Passive Candidates are Better: Fact or Myth

Traditional “recruiting wisdom” portrays passive candidates as higher quality than active candidates.  Is this true?  Some might argue that passive candidates are resistant to change and thus, not entrepreneurially-minded.  Regardless of which side of the fence you reside, passive candidates are certainly more difficult to find than active candidates.

 3 Reasons to Pass on Passive Candidates:

• Higher recruiting costs:  Average retained/contingency search fee is 25-30% of the annual compensation.
• Longer hiring cycle: Sourcing passive candidates may take 3 months or more. 
• Higher salary: You lose negotiating power because you chased them.  Top candidates often command a “premium raise” of 20 – 30%.