Getting Passive Candidates
Getting passive candidates is one key to our work. It is delicate work. Often they have very little desire for new opportunities. Some feel they will only take perfect opportunities.
You can call them or reach out to them with a text and get no response or a firm rejection.
That is no fun. You do it as the needle in the hay stack is always there. There is no other way about it. See also, First Contact With a Passive Candidate.
Let’s talk about the problems. Because passive candidates only take great opportunities, we face temptations to say this is a great opportunity. However, the passive candidates and future hires need us to not make this sound better than it is. So do you.
For example, we call candidates and tell them we have an opportunity in a messy company. Some candidates shut us off right there. In fact, they self select off is good because the messy company is not the right company for them.
Then, other times, guys will ask more questions about the messy company and say they fixed a company like that and know how. They want to talk more. They, then, tell us just what they faced and how they approached it. Some guys are just making up stories to show they are that guy. See also, How Politicians Are Formed in Business.
Getting Passive Candidates and Knowing What They Face
In getting passive candidates, we can see others have what it takes and can tell us real and messy stories of how they fixed messy situations. I have fixed a lot of messy situations myself. I know how that looks.
Things get better when the bad hires leave the building. Before they leave, some people will say “Don’t fire Jerry. He’s a good guy.” I fire Jerry, and the next day they all walk around and give each other high fives, or smile and go out to get snacks to celebrate.
Then, it might be at the same time and sometimes, it is not, that the new guy comes. Everyone is careful with the new guy. However, from the first day there is a feeling that the company has a future.
A new leader in a big company needs 6 months to a year to straighten out a messy company. Ok, some messes are smaller and take less than 9o days. But the right leader will make positive change, and we can see that. Recruiting is finding these guys who really are. See also, How to Hire Great Leaders of Any Type.
Candidates are drawn to companies that tell the hard things and not just the good things. When we tell candidates about the mess, they start to be drawn to us and our clients. They do this because other recruiters tell them all is well. They are glad to know the truth of what they will face.