Passive Candidates Hold the Key to Travel Recruitment Success

At any one time, only a small proportion of the travel workforce is actively seeking alternative employment. The remainder are sufficiently happy in their current roles that they are not scanning the recruitment pages for new opportunities. When you post a vacancy, your ideal candidate may not be actively seeking a new job. However, he may still consider an offer of employment if the right opportunity comes along. The secret to effective travel recruitment is not simply to reach active candidates with recruitment adverts, but to also reach passive candidates with subtler recruitment methods. Take a Creative Approach to Travel Recruitment: Passive candidates are not going to notice your carefully crafted job advert for one simple reason: they are not actively looking to move jobs. Attracting passive candidates takes a little more creativity than traditional travel recruitment methods. The key to developing a bank of people who may become passive candidates for roles in the future is to start building ongoing relationships. The relationships may begin at trade fairs, conferences, business lunches, or networking events. The secret is to then find a way to stay in touch that does not revolve around job search, such as engaging the individual in online discussion forums or business blogs. Travel Recruitment through Social Networking: By following the careers of talented individuals in the travel sector through social networking websites, such as LinkedIn, you can identify people who are ready to move on from their current role. Rather than simply browsing numerous bland profiles, watch out for people who engage in relevant discussion forums and demonstrate an up-to-date knowledge of the industry. Travel Recruitment Agencies: The methods required to pursue passive candidates can be time-consuming. However, you do not need to tackle this task alone. Travel recruitment agencies can give you access to a large number of passive candidates that have remained on their databases. After an agency places a candidate, the individual often remains on the company's database. When you place your vacancy with a travel recruitment agency, your consultant will search her database of existing candidates to identify whether any of them have the necessary skills and experience. If so, the agency can make a direct contact with passive candidates on your behalf. Pitch the Post: Because passive candidates are not actively looking for work, you may have to adopt a sales approach to convince your target that the role you have on offer is his next logical career move. Do not be afraid to sell the benefits of working for your company. Have your pitch worked out before you make contact with a passive candidate. In particular, what is it about your company that would encourage him to leave a secure role to come work for you?