When it comes to those in leadership positions within mid to large size companies, human resource specialists can not be too careful.
The leadership and supervisory roles in these size companies can affect the entire company culture and level of success over time.
This is why recruiters will spend much time and attention to attracting just the right candidate.
In some cases that even means attempting to lure an individual who is already well established and settled into that same position with another company.
This type of candidate is called a "passive" candidate.
They are not looking for the position you are offering, but you are looking for their particular skill set, reputation and experience level that has helped other companies succeed.
The opposite of a passive candidate would be the "active" candidate who is actively seeking a job.
Pursuing active or passive candidates takes totally different approaches, and can sometimes have totally different outcomes.
Recruiting active candidates is what most people usually think of when they think of hiring someone.
You have an individual looking for a position and they are attempting to market themselves to you.
They are attempting to convince you of why you should hire them.
Active candidates are easier to come by, however, depending on the type of role you are hoping to fill, hiring an active candidate can feel like a gamble.
Usually these candidates are seeking work for a reason, they are unemployed for a reason, either through lack of experience or through difficulties at their last place of employment.
Recruiting a passive candidate is more appealing from a role fulfillment perspective, but far more difficult from a practical perspective.
A candidate who is already established in a company, who can be seen to be effectively helping that company succeed is appealing, because that is what you want for your company as well.
However, the roles are reversed when it comes to recruiting a passive candidate.
Instead of the candidate trying to market themselves to you, you now must market your company and the position you want to fill to the candidate.
Essential human resource specialists and job recruiters will have to make the compensation, benefits package, expense funds, retirement and investment options more attractive than anything the candidate is currently receiving.
If the recruitment would require relocation, you may even need to make the offer appealing to the spouse or partner of the candidate too.
Changing jobs is a big deal, especially for someone who is already successfully settled.
However, the benefits that can be reaped by your company when you can land a great passive candidate are boundless.
There is very little gamble for you because you can already see what this individual will bring to you.