Recruiting Solutions Recruiting Solutions

June 2012

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Active Or Passive? A Closer Look at Job-Seeking

Behavior in North America

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Agenda

Overview

Key findings

Job-seeking behavior

– Active vs. passive

– By tenure

– By seniority level

Five solutions to help you engage passive talent

Additional resources

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Objectives

The objectives of this report are to provide a better understanding the job-seeking behavior of

professionals in the U.S. and Canada, including how active they are in seeking new employment,

and to provide recruiting leaders with clearer visibility into the market for top talent.

Data

The report summarizes the results of a survey conducted in Oct 2011 by LinkedIn’s Insights team.

Methodology

LinkedIn surveyed a representative sample of its members located in the US and Canada, who

categorized themselves as “fully employed” (not “self-employed”), and ranged in seniority from

individual contributors to managers, directors, and senior executives. 2,531 professionals

participated in the study.

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Overview

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Key findings

1. The vast majority of professionals are passive candidates. Only 19 percent of employed professionals are jobseekers; the remaining 81 percent are considered

passive talent. 42 percent are open to discussing a new position and 15 percent are not formally

looking, but reaching out to close associates regarding new jobs. 24 percent claim to be completely

happy in their roles, though the best recruiters may still convince them to explore other opportunities.

2. Traditional job boards only reach 19 percent of the viable candidate pool. 81 percent of fully employed professionals do not proactively visit legacy job boards.

3. The active pool skews toward more junior, less tenured professionals. Professionals who are aggressively or somewhat aggressively searching for jobs tend to have less

tenure (1-5 years on the job) and are at a more junior level.

4. Senior-level professionals are even less likely to be active job seekers. Only 13 percent of directors and executives are actively or semi-actively looking for a new position,

versus 18 percent of managers and 20 percent of individual contributors.

5. Companies must better align resources to target passive candidates. In order to reach the majority of the talent pool, companies must increase their emphasis on passive

candidates. This requires altogether different tools and strategies.

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Job-seeking status: active vs. passive

The active jobseeker pool is small. Only 19

percent of the fully employed are actively

looking for a new job (Aggressively or

Somewhat Looking).

The passive talent pool is four times the

size. 81 percent of the fully employed are

either Tiptoers, Explorers or Super Passives

Quality and quantity lies beyond the active

pool. Many companies are targeting the same

small active talent pool, through tools such as

legacy job boards. This limits their focus to

only 19 percent of fully employed talent

If you’re not targeting passive talent,

you’re missing out.

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Job-seeking status: by tenure

Job-seeking behavior is correlated with tenure. Lower-tenured (1-5 years)

professionals tend to be more active job seekers. After five years, voluntary turnover

drops dramatically. Turnover peaks at 2-3 years.

The active candidate pool has a higher than average turnover rate. Active

candidates tend to take jobs for economic reasons, leading to low job satisfaction and

higher voluntary turnover.

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Hiring mainly

from the active

candidate pool

can increase

employee

turnover and

lower your

overall talent

bar.

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Job-seeking status: by seniority level

Senior-level professionals are

even less likely to be active job

seekers. Only 13 percent of

director-or-above positions are

proactively seeking a new role,

versus 19 percent of managers and

21 percent of staff or individual

contributors.

There are fewer senior

management positions available

given the economic environment,

which does impact the job-seeking

rate of more senior individuals.

For senior-level hires, it is even

more critical to target the

passive talent pool.

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Director +

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LinkedIn Recruiter Engage the world’s best passive talent

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LinkedIn Jobs Network Get your opportunities in front of the right candidates – passive and active

LinkedIn Career Pages Showcase your employment brand to

targeted professionals on LinkedIn

Work With Us Ads Take advantage of traffic to

your employees’ profiles

Recruitment Media Share your message with the

professionals you care most about

Five LinkedIn solutions to engage

passive candidates

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Additional resources

1. Visit our passive candidate recruiting best practices center at

http://talent.linkedin.com/passivetalent

– Tip sheets, infographics, interviews with top recruiters and more

2. Subscribe to our blog: http://talent.linkedin.com/blog

3. Follow us on Twitter: @HireOnLinkedIn

4. Explore the world of LinkedIn Recruiting Solutions at

http://talent.linkedin.com