Why the best candidates are not found directly
Who hasn't experienced this? It's actually time for a change in our lives because routines have crept in and circumstances have arisen that are holding us back or even harming us. But somehow we are stuck in our habits and find it incredibly difficult to change anything.
This has a lot to do with our mental state and is, in principle, a natural human condition. When we are faced with unfamiliar situations and challenges that may even frighten us, we need reassurance, protection and connection. This makes it difficult to take the decisive step towards change.
This situation often affects people who are actually looking for new career prospects but are afraid to take action themselves. After all, they have a job and even if it is not fulfilling for them, they are still in the comfortable position of enjoying a regular income and social security.
According to a survey conducted by Xing together with the opinion research institute Forsa in 2022, 37% of all employees are thinking about changing jobs. The KÖNIGSTEINER Group came to a very similar conclusion in a survey conducted together with the online job exchange stellenanzeigen.de. According to the survey (as of December 2022), 30% of employees in Germany are currently willing to change jobs.
However, these findings do not mean that all people are actively looking for a job. The number of people who are not openly thinking about changing jobs is probably even higher. This is difficult to prove, but even with the figures available it is clear that there is a large group that can be reached with impulses to change jobs.
How do you reach a passive target group?
However, if the majority of this group is not actively looking, how can potential applicants be reached? Traditional methods such as job advertisements in newspapers or job portals are not very effective here, as they will not appeal to the relevant target group. One possible alternative to traditional approaches is programmatic job advertising. This method makes it possible to reach the target group where they are actually located, on websites and apps across various end devices. Mechanisms that are traditionally used in online marketing or e-commerce are used for this. Advertising space is purchased fully automatically in real time and occupied with the message of the highest bidding competitor. This message is delivered to the right candidate based on the available user data.
Programmatic job advertising therefore allows messages to be played out to the right target group, away from the usual recruiting channels. However, it is also clear that attractive incentives are needed to activate latently searching candidates who are willing to change jobs. Real benefits should be clearly communicated here.
Also important: an application process that is as accessible and easy to use as possible without unnecessary hurdles. Slow, non-mobile-optimized application websites, the request for extensive data or the requirement for an individual cover letter can be decisive factors in deterring someone from applying.
So we can see that there are certainly ways to encourage passive and latent job seekers to make a career change. Suitable framework conditions such as benefits and a simple application process give candidates enough incentive and security to break away from their own routine and become active themselves.
Sources:
XINGstudy
Image by Freepik
Image by kroshka__nastya on Freepik
