Where have all the good ones gone?

As we continue to weave our way through the worst recession in years, one of the biggest challenges we face is how to help our clients find those elusive 'passive' candidates.
Despite the economic climate, there are companies and organisations that are recruiting and there are jobs that need filling, but understandably there are very few people who are currently working that want to risk moving jobs at the moment. That's a lot of people that are rarely looking on job boards and have no need to register their details with consultants; That's a lot of passive candidates.
Surprisingly one recent campaign we've run suggests that 'old school' methods are worth considering. Whilst the recruitment pages of newspapers have dramatically shrunk, they are often read by non-job hunters 'browsing' through their paper (unlike job boards). Add in a spot of editorial and perhaps a teaser in the ROP section and it becomes a viable option to reach that allusive passive audience.
It is exactly what we did recently for Whitbread in the Daily Mail (remember them?) and it does seem to have worked (apparently the conversion rate is around 25%).
Now clearly it doesn't signal the end of the remorseless advance of on-line as the primary attraction platform, but it does suggest that a little lateral thinking can work wonders in today's extraordinary market.

Mike Jefferies