The short answer
Talk to employees and candidates who dropped out. Ask about mandate, project type, and commute. Small patterns give direction. They are not proof about the whole market.
Bring your role, region and essential criteria. In 30 minutes, we explore how to reach technical people who are not actively looking and which approach could fit your vacancy.
Start with work context and reasons for moving
A candidate persona that starts with "male, 35–45, technical background" solves nothing. Demographic characteristics are no substitute for asking about the work, preferences and reasons for moving.
Does the candidate have real decision-making authority on a project, or does someone else always sign off? Does she drive 80 kilometres a day for a client she never meets? Those questions reveal motives. Demographic filters don't.
Talk to people who are already there
A useful starting point for conversations: your own employees and candidates who dropped out during the process. Not as an HR questionnaire, but as an informal conversation. Voluntary, short, no pressure.
Ask permission and explain how you will use the information. Write down what someone says before you reinterpret it. A small first group may reveal exploratory signals, but may not show a stable pattern. That is not proof about the whole market. It is a direction.
Themes that really move technical professionals
Recurring themes emerge from these conversations:
- Mandate and responsibility: does the candidate actually have a say?
- Project type: new build, renovation, or infrastructure?
- Commute and location: where does the work actually happen?
- Salary and career path: what is realistic over the medium term?
- Working relationships: with clients, contractors, or their own team?
A BIM coordinator aiming for BIM manager faces different obstacles than a planning engineer tired of projects with poor documentation. Write the themes down. Separate what you assumed from what you actually heard.
Fictional example for illustration: suppose three out of four conversations centre on a lack of authority. That is a signal, not a market fact.
Turning insights into job ads and intake conversations
Translate the patterns into your job ad and intake conversation. Spell out what authority the role carries, what project types the candidate will encounter, and what a realistic career path looks like.
Then test: do the right people apply? Do they drop out during intake for reasons you recognise from your patterns? Adjust accordingly. A persona is not a finished product. It is a working tool you keep refining.
How Red Rocket uses this
Red Rocket combines your organisational context with recruitment campaigns and a first AI introduction via WhatsApp. Candidates can explain what drives them. The conversation format does not guarantee more complete or candid answers. Those insights appear in Cockpit, where you can review them. The recruiter decides what to do next.
A well-built persona strengthens the campaign. The campaign sharpens the persona.
Want to apply this to a vacancy you have open? Book a conversation about your role.
Further reading: CIPD Recruitment Factsheet (general HR methodology; not specific to Dutch employment law).
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a candidate persona and a job profile?
A job profile describes what the role requires. A candidate persona describes who finds that role attractive and why. They complement each other; neither replaces the other.
How many conversations do I need for useful patterns?
No fixed number guarantees useful or representative patterns. Start by exploring different work contexts, record contrary answers too, and test assumptions in subsequent conversations. A small group does not describe the whole labour market.
How does privacy work when contacting candidates who dropped out?
Consent is one possible legal basis, not the only one. Always explain why you are making contact and how you will use the information. Don't store personal data you don't need.
