Recruiting Inertia

Newton’s first law of physics informs us that a body at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by an external force.

New research on the behaviors of recruiting prospects tells us something similar:

Most workers do not anticipate changing positions/companies in the next year.

59% of individuals plan to stay in their current role indefinitely.

27% of individuals plan to stay in their current role 6 – 12 months.

14% of individuals plan on leaving their current role in less than 6 months.

While this research was not uniquely focused on the real estate industry, it tells us something about how humans look at employment—86% are “at rest.”

There are two takeaways for hiring managers and recruiters:

1. Recruiting prospects move when they’re “acted upon by an external force.”  You’re the external force.

2. It takes time and nurturing to get recruiting prospects moving. If you view the recruiting process with a 6 to 12-month window in mind, you’ll increase your prospect pool by nearly 200%.

Like the laws of physics, the laws of recruiting can’t be ignored.