According to a March 2016 Gallup survey, US Employee Engagement, which is a measure of how many employees are enthusiastic during their day to day work, is at a record high! Great news, right? Well, that depends on how you look at it.
As it stands, at an all-time high, just 34.1% of US workers are actively engaged in their current roles.
If Gallup’s statistic is a true indicator, six out of ten bankers, while passive, are open to hearing about new opportunities. As you can imagine, this news is great for banks looking to beef up their staff. However, this information alone doesn’t guarantee an easier time picking up top talent. There is one critical component that must be present in every communication, and we find it is almost always absent these days in job postings and ads.
A Clear, Compelling Message
While this seems overly-simplistic at first glance, take a step back and really look at the opportunity that you’re presenting. Why would it make sense for a top employee to quit their job and come to work for your team? Expecting people to be familiar with and impressed by your brand name is no longer the motivating factor it used to be.
Through multiple conversations with candidates all over the US, we’ve found that, regardless of their internal motivations, most truly passive candidates will stay put unless they hear apassionate message that stirs them and calls them to action. These are not the people that are applying to every job that comes their way, these are the candidates that are already highly valued where they are.
Getting one of these passive candidates in the door for the first meeting is truly the most difficult part of the process. Once engaged, then you can discover if your opportunity can fix whatever pain they’re feeling in their current position.
So, even with an all-time high in US Employee Engagement, your passion for your opportunity is the clearest and most compelling way to motivate a passive candidate.