14 March 2018 www.humancapitalonline.com ◆They are the o
Developing Talent Acquisition Strategies for the Fully - Employed
1. Whitepaper
Developing Talent Acquisition Strategies for
the Fully-Employed
Executive Summary
In late 2013, The Adler Group collaborated with the LinkedIn research team on a
major survey delving into job satisfaction, why people leave jobs, and the criteria
they use to consider and accept other opportunities. Over 18,000 LinkedIn
members from around the world participated in the survey. The focus of this
whitepaper is largely on the 1,600 people from North America who responded. As
part of this report, several additional Adler Group studies have been incorporated
to provide a fuller understanding of how companies can best attract, recruit, and
hire passive job-seekers. Some of the major findings:
Almost 80% of the fully-employed* workforce classified themselves as Very
Satisfied (38%) or Satisfied (41%). In total, this is about the same as a survey
conducted with a similar fully-employed group in 2010. However, in the current
survey there was a significant increase in those considering themselves Very
Satisfied, up from 31% to 38%.
While overall job satisfaction has improved slightly in the past few years,
passive candidates are still willing to explore jobs that represent significant
career growth opportunities.
55% of those people who considered themselves Very Satisfied still
indicated they would be open to consider changing jobs if it represented a
significant career move.
90% of those people who considered themselves Satisfied indicated that
they were either currently looking for a job or open to change jobs for the
right position.
Job satisfaction is typically higher for more senior-level managers, executives,
and high-demand positions. Regardless, these same people can be lured away
by savvy companies using advanced recruiting techniques.
From a retention standpoint, programs should be developed that track
employee satisfaction. The focus of these should be on better understanding
why reasonably satisfied employees leave good positions in an attempt to find
more satisfying opportunities. On the flipside, this same information should
be used to attract and hire passive candidates for the long-term. The key:
understand what motivates candidates to excel. This is not necessarily the same
as how they compare new opportunities and accept offers.
Contents
Executive Summary 1
Job Satisfaction of the
Professional Fully-Employed
Workforce 2
Using Career Zones as a
Means to Understand
Job-Seeking Behavior 3
Job Satisfaction Is Important,
but Not the Only Driver of
Job-Hunting Activity 5
The Drivers of Retention and
Attraction 7
Developing Recruiting
Strategies by Career Zone 9
How Job Level Impacts
Sourcing and Recruiting
Programs 10
An International Perspective 12
Conclusions 13
May 2014
By Lou Adler
* Fully-employed: currently working full-time at a company Job-Seeking Behavior and Talent Strategy 1
2. The primary focus of the LinkedIn survey was to better understand the job-seeking
behavior of fully-employed passive and active candidates. The purpose of this
whitepaper is to examine the data from the perspective of a talent leader, recruiter,
or company executive interested in hiring the best people possible. The main
finding is that high job satisfaction will not prevent your best employees from
leaving for better jobs. It’s important to note that from a recruiting standpoint,
using short-term sources of job satisfaction – more money, better work/life
balance, employer brand, etc. – to attract and hire these same people will be
counterproductive. This approach perpetuates the problem by emphasizing
short-lived motivators. Instead, recruiting programs need to be developed that are
more high-touch, taking into account the long-term career needs of the people
being pursued. Hiring managers and recruiters need to be fully invested in the
process and committed to find and hire the best. Although it takes somewhat more
effort upfront, the long-term benefit of hiring the strongest person possible cannot
be disputed.
Job Satisfaction of the Professional Fully-Employed
Workforce
Job satisfaction has often been considered the primary factor predicting whether
a person will stay with a company or leave. It appears that the extremely slow
recovery in job growth in the U.S. these past few years has altered this view. While
the bulk of the workforce is Very or Somewhat Satisfied, an equal share is willing to
change jobs for the right reasons. Based on my many conversations with passive
candidates, it appears that having a job in comparison to the many who don’t is a
component of job satisfaction. However, high job satisfaction is no guarantee that
the person can’t be lured away by the opportunity of something significantly better.
As the survey indicates, it’s important to be wary: your best employees might be
getting ready to jump ship sooner than you expect. Conversely, with the right offer
and the right processes, companies can upgrade their talent level with less effort
than ever before.
