Around 60% of the candidates Marshall Harmony speaks to are not on the open market. They are not scrolling job boards. They are not actively looking. And they are very often the best people. So how does a business reach them?
Why some businesses never have to advertise
The businesses that attract people passively are networking, visible on platforms like LinkedIn, and able to engage with people who are not on the market, keeping a breadth of who is around and what might be happening in the background. And when they do advertise, the adverts are not a shopping list. They are psychologically saying something to the reader. That is how you attract passive candidates.
The pub test for job adverts
Writing an advert is like being sat in a pub: how would you describe why somebody would leave where they are now to come and work for you? If a business is brave enough to talk about what is good, what is bad, what the reputation is, what the benefits are, everything about what somebody is walking into, then the reader can see what is in it for them.
A passive candidate is not looking. Then they see something and think: that is talking to me. That is the whole game.
Culture is what they say when you are not there
Employer brand gets dressed up in a lot of fluff. Practically, it is culture and values: standing by your values rather than having values on a wall. Your culture is what somebody says about your business when they are not in the room. Being open about what it is like to work for you, visibly, before people ever apply, is the work.
Reviews matter more than you would like
We all check reviews before we book a hotel. Candidates do exactly the same before they join a business. What current and former employees say about you is out there, and people who do their research will find it.
What a manufacturer can actually show
Manufacturing is not an obvious sector for employer brand work, which is exactly why it works. Videography and photography. People enjoying themselves at work. People being successful. Qualifications, progression, opportunity, away days. Being visible about the culture and about what the business does to invest in its team.
Your hiring managers are part of the shop window
Candidates research the people who will interview them. A hiring manager's profile should say what problem they solve in their role, where they have worked, what training they have done. The more a candidate can learn before the interview, the more comfortable the conversation, and the more attractive the business looks.
The trickle effect
Candidates talk to other candidates. Give somebody a good experience and they recommend you, not just to other candidates but to businesses too. Every well-handled conversation is another open door somewhere down the line.
Reaching the people who are not looking is a large part of what Marshall Harmony does all day. Here is how.