When it comes time to hire, it can often seem like the right-fit candidate simply doesn’t exist. You’re flooded with resumes from candidates who aren’t qualified or don’t have enough experience to perform successfully in the role. The problem is, you need skilled talent now. What’s the answer?

Reach out to passive candidates. These are professionals who are not actively searching for a new job now; however, they’re open to opportunities. And if the right one comes along, they’d be willing to consider a move.

To help you attract top talent, here are three passive candidate sourcing techniques to put to use:

#1: Make sure your company name is known

If you reach out to a passive candidate and try to recruit them, but they’ve never heard of your company and have no idea what you do, it’s going to be a harder sell. It’s far easier, however, if your company name is already one that’s well known and respected in the field.

So if you’ve been keeping a low profile, now’s the time to put the company out there. Get articles published in trade magazines, keep active social media profiles, and network both in person at industry events and online on industry forums.

#2: Ask your existing employees for referrals.

Your existing staff can offer you a wealth of contacts who could potentially be a great fit for the position. Just make sure that before you reach out and ask them for referrals, you know exactly what you’re looking for. You want to be able to give them clear and specific details about the job and the type of person you’re looking for to fill it, so they can offer you better-fit referrals. If you don’t have a formal employee referral program, then now’s also a good time to start one.

#3: Use LinkedIn to reach out to passive candidates.

If you simply send an email to a passive candidate, they might be wary that it’s a scam. However, if you reach out using LinkedIn, then it’s a message that’s coming from a more credible source. In addition, if you have a robust company profile on LinkedIn that paints your organization in an attractive light, they’ll see it and be far more likely to entertain an opportunity from you.

Don’t have the time to recruit passive or active candidates?

Turn to the experts who do at Murray Resources. As one of Houston’s leading employment agencies, we have creative ways to source candidates, including many passive candidate sourcing techniques. We’ll attract top talent to your company faster and more affordably. Contact us today to learn more.