Insights and Ideas
Job satisfaction and job-hunting activity are relatively unchanged in the last three
years, as shown in figure 1. As of December 2013, 79% of the North American
professional and fully-employed workforce consider themselves either Very
Satisfied or Somewhat Satisfied with their current jobs. This is up slightly from the
77% reported in a similar study conducted in late 2010.
Summary and Key Findings
79% of the fully-employed
professional workforce in North
America are Satisfied or Very
Satisfied with their current jobs.
Only 12% of the workforce
categorize themselves as
Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied.
Despite the high level of job
satisfaction, 23% of the total
workforce are actively looking for
new jobs, 13% have started to tap
into their close network to look for
new jobs, and a further 43% would
consider a better job if contacted
directly by a former co-worker or
recruiter.
Retention for all types of
people could become as issue
if the economy strengthens as
forecasted. Retention for the best,
high-demand candidates is always
a concern.
Job Satisfaction Over Time
Figure 1
2010
2013 Very Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Very Dissatisfied
77% in 2010 vs.
79% in 2013
11% in 2010 vs.
12% in 2013
31%
38%
46%
41%
12%
9%
4%
9%
7%
3%
Job-Seeking Behavior and Talent Strategy 2
3. This slight uptick in job satisfaction has not caused a corresponding drop in job-
seeking activity. As shown in figure 2, there are far fewer fully passive candidates:
21% in 2013 versus 28% in 2010. Meanwhile, professionals who categorize
themselves as very active candidates have risen from 17% to 23% of the fully-
employed workforce.
Even more significant is the fact that 79% of the fully-employed workforce are either
actively looking, starting to look, or open to consider an opportunity if contacted by
a former co-worker or recruiter. This is up from 72% in 2010.
It appears that the primary factor preventing these people from switching jobs is an
economy that hasn’t produced many new jobs in the past few years. Excluding very
active candidates, while many people are willing to change positions, they won’t
unless the new job is significantly better than the one they now have. “Significantly
better” in this case means some combination of long-term growth, increased
opportunities for learning and development, and short-term improvements in
compensation or work/life balance.
Knowing the specific criteria used by fully-employed passive candidates to
evaluate and change positions offers companies a means to change their recruiting
processes to better map to their ideal prospects’ needs. At the same time, it also
offers these same companies a means to intervene and reduce the chance that
their strongest people will be lured away for preventable reasons.
Using Career Zones as a Means to Understand
Job-Seeking Behavior
Time is an employee’s most valuable asset. The best people use it more wisely than
others for maximizing their personal growth and development. This same concept
can be used to better understand why some people are passive candidates and
others more active. The Career Zone model tracks changes in employee satisfaction
over time as a means to develop recruiting strategies and messages. By figuring
out where on the Career Zone curve the ideal candidate is likely to fall, a recruiter
is in a stronger position to offer a more attractive opportunity. Much of this involves
demonstrating how the prospect can better maximize his or her use of time by
changing jobs for the right reasons.
Change in Job-Seeking Behavior
Figure 2
2010
2013 Very Passive
Semi-Passive
In-Between
Very Active
Total passive
68% in 2010 vs.
64% in 2013
Active or open to
consider moving
72% in 2010 vs.
79% in 2013
28%
21%
40%
43%
15%
13%
17%
23%
Job-Seeking Behavior and Talent Strategy 3
4. Insights and Ideas
While many companies are strong at identifying passive candidates, they often fall
short on recruiting and hiring them. The problems seem to be an over-dependence
on recruiter quality, plus force-fitting passive candidates into a process designed for
active candidates. For example, most companies rely on the use of traditional job
descriptions for all candidates, whether they’re active or passive. Their processes
are also typically designed to weed out the unqualified, rather than attract the
best. This weeding out process is only effective when there’s a surplus of talented
people with both an economic need to apply and the willingness to accept a lateral
transfer. Since few top people meet these criteria, time to fill is problematic, and the
person hired is the best who applies, not the best available.
When the demand for the strongest talent exceeds the supply, it’s important to
understand what drives people to change jobs when they don’t need to, and
reengineer the hiring process accordingly. This is where an understanding of
Career Zones can help.
There are four Career Zones, as shown in figure 3. The dark curved line represents
the change in growth and impact of a person over time. Assuming a person took a
job for the right reasons, then growth, learning, and impact normally grow rapidly,
driving high job satisfaction. This is Career Zone 1 – the Super Passive, representing
21% of the total fully-employed workforce. People in this zone are extremely
passive, unwilling to even consider switching jobs unless the new opportunity
is extraordinary. Making this case requires a truly extraordinary job and a very
persistent recruiter.
