Drawing distinctions between active and passive candidates is a shorthand. Labels that businesses, and Talent Acquisition teams put on potential employees.
The active candidate is on the hunt for their next role. Time-to-hire is likely to be low as they are more motivated to take interviews, and able to start a new role sooner. The passive candidate is “open to the right opportunities”, but the hiring process may be slower because of their work and notice period.
It is a useful distinction to remind hiring managers not to ask “What made you want to apply for this role?” to an applicant their own sourcing team reached out to.
And yet, the shorthand of active vs passive candidate has become limiting. It’s not useful when we start attributing greater value to passive candidates. And it ignores many of the complexities of the modern world of work.
The world of employment has gone through some seismic shifts. The great recession of 2008 showed how stable industries are less reliable than we thought. The Covid-19 pandemic proved that there’s far less need for physical offices than we expected. And the arrival — and soon dominance — of Gen Z is transforming attitudes towards work.
What matters most to employees has shifted. They seek out purpose in their work and flexible work life balance, over traditional considerations of salary and benefit. Employees are also more aware than ever how quickly things can change. This means that for many people, even if they aren’t looking for a new opportunity, they are considering it.
There's only one difference between active and passive candidates. Whether through choice or circumstance, active candidates are the ones who have recognised the need for a new role and are visibly acting on it.
At Hirehoot, when we think about candidates, we believe two things:
A “candidate” is a person at a moment in time — someone considering, and being considered for, a new opportunity. A new opportunity could be nearly anything: a new role at a new company, a lateral move at their current workplace, a new project to work on, or a new skill to learn.The challenge is that seeking out new opportunities can be tough. Especially if the easiest ways to find them are very public. That’s why we’re championing confidential recruitment to enshrine fairer hiring processes and give candidates the freedom to explore new opportunities confidently.If you’re interested in exploring your next opportunity (especially if you’re in data, AI or a related field) join Hirehoot today to get started.
