Recruiting SolutionsRecruiting Solutions

June 2012

Recruiting Solutions

Active Or Passive? A Closer Look at Global

Job-Seeking Behavior

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Agenda

Overview

Key findings

Job-seeking behavior

– Active vs. passive

– By tenure

– By seniority level

Five solutions to help you engage passive talent

Additional resources

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Objectives

The objectives of this report are to provide a better understanding the job-seeking behavior of

professionals globally, including how active they are in seeking new employment, and to provide

recruiting leaders with clearer visibility into the market for top talent.

Data

The report summarizes the results of a survey conducted in Oct 2011 by LinkedIn’s Insights team.

Methodology

LinkedIn surveyed a representative sample of its members located in Australia, Brazil, Canada,

Germany, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, UK, US, and Singapore, who categorized

themselves as “fully employed” (not “self-employed”), and ranged in seniority from individual

contributors to managers, directors, and senior executives. 9,095 professionals participated in the

study.

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Overview

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Key findings

1. The vast majority of professionals are passive candidates. Only 21 percent of employed professionals are jobseekers; the remaining 79 percent are considered

passive talent. 44 percent are open to discussing a new position and 15 percent are not formally

looking, but reaching out to close associates regarding new jobs. 20 percent claim to be completely

happy in their roles, though the best recruiters may still convince them to explore other opportunities.

2. Traditional job boards only reach 21 percent of the viable candidate pool. 79 percent of fully employed professionals do not proactively visit legacy job boards.

3. The active pool skews toward more junior, less tenured professionals. Professionals who are aggressively or somewhat aggressively searching for jobs tend to have less

tenure (1-5 years on the job) and are at a more junior level.

4. Senior-level professionals are even less likely to be active job seekers. Only 14 percent of directors and executives are actively or semi-actively looking for a new position,

versus 23 percent of managers and 22 percent of individual contributors.

5. Companies must better align resources to target passive candidates.In order to reach the majority of the talent pool, companies must increase their emphasis on passive

candidates. This requires altogether different tools and strategies.

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Job-seeking status: active vs. passive

The active jobseeker pool is small. Only 21

percent of the fully employed are actively

looking for a new job (Aggressively or

Somewhat Looking).

The passive talent pool is nearly four times

the size. 79 percent of the fully employed are

either Tiptoers, Explorers or Super Passives

Quality and quantity lies beyond the active

pool. Many companies are targeting the same

small active talent pool, through tools such as

legacy job boards. This limits their focus to

only 21 percent of fully employed talent

If you’re not targeting passive talent,

you’re missing out.

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Job-seeking status: by tenure

Job-seeking behavior is correlated with tenure. Lower-tenured (1-5 years)

professionals tend to be more active job seekers. After five years, voluntary turnover

drops dramatically. Turnover peaks at 2-3 years.

The active candidate pool has a higher than average turnover rate. Active

candidates tend to take jobs for economic reasons, leading to low job satisfaction and

higher voluntary turnover.

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Hiring mainly

from the active

candidate pool

can increase

employee

turnover and

lower your

overall talent

bar.

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Job-seeking status: by seniority level

Senior-level professionals are

even less likely to be active job

seekers. Only 14 percent of

director-or-above positions are

proactively seeking a new role,

versus 23 percent of managers and

22 percent of individual contributors.

There are fewer senior

management positions available

given the economic environment,

which does impact the job-seeking

rate of more senior individuals.

For senior-level hires, it is even

more critical to target the

passive talent pool.

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LinkedIn RecruiterEngage the world’s best passive talent

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LinkedIn Jobs NetworkGet your opportunities in front of the right candidates – passive and active

LinkedIn Career PagesShowcase your employment brand to

targeted professionals on LinkedIn

Work With Us AdsTake advantage of traffic to

your employees’ profiles

Recruitment MediaShare your message with the

professionals you care most about

Five LinkedIn solutions to engage

passive candidates

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Additional resources

1. Visit our passive candidate recruiting best practices center at

http://talent.linkedin.com/passivetalent

– Includes tip sheets, infographics, interviews with top recruiters and

more

2. Subscribe to our blog: http://talent.linkedin.com/blog

3. Follow us on Twitter: @hireonlinkedin

4. Explore the world of LinkedIn Recruiting Solutions at

http://talent.linkedin.com