How to Engage with Passive Job Seekers through Ads

As a recruiter, we’ve all heard this nugget, at any time in the labour market:

5-15% is currently happy in their job and not available
5% is actively looking for a job
The rest is fine where they are, BUT are always open to interesting positions

We naturally have our ways of getting to the actively looking:

• Linkedin Recruiter (Open to work)

• Jobboards

• Jobboard marketing

That list can go on for a while 🙂 A bigger challenge is: how to tap into all that unused potential with passive job seekers.

These are individuals who may not actively be looking for a new job but could be open to new opportunities if presented in the right way. Traditional job ads may not be enough to capture their attention because you’re asking for a hard conversion: Apply to our job here, which is why not only the adtype but also adcopy is relevant. I’ll explain what’s been successful for us recently:

The Power of Meta Quiz ads

Yes Meta Ads convert, but if you’re ever done a leadcampaign, you’ll know you get lots of leads.. but little to no hires. This is because leaving your details is too low of a barrier which yields unmotivated applicants.

Quizads are an innovative approach to advertising that allows you to engage with potential candidates in a more interactive and personalized way. By creating quizzes related to your industry or specific job roles, you can attract the attention of passive job seekers who might not have been interested in traditional job postings. The longer the quiz, the more motivated the applicant.

For example, let's say you're hiring for a software engineering position at your company. Instead of simply posting a standard job ad, consider creating a quiz that asks the engineer what he values in a job and what key factors would be for him to change jobs. This approach not only piques their interest but also allows you to assess their suitability for the role in a more engaging manner.

By creating adcopy that says: Interested in seeing if working at company X as a software engineer would be interesting to you?

Is a lot less of a hard sell than: We are looking for a software engineer, apply here.

With a budget as low as 10$ a day, we convert up to 5 suitable applicants for multiple clients weekly. Although Meta is known for converting better for blue collar work, we also succesfuly use it for white collar workers.

LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads

In addition to quizads, leveraging LinkedIn's powerful platform can significantly enhance your ability to engage with passive job seekers. The platform offers various advertising options, including Thought Leadership ads, which allow you to establish yourself as an industry expert while subtly promoting your open positions.

To give an idea, I could post something like this:

👋 Hello LinkedIn community,

I'm thrilled to share that recrt.ai is growing fast. We are a company driven by a bold vision: to revolutionize the way recruitment happens. 🌐

🚀 Our goal is to create the "Recruiter of the Future," leveraging cutting-edge AI technology and innovative strategies to reshape the hiring landscape. We believe in the power of collaboration and are eager to connect with forward-thinking recruiters and marketers who share our passion for innovation. 🤝

We are looking to talk to marketers who want to work together with us in the recruitment industry and change the way we work.

If you then boost this to marketeers in your area, you get to talk to marketers who can potentially come work with you. Same thing goes as for quiz ads: the more you tell people you’re actively looking, the less people who respond. Play around with it. We’ve had success in hiring IT, marketing and salesroles starting from 20$ a day.

The Benefits of Engaging Passive Job Seekers

Engaging with passive job seekers through innovative advertising approaches like quizads and LinkedIn Thought Leadership ads offers several key benefits:

1. Access to hidden talent: Many highly qualified candidates are not actively looking for new opportunities but may be open to considering them if presented in the right way. Engaging with passive job seekers allows you to tap into this pool of hidden talent.

2. Better cultural fit: Passive job seekers are more likely to research potential employers before applying. By showcasing your company culture through creative ads and thought leadership content, you attract candidates who align with your values and work environment.

3. Increase candidate quality: Engaging with passive job seekers often results in a higher caliber of candidates. These individuals are typically already employed or have valuable experience, making them strong contenders for senior roles or hard-to-fill positions.

4. Reduced competition: Traditional job postings attract a large number of applicants, many of whom may not meet the required qualifications. Engaging with passive job seekers helps reduce competition by targeting individuals who are more likely to possess the desired skills and experience.

Are you ready to take your recruitment efforts to the next level? Start exploring quiz ads and LinkedIn Thought Leadership ads today!