As time progresses, job satisfaction typically declines. This is largely attributed
to doing similar work over an extended period of time, with few near-term
upside growth opportunities. This is represented by the flattening of the curve in
Career Zone 2, causing a decline in job satisfaction. While this group of possible
candidates is not actively looking for another position, they are quite open to talk
with a recruiter or former co-worker if contacted directly about a job that
represents a significant career move. That’s why they’re called Explorers. This is
a huge group – 43% of the total fully-employed workforce. It’s important to note
that these people will neither respond to the standard uninspired job posting nor
agree to participate in the standard screening and interviewing process. The best
way to attract these people is through a referral, direct contact, or some well-placed
and compelling recruiting message pushed directly to them. The subsequent
assessment and recruiting process also needs to be different, more a give-and-take
among equals. Recruiters, hiring managers, and interviewers need to recognize
that passive candidates won’t go under the microscope in a traditional interview
process until they believe the job is worthy.
Using Career Zones to Understand
Job-Seeking Behavior
Figure 3
Super Passive
Zone 1
Extraordinary
Career Move
Explorers
Zone 2
Significant
Career Move
Tiptoers
Zone 3
Much Better
Job
Very Active
Zone 4
Lateral
Transfer
21%*
43%*
13%
23%
Summary and Key Findings
Most companies have well-
defined processes and metrics in
place for their active candidate
recruiting efforts, but they employ
looser techniques for targeting
the talent-rich 77% of the fully-
employed workforce who need to
be proactively recruited.
Categorizing candidates by Career
Zones helps companies develop
targeted programs to find, recruit,
and hire the best of all active and
passive candidates.
The four Career Zones classify
candidates by their job-seeking
activity, current job satisfaction, and
their criteria for changing jobs.
Zone I consists of Super Passive
candidates. These people
are highly satisfied, currently
making a significant impact,
and not looking to make a job
change.
Zone 2 is the domain of
Explorers. These people are not
looking, but due to a variety
of circumstances are willing to
consider other opportunities
that represent significant career
moves.
Zone 3 represents the Tiptoers.
While not actively looking, they
are quietly reaching out to
their close personal network to
discuss potential next moves.
Zone 4 represents the Very
Active job-seekers. They are
using all sources to find another
job similar to the one they now
hold.
Time (years)
GrowthandImpact
* Survey data Job-Seeking Behavior and Talent Strategy 4
5. People become more active job-seekers when job satisfaction starts declining. This
is shown in figure 3 as Career Zone 3, representing 13% of the workforce. People in
this group are referred to as Tiptoers, since they are on the edge of the job market,
but in a very low-key, non-public manner. The best people in this situation are
typically well networked and highly regarded by their former co-workers. For them,
job-seeking takes the form of making a few calls and reconnecting, making their
interest in changing jobs known, but confidential. Since Tiptoers are not desperate,
they have no need to accept a job unless it’s significantly better than the one they
now hold, or one that offers more long-term growth. While these people might
respond to a compelling recruitment message, it’s better to find them through
some type of employee referral program or by using a deeply networked recruiter.
The best of the Tiptoers tend to find better jobs quickly, so getting to these people
first needs to be a critical aspect of any talent acquisition strategy.
Career Zone 4 represents the Very Active candidates, comprising 23% of the fully-
employed workforce – up significantly from 17% in the 2010 survey. When the
number of open jobs doesn’t match the growth in the number of active candidates,
people begin to apply to as many open jobs as possible, whether they’re qualified
for them or not. As a countermeasure, companies create bigger barriers-to-entry,
including more pre-hire questionnaires, new sophisticated matching algorithms,
sophisticated predictive analytics, and automated CRM interactions. At some level
this whole act/react approach needs to be questioned. Being adept at weeding out
the weak might not be the most practical means for finding and hiring the best.
The Career Zone model offers an alternative for building sourcing and recruiting
processes to address the full talent market. By mapping people based on why they
switch jobs and how they go about it, companies are in a position to reengineer
their recruiting and hiring in a more targeted way. Additional details on how to
do this are provided in a later section in this report. The big idea, though, is to first
understand the demand for talent in relationship to the supply for any specific
target group; next, categorize these groups into Career Zones; and then develop
sourcing and recruiting programs to connect with these people before the
competition with compelling and customized career messages.
