While passive/not-looking (PNL) professionals are arguably higher quality candidates then active seekers, PNL’s provide unique challenges when navigating them through the hiring process.
As my friend, Shally Steckerl (www.jobmachine.com) points out, the major difference between active and PNL’s is initiative.
- Active candidates take initiative to find you and engage in the recruiting/hiring process.
- With PNL’s, you take the initiative to find them and engage them in the hiring process.
With that said, if everyone involved in the hiring process does not fully acknowledge and understand this difference and instead . . . treats PNL’s like Active candidates during the interview process . . . you will probably lose their interest along the way.
Some tactics you can take to ensure you are providing an excellent candidate experience with PNL’s include:
- Informal “grab a cup of coffee” first meeting – A quick way to lose a PNL is immediately engaging them into a rigid, formal interview process. Think about it. You call someone out of the blue and inform them about a position with your firm. They are curious to learn more but . . . are not looking for a new job and, honestly . . . somewhat concerned about anyone finding out that they are even talking to a recruiter. They ask you about “next steps,” and you say “. . . I need to have you show up at our office at 3:00 pm for interviews with myself and three hiring managers…” How would you react?
Instead – once you have gained their interest – what if next steps were to “have a cup of coffee” with you (or the hiring manager) to discuss the opportunity a bit further and see if there is enough mutual interest to move forward. Even if that meeting is at your office, a more informal approach to “next steps” is critical.
- Make sure everyone knows that the candidate is a PNL – Most hiring managers do not know how to work with PNL candidates. First off, hiring managers are typically interviewing active seekers. Secondly, hiring managers have very little real training in the art of courting a high quality recruit and mostly bring a wealth of candidate “assessment/evaluation” training to the table.
- With that said, make sure you let everyone know your candidate is NOT LOOKING for a new position so your hiring team can handle the initial, informal discussion accordingly.
- Make sure both the candidate and the hiring manager are prepared for their first discussion! – While the candidate was not looking, they did listen and have enough interest to discuss the opportunity over a cup of coffee. So make sure you understand and identify at least 2-3 ‘non-compensation’ motives as to why they listened. Relay this information to the hiring manager BEFORE the meeting so they can be prepared to discuss how their opportunity/organization could be an excellent career move!
In preparing the candidate for the meeting, remind them that while they were not looking, they did listen! Review with them the reasons why you are excited about them coming in for a visit (career motives) and/or meeting the hiring manager. Make sure they do their homework and prepare them for the discussion/initial interview with the hiring manager. For more information on Candidate Interview Preparation, please contact us for our Candidate Preparation Check-List. 734-414-9816 or Dszary@recruiteracademy.com