How do you craft a personalized and compelling message to a passive tech candidate?

While reaching out to passive tech candidate, our approach needs to be different. My approach used to be first to deep dive into their online profiles like LinkedIn, GitHub, personal websites, etc know what kind of tech stacks, projects they have worked on, key contributions, courses/ certifications, understand their aspirations, personalise the messages to them including what I have for them, role, team and company details. When we customise the approach with human touch, by analysing their work and efforts it provides them a kick that we have done some research on them and approaching. I have seen a lot of positive turns when we personalise the messages.

My approach is to always understand their unique skills and aspirations. By researching their background (mainly through LinkedIn/GitHub), I can tailor messages that directly address their strengths and career goals which can significantly increase the chances of getting their attention. I want to demonstrate that my role is not just to tell them about a job. It is about connecting them with exciting opportunities that align with their talent and ambitions. Connecting with them on a personal, human level can most definitely set you apart and make you stand out in the sea of messages they are receiving daily.

Do your homework, friends. Real world example - I was reaching out to a tech executive at a startup. I researched him as deeply as I could. I found his portfolio, and dug all the way back to his university projects. I found a video of a project he did with real people, involving randomized social interactions. The participants would receive randomized social interactions as instructions on their phone ("scream", "jump up and down and wave your hands", "give them a hug", "smile as big as you can"). The result was terrifyingly creepy. This tech executive seemed like quite a strange character to me. Did that stop me from reaching out? Nope. Did I use this awesome info I found on him in my message? Absolutely.

Personalization can go a long way towards making a positive first impression and drawing initial interest from a candidate. One of the best ways that I have found to make a good first impression is to reference ideally the candidate's GitHub page or a similar project that shows where their passion and interests really lie. The worst thing you can do is send a generic "engineer" role to someone who is qualified for similar positions but has no experience either with the specific tech or the industry, and expect them to respond positively to outreach that is essentially a waste of time. Not only will that not lead to success, it will ultimately burn a bridge with a candidate who may be a better fit for a position down the line.

Compelling by defintion is something that evokes interest or attention. No person is the same which is why it is so important to understand the company you are hiring for. Everything leads with that - unforutnately, there will be people who find the role interesting and some that don't. The Art of Recruitment and messaging is to be able to clearly communicate to that individual. Another thing I have found helpful is writing the message how you speak. Too many times I see people get caught up on the same old "great opportunity" messages.

We need to create the personalised messages eye-catchy by providing relevant and specific information with the role approaching for. It should not sound spamming for them. Mention the company name in subject line and what we are offering this will create instant attention. I used to mention the companies which they worked for, the kind of projects, tech stacks, contributions along with the skills like---- "Hi X, Hope you are doing well. I am reaching out to you as I have gone through your resume and you have worked on A, B, C also have a decade experience on (skills). I could understand that you have been initial member of the team where you build such platforms from scratch thats quite interesting! & so on....

The subject line should be catchy so that they don't stop to open the whole message. Research their skills and mention the interesting things that the company is doing and how the team need their skills to help in doing that. Always mention the contact details in the end so that if they want they can get in touch with you over call or text.

We need to create compelling message by giving then a human and friendly touch. When we personalise the message, one of the key factor which I keep in mind is to compliment the candidates work, their contributions and efforts. Who does not like to get compliments!? This is one of the ways to create positive impressions by mentioning their work and compliment their efforts. Make clear call outs in the message, what stands out which creates relevancy with the role we are approaching. As a Recruiter, we need to create the connect, build rapport and trust from the beginning itself to make long lasting impressions. Avoid jargons, irrelevant or vague message which will distract the potential candidates and we might lose the opportunity.

One of the big kicks that I have gotten recently has been by adding the ?? emoji to my first name. It helps me immediately eliminate all of the spam/bots that reach out via LinkedIn messaging with opportunities for "Bill ??" or "Bill ?", and reading the "personal" messages about how impressed they are with my experience really just shows how hollow their praise is. By taking a beat to make sure that your message catches the candidate's attention while also making it clear it was written by a human and not a template sent to the masses, you make a significantly better first impression and get the ball rolling in a positive way.