Job Satisfaction Is Important, but It’s Not the Only Driver
of Job-Hunting Activity
The primary emphasis of this survey was to segment the fully-employed
professional workforce into different levels of job-hunting activity from Very Active
to Very Passive. The results are summarized in figure 4. The second aspect was
to determine the factors that cause people to consider other opportunities. This
section of the report focuses on the impact of job satisfaction on job-hunting
activity. As you’ll discover, while job satisfaction is important, it’s only one of many
factors causing people to seek better opportunities.
2013 Survey of Job-Hunting
Activity
The Career Zone model offers an
alternative for building sourcing
and recruiting processes to
address the full talent market.
Figure 4
21%
43%
13%
23%
Very Passive
Semi-Passive
In-Between
Very Active
Job-Seeking Behavior and Talent Strategy 5
6. Insights and Ideas
It is surprising that while 38% of the workforce consider themselves Very Satisfied,
less than half (45%) of this group define themselves as Very Passive. This is shown
in figure 5. For the Somewhat Satisfied, representing another 41% of the workforce,
only 9% consider themselves as Very Passive. So while 79% of the workforce
consider themselves satisfied with their jobs, this does not predict who will be lured
away or who will stay. Practically speaking, it’s likely that the best of these groups
will be the ones leaving first for better opportunities, since these are the high-
demand people everyone wants to hire.
For recruiters this information represents a gold mine for new talent. For HR and
company leaders this same information represents a significant concern, especially
if their best people begin leaving at an accelerating rate. What unfolds will depend
largely on the strength of the economic recovery and the growth in new jobs.
From a recruiting perspective, it’s clear that programs designed to attract Zone 4
Active candidates are not appropriate for the other Career Zones.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s JOLTs1
report for open jobs provides a picture of
changes in the demand for talent at the national level. This report tracks all publicly
posted open unique U.S. jobs and is updated monthly. As shown in figure 6, growth
in new jobs has been modest for the past 12 months. A significant pickup in net
new jobs would be a strong indicator that the labor markets are strengthening.
One result would be an increase in voluntary turnover as Tiptoers find jobs more
easily, and recruiters become more proactive pursuing Explorers with better job
opportunities. Recent predictions for continuing U.S. economic growth have not
yet translated into new job growth. Despite this, following the JOLTs data provides
talent leaders with useful forward planning information.
Summary and Key Findings
Only 21% of the workforce
consider themselves as Very
Passive. The other 79% are
either open to consider other
opportunities or are actively
seeking other opportunities.
While 38% of the fully-employed
workforce is Very Satisfied, 55% of
this group is either actively looking
for another spot or willing to
consider one.
Equally surprising, only 9% of
those who consider themselves
Somewhat Satisfied categorize
themselves as Very Passive Zone
1 candidates. The other 91% are
open to consider other jobs or are
actively pursuing a change.
While job satisfaction is an
important indicator of retention, it
does not capture all job needs. As
a result, any improvement in the
hiring market will likely result in a
spike in voluntary turnover.
Job-Hunting Activity vs.
Job Satisfaction
Figure 5
Very Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Very Dissatisfied
Zone 1 - Passive
Zone 2 - Explorers
Zone 3 - Tiptoers
Zone 4 - Active
38%
45% 44% 3% 8%
41%
9% 53% 16% 22%
9%
4% 29% 21% 46%
9%
1% 19% 25% 55%
3%
4% 25% 72%
1
http://www.bls.gov/jlt/
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
U.S. Department of Labor
JOLTs - February 2014
Figure 6
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
% of fully-employed workforce
OpenJobsU.S.(000s)
Job-Seeking Behavior and Talent Strategy 6
7. The Drivers of Retention and Attraction
As part of the survey we asked respondents to describe what factors would
likely cause them to change jobs. As shown in figure 7, compensation and better
growth opportunities headed the list. From actual experience, candidates tend to
overvalue the short-term aspects of a potential job (i.e., compensation, location,
and the employer brand) when first hearing about it. However, the decision-making
process shifts to long-term career factors when comparing actual opportunities
and accepting a job. Unfortunately, unless a recruiter forcefully intervenes on first
contact, some of the best people opt out before they fully appreciate the long-term
potential of an opportunity. This is an area recruiters and talent leaders can focus on
to improve conversion rates and ultimately quality of hire.
