Active Talent vs Passive Talent — What’s the Difference?

As an organization, you seek to hire the best available talent, but how do you define what ‘available’ talent is? Active Talent or candidates that are actively looking for new employment opportunities will come to you and can thus be reached very easily — but they make up less than 30% of the total talent. 

What is Passive Talent?

The larger chunk of the workforce (almost 75% of it!) who are already employed and not actively looking for a new job make up the passive talent pool. But just because they are not seeking a job at the moment does not mean they would not be open to taking up a new opportunity should it present itself.

Candidates might be categorized as passive for several reasons. For example, some candidates are preparing to move from their current role but are not yet actively applying. Other candidates may not be thinking about a new job, but would still be open to a new opportunity if it was compelling enough. 

Why should you focus on Passive Talent?

The best candidates are usually in high demand. Even if they are actively job-hunting, they do not usually remain in the active talent pool for a long time.  With multiple competing offers, it is often just a matter of days before they slip back into the passive talent pool. 

If you are seeking the best candidate for the job, then you must either catch the candidate during their brief active window or seek them out in the passive talent pool. Cogent Staffing offers a range of flexible solutions to help you find and recruit the perfect candidate for your requirements.