Active or Passive Candidate: Why It Matters and How It Impacts Your Search

Planning a new career move requires a well-planned strategy. While there are several factors that can be the driving force of your desire to make a change; such as employer financial stability, limited advancement, or personal reasons. Once you begin considering a change you must also consider how active you plan to be in your search and how that impacts employer perception of you as a candidate.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. How often during the month am I pondering a career change?
2. Am I reasonably happy at my current job/employer and not actively seeking new employment but would be open to considering a new opportunity?

If your answer to question #1 is “3-4 times each month” and your answer to #2 is that you are actively applying to jobs, you are considered as ‘active talent’ through the eyes of a prospective employer.

If your answer to question #1 is “rarely” and your answer to question #2 is “yes”, then you are considered as ‘passive talent’ or “explorers” through the eyes of a prospective employer.

Once you’ve defined your level of interest, if you are a passive candidate, odds are you intend to be more inconspicuous in your search. You should also know that from an employer’s perspective, in more cases than not, passive talent is more attractive than active talent. This is due to the stereotype that once hired, “passive talent” is likely to be more loyal and more stable than “active talent.” Noting that this does not mean that “active jobseekers” are poor candidates; they simply have to be aware of the label associated with other active talent and differentiate themselves during interactions with prospective employers. This can be done by not appearing over anxious or desperate during the search process.

According to recent AgCareers.com research, 44% of the professionals that are a part of our online community define themselves as being ‘passive talent.’ This research is supported by other online communities such as LinkedIn and Jobvite. And no doubt about it, employers today are more interested in connecting with passive talent!! So, if you consider yourself in the category of “passive Talent” and want to “keep your name out there” for the right opportunity, how do you discretely do it? Below are 5 tips to consider:

1. Effective networking: Tradeshows and related industry events are great forums to ‘plant seeds.’ There’s nothing ever wrong with confiding in a senior representative from another company (maybe even a competitor) and saying something like, “You know I feel like ABC company seems to have a lot of good things going on right now! I told my wife/husband that if the right opportunity with ABC Company came along, I’d be open to considering a change!” Confiding in industry association executives is also great way to confidentially network. Executives within Association’s routinely are asked if they know of any passive talent “on the prowl.”

2. Connect with a search firm/recruiter: While this traditional option can be effective, be very selective on which firm you choose – do your homework and ask for references.

3. Invest some time with niche sites such as AgCareers.com: As passive talent, you are likely not spending weekly time cruising sites like AgCareers.com. However, such sites can be great resources to keep up with which employers are growing.Subscribingto the AgCareers.com weekly e-Newsletter can be strategy that creates inbound notifications.

4. Become somewhat social on social media: Social media outlets such as Twitter and LinkedIn can be useful and effective ways for you promote your professional brand within an industry circle. Posting or commenting to industry trends can help boost your image, portraying you as an industry expert. It’s also a way for you to follow select companies and remain informed.

5. Stay tuned for Elite Talent by AgCareers.com: AgCareers.com will be introducing a new service and tool in July/August called Elite Talent. This will be a “private-gated” community within AgCareers.com where experienced professionals can confidentially explore new opportunities and access valuable career transition resources. Only approved professionals and employers will be allowed membership. Click hereif you would like to be included to receive information regarding upcoming launch of Elite Talent by AgCareers.com.