The Differences Between Active and Passive Candidates

First, the good news for hiring managers: About 85 percent of the talent in the marketplace are open to hearing about a new opportunity.

However, only about 25 percent of prospects actually make it known that they’re actively considering a change, and the best candidates for your position most often are not in this category.  We know that the passive candidates are the best candidates because when it becomes time to make an offer, they are almost always on the receiving end.  Passive candidates are easy to identify within seconds of approaching them.  Their first words are, “I’m happy, incredibly busy and not considering a job change.” This is where it takes skill and experience to recruit them and make an incredible hire.

To attract these top candidates, you have to know how to find them, how to approach them and how to motivate them to consider your opportunity.

Here are some intriguing facts about active and passive candidates and what motivates them. 

The BarkerGilmore Advantage

Don’t have the time or the deep network required to recruit the highest quality in-house counsel and compliance officers? Consider working with a team of experienced legal recruiters.

BarkerGilmore has the industry expertise and established networks to recruit in-house counsel and compliance officers who aren’t actively looking.

That’s what separates us from other recruiting firms—we take the time to cultivate relationships with the best legal and compliance professionals in the industry to understand their motives BEFORE they’re actively looking.

Fishing for passive candidates requires more time, effort and patience, but our results speak for themselves:

• 98% placement rate in the last 3 years
• 96% placement retention rate
• 78% of clients have engaged us for multiple searches
• 44% of placements are women
• 24% are minorities

Learn more about how our CustomFit^SM process can help you find your next candidate in fewer than 100 days.