It’s easy to use job boards to nab active candidates. They’re on job boards looking for open positions, they see yours, they apply. That’s what makes them active. But to get the long sought after passive candidate, you’ve needed to resort to more complex means: e-blasts, mailing lists, magazine ads. But did you know it’s possible to use job boards to reach job seekers who are currently employed? It’s easier than you’d think.
Curiosity is a powerful force, and just because an employee is in a job they’re happy with doesn’t mean they don’t want to know what else is available in their industry. A recent survey of BAJobs.com users shows that almost half of job seekers visiting the site are currently employed. If you’re writing your job posts to only compete with unemployment, you’re missing out on a sizeable audience. Even if you don’t think that the passive candidates are going to be reading the ad, make sure you include some enticing messaging that will draw people in.
In addition to keeping your posting copy intriguing for people looking to jump ship, think about using some of the enhanced branding options the job boards offer to get passive candidates’ attention. Because casual job hunters are likely to only do a very surface level visit to each site. Front page branding or banner ads on search category pages are your best bet.
You can also leverage resume database options to draw in candidates who aren’t currently looking for work. Many databases allow you to sort by resume “freshness” and most employers use that to find the newest resumes. Buck the trend and go after the older ones. Look for resumes that have been up on the site for around a year; those most likely belong to someone who’s employed but not so employed that they’ve deleted their resume from job boards. With this tactic, you’ll want to aim for resumes that are slightly under-qualified. After all, they’ll have more job experience now: their current job.
On that note, job boards that offer e-blast option can also target people who have not recently logged in, something that magazine and association e-mail lists can’t do. Job seekers who register on job boards frequently enter information about their levels of experience, ideal job title and college degree. You can use that information to more precisely target the audience you’re looking for. As above, since you know this information is outdated, set your targets just a little bit lower than normal.
Now more than ever it’s important think of new uses for existing tools and job boards are no exceptions. By leveraging the networks that job boards collect, you can reach a whole pool of passive candidates that were previously only reachable through more elaborate means.