Insights and Ideas
In First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently,
the Gallup Group identified 12 core factors that drove job satisfaction. The big
ones focused on the hiring manager’s role, specifically: clarifying job expectations
up front; providing support, encouragement, and personal development
opportunities; and assigning work the person finds motivating. Not surprisingly,
these are the same factors the best candidates use as part of their prime reasons for
accepting an offer or not. It’s largely about the work itself.
This critical issue is frequently minimized in the rush to recruit and hire, when a
short-term emphasis to fill the position often overshadows actual job needs and
the long-term potential. This results in a number of preventable hiring mistakes
including underperformance, dissatisfaction, and unnecessary turnover. I call
this collective effect “The Vicious Cycle of Hiring and Retention.” The concept is
summarized in figure 8. A short explanation is in order.
Overall job satisfaction, and the desire to change jobs, tends to be driven by
an excess of the negative motivators shown in the bottom half of the graph,
coupled with an absence of the positive ones in the top half. These positive and
negative factors can be further categorized as intrinsic (internal) shown on the
right, or extrinsic (external) motivators, shown on the left. The extrinsic motivators
tend to be short-term or circumstantial, like a bad boss or a one-time increase in
compensation. The intrinsic motivators are ongoing sources of satisfaction: for
example, working with a great group of people, or doing work the person finds
very rewarding.
Why Candidates Take Other Jobs
Figure 7
40%
39%
40%
Zone 1 - Passive
Zone 2 - Explorers
Zone 3 - Tiptoers
Zone 4 - Active
Improved Compensation
Better Work/Life Balance
Better Job/Career Growth
Increased Job Security
34%
16%
17%
17%
22%
34%
35%
35%
28%
9%
8%
14%
12%
Summary and Key Findings
Other than the Very Active
candidates, 40% of respondents
indicate that an improvement
in compensation is an essential
requirement for even considering
another job.
For all groups of job-hunters, the
second most significant factor is
a better job or a better growth
opportunity. The most passive
candidates don’t value this as
highly, though, since already
having a great job is the primary
reason they’re passive.
Active job-seekers are slightly
more interested in security than
the less active job-seekers, but not
dramatically. 14% consider this
important vs. 10% on average for
the other groups.
Job-Seeking Behavior and Talent Strategy 7
8. While people leave jobs for both negative intrinsic and extrinsic reasons, they
tend to accept them for largely positive short-term or one-time extrinsic reasons.
While the positive intrinsic reasons, shown in the upper right in figure 8, including
better career growth and doing more satisfying work, are often discussed during
the hiring process, it’s typically done at a superficial level. A big problem occurs
when the actual job, culture, and hiring manager’s style don’t align with these
expectations driving underperformance and dissatisfaction. This is the Vicious
Cycle, leading to low job satisfaction and unnecessary turnover. The process then
repeats itself in perpetual motion-like fashion in the rush to fill jobs with the wrong
people using the wrong reasons. This is shown by the blue arrows in the graphic. It
can be stopped in its tracks by clarifying expectations upfront and selecting people
who are both competent and motivated to do the actual work required for long-
term positive reasons.
The chain of events leading to the Vicious Cycle can be broken before first contact.
It starts by preparing recruitment messages that emphasize the long-term positive
motivators, not job descriptions laden with “must haves” offering no more than
lateral transfers. In addition, recruiters need to ensure their passive prospects
have a full appreciation of the positive short- and long-term motivators of the job
before they opt out for superficial reasons. As the survey data indicates, too many
candidates – both passive and active – make quick decisions based on the initial
compensation range and short-term benefits of a job, before ever learning about
its real substance.
Summary and Key Findings
Continued
Work/life balance is an important
consideration for everyone,
whether they’re looking or
not. However, this needs to be
considered as a component of
job satisfaction, rather than an
individual driving factor. Few top
people put work/life balance at the
top of their list when deciding to
accept or reject an offer.
Having worked directly and
indirectly with thousands of
candidates over the past 30 years,
the criteria most candidates use to
evaluate opportunities emphasize
the work itself, the career growth
opportunities, the quality of the
hiring manager and team, the
strength of the company, and the
job’s direct link to a major company
initiative. While compensation is on
the list, it’s usually in the middle of
the pack once all the other factors
are known. That’s why it’s important
for recruiters to intervene before
prospects opt out without
considering the full opportunity.
