Why Laser-Focused Inbound Is Key For Attracting Top Talent in 2025

Hi Recruiters and TA leaders,

There’s a new paradox in town.

TA pros are being asked to not just perform but excel in an increasingly daunting landscape. Applications have skyrocketed; job growth has slowed, and the demand for top talent is insatiable.

My recent newsletter touched on how the current increase in applications—fueled by disruptions like AI—far exceeds hiring needs, perpetuating a fiercely competitive employers’ market. But, with such an overwhelming influx, how many skilled job seekers are lost in the shuffle?

The question is: How can hiring teams effectively pinpoint the right talent amid an ever-growing sea of possibilities?

Until the job market experiences significant expansion, hiring precision will be critical. Talent acquisition teams must develop a targeted approach to identify, engage, and attract top talent—particularly those currently employed and passively exploring new opportunities. The stakes are high: A recent Workday Global Workforce Report revealed that 75% of industries are seeing an increase in high-potential voluntary turnover. It’s officially poaching season.

The Case for a Strategic Inbound Hiring Motion

In a world where applications have surged by 31% year-over-year, hiring teams must evolve from simply managing high volumes of candidates to creating a strategic inbound recruitment funnel that focuses on attracting and nurturing top-quality talent. This means avoiding the temptation to “spray and pray” your job posts and support your funnel with no other intentional action (AKA what far too many employers think is ‘recruiting’).

This requires a deliberate effort to engage candidates at every stage of their journey while ensuring that your processes are designed to identify not just technical qualifications but also the human qualities that make someone a perfect fit.

A strong inbound hiring motion doesn’t just open the floodgates—it builds a bridge for the right candidates to cross. It’s about creating a compelling, personalized candidate experience that resonates with top performers and sets your organization apart from the noise. When done right, this approach enables you to discern not only who meets the job’s requirements but also who has the potential to excel within your unique organizational culture.

Targeting with Precision: Moving Beyond the Basics

To create a truly sophisticated inbound hiring motion, hiring teams must add a layer of refinement to their qualification process—one that goes beyond what AI and automation can analyze. While technology is invaluable for parsing applications and surfacing keyword matches, true precision comes from identifying human qualities that signal a candidate's potential for success in your specific context.

Here are a few key qualifiers to look for, on top of what your tech stack is managing:

• Adaptability and Resilience Candidates who thrive are those who can embrace change, overcome setbacks, and stay motivated. Look for stories in their experience that showcase how they’ve navigated challenges or taken on new roles outside their comfort zones.
• Big-Picture Thinking Top performers are often those who don’t just execute—they think beyond their immediate tasks. During interviews, probe for examples of how candidates have contributed to organizational strategy or solved problems that extend beyond their job description.
• Cultural Alignment and Value Add A strong technical skill set is important, but someone who complements and enhances your company culture is invaluable. Assess how their personal values align with your organization’s mission and whether they bring a fresh perspective that could enrich your team dynamic.
• Initiative and Drive Does the candidate have a track record of seeking out growth opportunities? Look for evidence of self-driven learning, side projects, or leadership in prior roles. High performers rarely wait to be told what to do.
• Emotional Intelligence Do yourself a favor and bring EQ up a notch in your qualification set. Because most orgs won’t, learning to identify empathetic candidates is automatically a strategic advantage. Behavioral interview questions and scenario-based exercises can be especially revealing here.
• Curiosity and Learning Agility A candidate’s willingness to learn and adapt is often a better predictor of long-term success than their existing knowledge. Ask questions that explore how they’ve tackled unfamiliar situations or how they approach acquiring new skills.

A few other strategies to consider or take off the back-burner in 2025:

1. Be Real Clear About Who You’re Looking For

Partner with HR, hiring managers, and key business unit executives to create a detailed candidate persona. This archetype should reflect not just the technical skills required for the role but also the soft skills, values, and characteristics that align with your organization’s goals and culture.

2. Enlist Current Employees

Referrals will always be a recruiter’s best friend, but many orgs struggle to maximize their potential. Your existing team understands the culture, work environment, and required skills better than anyone. Encourage referrals by offering rewards and recognition for helping to bring in great talent.

3. Understand That High Performers Are Most Interested in ‘WIIFM’

Your employer brand is important, but top performers want specifics about ‘what’s in it for me’. Craft an employee value proposition that is actually unique to your company and its goals, highlighting both monetary and non-monetary benefits, such as growth opportunities, flexibility, and a collaborative culture.

Ask thoughtful questions to uncover what these candidates truly value, like:

• What’s missing in your current role?
• What motivates you to do your best work?
• Where do you see yourself in 3–5 years?

These insights can help tailor your outreach and EVP to resonate on a personal level.

Quality Over Quantity

The most desired candidates have more leverage than ever before. Finding these individuals, engaging them, and bringing them to the table is where strategic contribution to TA begins.

The answer is to shift the focus from managing (surviving) high application volumes to crafting a targeted, inbound hiring strategy that emphasizes precision, personalization, and engagement. Build the systems, foster the relationships, and stay curious.?

I’m reminded of the famous “Field of Dreams” quote, “If you build it, they will come.”??

The truth is that top talent won’t be willing to walk through any door. You need to build the door that they want to walk through.

What else is happening in hiring?

• Rethinking Recruitment: Lessons From a Fortune 50 Giant
• Is Trust The Missing Ingredient to Hiring and Retention in 2025?
• Less Than Half of Applicants Meet Job Criteria

Dan’s Corner

Have you ever leaned into the inbound strategy, only to find yourself buried in outdated resumes and stale candidate data? It’s frustrating, right? The good news is, your next high performer might already be in your ATS—you just need a way to refresh that data and uncover their full potential.

With hireEZ Rediscovery, we’ll update candidate profiles in real time, turning old resumes into actionable insights. Join me on February 4th at 12 p.m. CST for our Unlocking Hidden Talent Through Rediscovery webinar to learn how rediscovery can save you time, sharpen your strategy, and help you uncover the hidden gems already in your pipeline.