Tips on approaching passive Job Seekers

Finding an intelligent way of approaching someone who already has a job with a value proposition that clearly demonstrates why the grass is greener can be daunting.

Here are some tips to help you approach these people:

Firstly gauge their interest and see if you can get them to give you 5 minutes of their time.This is best done by email using our communication tools as this is much less intrusive and personally, I'd be more willing to respond to an email rather than making an instant decision via the phone.

Something very simple along the lines of:

"Hi {name}, my name is Heidi Whitelock and I work at ABC Co(insert a link to
your website). I have read a little bit about your experience via oZZle. We currently have a fantastic oppportunity based in {town} that I believe you may find very interesting given your experience. I wanted to contact you to see if you might be open to learning more."

Always put your contact details and email address at the end so you make it really easy for them to contact you. You could also attach the job description or job advert to give the person more information before deciding to contact you.

If you don't hear back from the person within 5 days, I would send a follow up email along the lines of "I sent you a message a few days ago and haven't heard anything back. If you are not interested in talking to me, I absolutely understand. However since you seem to be well connected in the {direct mail} industry, please feel free to forward my email or contact details to a colleague or friend who may be interested."

The truth is good people know good people and using the "passive" database for networking means you have left no stone unturned in your quest to find the best possible candidate.

If the candidate is interested in learning more, tread lightly when talking to them on the phone. It should be a soft sell ensuring you have done your homework and know what your value proposition is for this particular candidate and use probing questions to find out more about them instead of a normal telephone interview. If at the end of the telephone call you agree that this role is not for them, then again say "As you seem so well connected within the {direct mail} industry, please feel free to give my contact details to any friends of colleagues that you feel may be interested in this role."

I hope you found this information useful as the more tools and information you have available to you, the more chance you have of finding the best person for you.