When you emphasize short-term
factors to recruit and hire the best
candidates, rather than the factors
that drive long-term satisfaction,
you create the Vicious Cycle of
underperformance, dissatisfaction,
and turnover.
The Vicious Cycle of Hiring
and Retention
Figure 8 Compensation max
Short-term rewards
Contests, bonus
Ego need
Career maximization
Learn - do - become
Helping others
Team - hiring manager
Company or mission
Low salary
Bad boss
Economic need
Slow growth
Work mix not satisfying
Cultural misfit
Negative Motivators
Positive Motivators
Extrinsic Intrinsic
Mission not important
Not part of team
Deteriorating business
Big title - big brand
Not appreciated
Job-Seeking Behavior and Talent Strategy 8
9. Developing Recruiting Strategies by Career Zone
The key to attracting and recruiting passive candidates is convincing them that what
you’re offering is a better use of their time (e.g., a job that puts them in a steeper
part of the Career Zone impact curve). This is referred to as a “Going-Towards
Job-Seeking Strategy.” This is from the perspective of the candidate, since their
motivation to consider your open job is largely about improving an already good
situation. Strong recruiters need to be persistent to make this initial case, but it’s up
to the hiring manager to prove its validity.
This whole strategy flips around for active candidates. Since their prime motivators
are leaving something negative, they are operating under a “Going-Away Job-
Seeking Strategy.” While the best active candidates are often easier to find,
especially if the company has a strong employee referral program in place, these
people still need to see that what you’re offering is better than what they’re leaving.
This is typically a combination of minimizing the negatives along with a stronger
career opportunity.
Hiring the best people, whether they’re active or passive, should not just be about
offering a lateral transfer with a big compensation increase. It should always be
about offering the best career move, one that’s on an upward sloping career curve
in combination with a fair compensation package.
Insights and Ideas
If the demand for top talent exceeds the supply, it’s best to implement a balanced
50/30/20 sourcing and recruiting program to cover the full talent market.
This breaks down to spending 50% of a company’s resources and efforts on
aggressively recruiting passive candidates, 30% on finding Tiptoers as soon as they
enter the market, and 20% on creative and visible job postings.
Recognize that the processes used to find and attract the best active candidates
will not work for the less active and passive candidates. In this case the Career Zone
model can help guide the development of different plans and programs. This high-
level approach is summarized in figure 9.
Summary and Key Findings
Segmenting the talent market by
Career Zones aids in the creation
of targeted sourcing and recruiting
programs.
Finding and attracting the best
active candidates requires
compelling and visible recruitment
messages in combination with a
robust employee referral program
(ERP).
To attract and hire people who are
not actively looking requires a high-
touch recruiting process including
the active engagement of the hiring
manager.
Implementing a balanced 50/30/20
sourcing and marketing program
ensures full exposure to the talent
market.
Messaging and recruiting
techniques need to emphasize the
ideal prospect’s job-hunting and
career needs.
High-Touch Recruiting vs.
High-Tech Recruiting
Figure 9
Super Passive
Zone 1
Extraordinary
Career Move
Longer Process
Exec and HM
Engagement
Explorers
Zone 2
Direct Sourcing
Networking
PERP
High-touch
Recruiters
HM Engagement
Tiptoers
Zone 3
Pipelining
Expanded ERP
CRM w/Nurturing
Campaigns
Social Media
Very Active
Zone 4
Compelling
Advertising
Pushed
Targeted SEO
21%*
43%*
13%
23%
GrowthandImpact
50% 30% 20%
Going Towards Strategy
High-Touch Advanced Recruiting
Going Away Strategy
High-Tech Basic Recruiting
Time (years)
ERP:
HM:
PERP:
CRM:
SEO:
Employee Referral Program
Hiring Manager
Proactive Employee Referral Program
Candidate Relationship Management
Search Engine Optimization
* Survey data Job-Seeking Behavior and Talent Strategy 9
10. Passive candidates – the Explorers and Super Passives in Career Zones 1 and
2 – need to be convinced to become job-seekers. Since they’re not looking, they
would only switch jobs for something that’s clearly superior. This is called a Going-
Towards Job-Seeking Strategy. While getting the names of the best people is
not insignificant, recruiting and hiring them is the real challenge. This requires
three things: great jobs, seasoned and highly-qualified recruiters, and actively
engaged managers who know what they’re looking for and who will invest the
time necessary to hire the best talent possible. This is a high-touch, go slower
process. As important, the written material describing the jobs themselves must
clearly represent a significant career opportunity, not a laundry list of required skills
and experiences. Ideally, the hiring manager should be able to describe real job
needs as a series of critical performance objectives including the challenges and
opportunities involved. I refer to these as performance-based job descriptions.
