How to Target Passive Insurance Candidates in a Tight Labor Market

How to Target Passive Insurance Candidates in a Tight Labor Market

If you are an insurance industry employer, you understand that the labor market may be more unpredictable than ever. Post Covid, employers all over the country are experiencing ghosting, remote workers not wanting to return to the office, very few applications for skilled positions, and higher-than-normal internal turnover. It seems like no one wants to work anymore.

The "passive candidate" has been the golden ticket to any hiring woes for years. Passive candidates used to be individuals who were not actively looking for a job but might be interested in hearing about new opportunities. In today's world, passive candidates are also active candidates. This is happening because many companies are bringing their remote workers back to the office, and 64% of this group will not desire to do so (Manpower 2023 Workforce Trend Survey). This only helps you if you have remote jobs.

Recruiting passive candidates requires a different approach. Here are some thoughts on effectively recruiting and hiring passive candidates.

• The power of a job board resume database. GreatInsuranceJobs.com has been the insurance industry's #1 niche job board since 2001. We have a ton of resumes that employers can access that go back years. The great news is that even though most of the older resumes have changed jobs, the emails and cell numbers are typically accurate. Get a researcher to pull this group and take advantage of a powerful email marketing campaign for this group. You will see who opens your emails; it is a great way to start a conversation. The pushback on this is it is labor-intensive. In a tight marketplace, this is a fantastic strategy.

• The power of your Applicant Tracking System (ATS). You have been collecting insurance resumes for years. Like the job board, you can pull people from your system and present them with your company employment brand and current opportunities.  If you are looking for an actuary, contact all the actuaries who you have in your ATS from five years ago and reach out.

• Approach previous employees and rehire them. Past employees who left on good terms may be ready to return. In the post-Covid world, has your company changed the work schedule, salary ranges, remote/hybrid considerations, 4-day work weeks, better benefits, mental health days, or anything else that would help attract candidates? Past employees are finding out that the grass sometimes is less green than they thought. Rehires can make an immediate impact as well.

• Digital Marketing Strategy. This is a powerful way to get your employment brand and jobs in front of passive candidates. If you need to hire claims adjusters, you can focus paid digital advertising on actual claims adjusters using sites like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and, yes, TikTok. 

• Retirement looks a lot different now. A considerable workforce that still has viable workers is the over-60 age group. Many people in this group want to work and, with that, bring years of experience. To reach this group, target digital ads on sites like the AARP and Senior Living.  35% of the insurance industry is retiring in the next few years and there is a large percentage of these people who still want to work.

In conclusion, recruiting passive candidates requires a different approach than recruiting active candidates. By defining your ideal candidate, creating an attractive employment brand, and engaging them with authentic communication, you can successfully recruit and hire passive candidates who bring unique skills and experiences to your organization. I recommend hiring a freelance digital marketing specialist to help create and distribute your message to the target audiences. (GreatInsuranceJobs.com does have digital marketing products to help.)