explore opportunities.  To be successful, these events need to ensure privacy, no candidate is going to want to be in a Zoom webinar or group chat.  You also want to make sure that candidates that attend will not have to wait in a queue to speak with someone.

Using a virtual event platform like Premier Virtual will provide your candidates with the access and privacy they are looking for during this early stage of the hiring process.  We recommend that you offer these events consistently (for example once per month at the same day of the week and time), and promote them using social media, and on your website career page.

During these events make sure to have all HR hands on deck, so that every passive candidate can quickly be welcomed and engaged.  If you want to learn more about Virtual Interview Days, or Virtual Meet and Greets, please contact www.PremierVirtual.com for a free demo.