Since the Very Active candidates, and the Tiptoers who have been tiptoeing for a
while, have already decided to leave their current job for some reason, they have an
underlying Going-Away Job-Seeking Strategy. In this case the actual recruiting is a
bit easier, but if the people are strong, they’ll be hired more quickly, often within a
few weeks after first contact. This speed component needs to be considered when
designing hiring programs targeting such candidates.
Finding the Very Active is more high-tech than high-touch, involving compelling
recruitment advertising that’s easy to find or pushed directly to them. The best of
this group are more interested in better jobs, not jobs that appear to be lateral
transfers mixed with company hyperbole. For message content, the focus should
be on describing the work, not the qualifications required (e.g., “design state-of-
the-art microcircuits” vs. “Must have a BSEE”); some connection of the job to the
company’s business (e.g., “be part of our new venture group”); and highlighting
what’s in it for the person hired (e.g., “become a leader in big data analytics”), not
what’s in it for the company.
The best way to find Tiptoers is through a very aggressive referral program with a
company’s employees proactively searching for former co-workers they’d highly
recommend. You’ll know your active candidate sourcing process is working
properly when you ask candidates how long they’ve been looking and they say,
“I just started, and saw your opening first.” It’s even better when they say, “I just
started networking, and (employee) suggested I talk to you first.”
How Job Level Impacts Sourcing and Recruiting
Programs
Based on the survey results, it’s quite evident that those in more senior
management positions are both more satisfied with their jobs and more passive.
This adds another dimension and level of complexity to the recruiting challenges
always involved with passive candidates. For one thing, more time is required since
the decision is more critical to both the company and the person, and there are
more variables to consider. Family considerations are also more complex since
managers tend to be older and less flexible when it comes to switching jobs. The
role of the hiring manager is even more essential, since much of the candidate’s
decision depends on the hiring manager’s leadership qualities. Recruiting leaders
need to develop specific recruiting strategies that not only differentiate between
active and passive candidates, but also consider the differences between more
senior positions and individual contributors.
While getting the names of the
best people is not insignificant,
recruiting and hiring them is the
real challenge.This requires three
things: great jobs, seasoned and
highly-qualified recruiters, and
actively engaged managers who
know what they’re looking for and
who will invest the time necessary
to hire the best talent possible.
You’ll know your active candidate
sourcing process is working
properly when you ask candidates
how long they’ve been looking
and they say, “I just started, and
saw your opening first.” It’s even
better when they say, “I just started
networking, and (employee)
suggested I talk to you first.”
Based on the survey results, it’s
quite evident that those in more
senior management positions are
both more satisfied with their jobs
and more passive.
Job-Seeking Behavior and Talent Strategy 10
11. Insights and Ideas
One of the key aspects of job satisfaction is the degree of control a person has
over how their work is organized and assigned. Managers are in a position to
delegate work they find less appealing to their team members. As a result, one
would anticipate that managers and more senior executives would be slightly more
satisfied with their jobs than their subordinates, and less active when it comes to
seeking other job opportunities. As shown in figures 10 and 11, the survey data
bears this idea out: directors are more super passive (26% vs. 18%), and individual
contributors are more active: 29% compared to 18% for directors.
Just the fact that managers and directors are more passive makes them more
difficult to recruit. In addition, they’re also more discriminating and often less
flexible, since family issues become a more significant factor to be considered.
Engaging them requires stronger recruiters who are very knowledgeable about the
job, the hiring manager, the company, and the industry; and who can act as career
advisors, not gatekeepers. Significant changes at the process level are equally
important if a company wants to maximize the quality of the people seen and hired
for management roles. Some of these changes include more in-depth interviews,
more discussions about real job needs and resources, the need for the hiring
manager to spend more time with the candidate, more flexibility in structuring the
role, and a more open-ended negotiation process.
The impact of a bad hiring decision at the management and executive ranks is
more significant for both the company and the person being hired. This alone
suggests a different and more sophisticated hiring process than the one used for
hiring staff members.