In the modern market, generic messaging is a red flag for top talent. - Stay unique by adding a personal brand voice that is authentic to you and your communication style - add some casual wording to your messages, ask insightful questions that show you really care about who the candidates are as people, not just for filling an empty role. Such a people-centric attitude will instantly make you different from soulless, impersonal messages. Learn to blend a strategic personal brand with genuine interest - that's the ultimate magnet for top talent.

People are busy, and tech candidates, doubly so! They get dozens of messages from recruiters every day. If you want to catch their attention, be brief and clear. Let them know early why your offer is better than the others. Don't waste their time!

The candidates who are passive will engage when they can realize the mutual gain within a short time. Make sure that you don't leave out the details such as budgets, company cultures, and perk packages when writing about the jobs. This is the first step to building a relationship based on trust and respect for one's time.

Keep your message short and to the point. All necessary info about the role/ challenge in store for them, company info, location etc should be listed and more importantly give them one CTA, to pick a slot via calendly link, ask for their contact number, share updated resume etc.

Humans by their nature are curious people. No matter how passive a candidate may feel their status is, it is human nature to be curious and excited at a potential new opportunity to take the next step in your career. The antithesis to this sentiment, however, is a desire to do extra work without understanding why. Skill quizzes and assessments are a great way to determine a candidate's skills, but by asking for them to jump right into them you risk alienating a candidate before they are invested in the position fully. An ideal timeline would first ensure that the candidate's curiosity and interest level are sufficient enough that they are willing to commit time and effort to an assessment.

Spark the interest of passive tech talent among others by starting the message with a question customized to their profile and aspirations. For example, "How would you like to be a Senior Java Developer and work fully remotely with a highly innovative FinTech startup?" This method indicates that you identify with their experience and presents you with a tempting prospect. Through a combination of there and now and where you can be, you enter into a meaningful conversation, steering clear of clichés. By asking this strategic question right off the bat, you develop an instant rapport with candidates and become a recruiter who knows how to identify the actual drivers for qualified tech professionals.

Hi all, I agree that being generic can be off-putting. Sometimes, we overemphasize passive candidates, assuming they aren't interested because they haven't applied or added an 'open to networking' banner on LinkedIn. Instead of elaborate emails, being straightforward and personal is more effective. It's important to match the job to the candidate and show willingness to learn about their role and company for future assistance. Reaching out three times is effective, but trust is built through honesty, not flattery. Let's focus on genuine communication to build meaningful connections with candidates.

Don't be somebody's LinkedIn horror story. LinkedIn is littered with posts of hiring managers venting about being bombarded by agencies who are offering candidates that don't fit the job, the industry, or the company at all. A recent example I saw was an engineering manager at a chemical company posting about being inundated with messages from technology recruiters offering her software engineers. She was asking the community about the coding languages that the recruiter referenced in their message as she was unfamiliar with the terminology since she was recruiting for a completely different field. This industry is not for those who like to "move fast and break things", and prospecting at a mile a minute will do more harm than good.

A passive candidate is an oxymoron!! One has to dig the well before one is thirsty! -Passive candidates are those not actively seeking a new job, but they can quickly become active with minimal actions -There's a common misconception that passive candidates are more valuable than active ones, contradicting the reality that top candidates often receive multiple job offers by actively applying to various positions! -The perception that being passive is preferable for candidates is challenged; active self-marketing and striving to maximize one's worth are seen as positive traits. I would broaden the search as both passive and active candidates can offer significant value. Better late than never?

Como criar uma mensagem personalizada e atraente para um candidato passivo de tecnologia? Pergunte ao candidato/a se está aberto/a a novas oportunidades. E a partir dai, independente de ser passivo ou n?o, é importante personalizar o contato.