Key Findings
Those in more senior management
roles are significantly more satisfied
with their jobs than those in
individual contributor positions:
84% consider themselves Satisfied
or Very Satisfied vs. 71%.
Since fewer senior-level people
are likely to respond to traditional
job postings (18% vs. 29%), more
reliance on networking and direct
sourcing will be required to identify
potential candidates for these
senior positions.
Recruiting the best people for
senior manager roles requires
confident and knowledgeable
recruiters to make first contact, and
professional and fully-engaged
hiring managers to seal the deal.
While the process to find and hire
passive candidates is different than
for active candidates, the process
also needs to be modified to take
into account the needs of people in
more senior management levels.
Job Satisfaction by Seniority
Figure 10
Very Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Neither Satisfied nor
Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Very Dissatisfied
Director and Above
Manager
Individual Contributor
48% 36% 6%
38% 44% 8% 8%
29% 42% 11% 12%
8% 2%
2%
5%
Career Zones by Title
Figure 11
Zone 1 - Passive
Zone 2 - Explorers
Zone 3 - Tiptoers
Zone 4 - Active
Director and Above
Manager
Individual Contributor
26% 44% 11%
18% 46% 13% 22%
18% 40% 13% 29%
18%
Job-Seeking Behavior and Talent Strategy 11
12. An International Perspective
This report details professional attitudes to work and job-seeking in the United
States and Canada. We conducted the same survey in 24 additional countries,
ranging from Brazil and Australia to Russia and the UK. For a full breakdown of
global results, please see the related Talent Trends 2014 report.
While there are significant differences in job satisfaction around the globe, there
are more similarities in terms of what the best people require in order to switch
jobs. For the typical person, whether active or passive, much of the decision
focuses on job security, work/life balance, compensation, and the company’s
overall strength and brand. For the best people, the decision to switch will largely
be driven by the upside potential of the position, the impact the person can make
on the company, and the quality of the people the person will be working with.
Compensation, of course, is not unimportant, but this is always considered in
balance with all of the short- and long-term factors.
Insights and Ideas
The recruiting and sourcing advice presented in this report has been developed
over the years based largely on data and evidence generated in North America.
However, after having worked with dozens of international companies on a variety
of different positions, it’s evident that the challenges involved in finding, recruiting,
and hiring the best talent are universal.
Regardless of where they live in the world, the best people with high-demand
skills want similar things: a great job, a strong company, a strong manager, and
significant upside opportunity. While there are fewer highly satisfied people in
EMEA and APAC (see figure 12), and fewer Super Passive Zone 1 candidates as a
result, individual sourcing and recruiting programs need to be adjusted based on
local supply vs. demand constraints and cultural norms.
Based on the survey results, there is little difference in the percentage of Very Active
candidates regardless of region. This is shown in figure 13. Given this, companies
and their recruiters still need to implement programs that emphasize sourcing
and recruiting Tiptoers and Explorers in order to improve their quality of talent. As
stated earlier in this report, this requires an emphasis on offering career moves,
not lateral transfers; strong recruiters who can engage with people at all levels
and act as credible career advisors; and fully-engaged hiring managers who are
determined to hire the best performers.
Key Findings
The level of Very Satisfied people
working outside North America is
significantly lower than those inside
North America: 25-28% vs. 38%.
Despite the differences in positive
satisfaction, those who are
dissatisfied hovers around 12%
regardless of geographic location.
This survey did not tie job
satisfaction or job-hunting activity
to candidate quality. Recognize that
just because someone is passive
doesn’t mean they’re automatically
better than an active candidate.
From what we’ve seen, the strategies
needed to attract and hire high-
quality and high-demand candidates
are similar across the globe.
Job Satisfaction by Region
Figure 12
Very Satisfied
Somewhat Satisfied
Neither Satisfied nor
Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Very Dissatisfied
NAMER
EMEA
APAC
NAMER
EMEA
APAC
38% 41% 9%
28% 46% 14% 10%
25% 48% 14% 10%
9% 3%
3%
3%
Figure 13
16% 46% 14% 25%
21% 43% 13% 23%
14% 43% 16% 26%
Zone 1 - Passive
Zone 2 - Explorers
Zone 3 - Tiptoers
Zone 4 - Active
NAMER: North America
EMEA: Europe, Middle East and Africa
APAC: Asia Pacific
Career Zones by Region
Job-Seeking Behavior and Talent Strategy 12
