When it comes to recruiting, do you have a set routine?
Do you follow a certain template and then post out your job adverts to the same places?
If that works for you then great… but if your efforts are waning, perhaps it’s time to mix things up a bit?
You can save money, open up a diverse pool of candidates and simply find more suitable people if you target your job advert placements more carefully.
So where should you advertise your next opening?
Here are some places you might not have thought of.
1. Social Media.
Unpaid:
If you have a good profile on social media, it’s certainly worth setting up some kind of post and telling your followers that you’ve got a vacancy.
I would recommend making such a post quirky and fun, to get more interest. You could perhaps use a gif, video or meme to really boost interest.
If good enough, these adverts will get shared, engaged with and therefore potentially reach thousands (to millions) of people.
Paid:
You could also be using paid social media advertising to advertise jobs for a fraction of the price of traditional job boards.
A simple sponsored post on Facebook or Twitter can cost as little as £5.
Of course, you will have to keep an eye on this, as the more people who click or see the advert, the more it will cost (depending on how you set it up).
Click here for more information.
Boost your brand.
Fun and quirky job adverts will boost both your employer and general brand.
The boost in social media engagement will have a knock-on effect. You’ll get more followers, more engagements and more shares as a direct result – and more people will find out who you are.
If you want to read more about the nitty-gritty, check out these posts:
- 8 Key Benefits of Social Media Recruitment
- 11 Ways To Recruit Faster Using Twitter
- 8 Social Media Tools to Aid Your Recruitment Drive
2. Ask Your Team.
Sometimes you don’t need to advertise a job at all. Instead, try emailing your workforce.
Ask them if they know somebody who would be right for the job.
It’s common knowledge that employee referrals are the best hires and they tend to suit the corporate culture.
An existing employee won’t risk their own reputation by recommending a flake and it’s a system that works.
If you find that you’re not getting many referrals, then try offering a bonus!
It could be £50, or you can get even more creative and offer a holiday or extra paid leave – but it could save you some serious money (not having to pay anything to recruit…)
3. Local Press.
The issue with national job boards is that you could end up getting thousands of applications from hopeful candidates who just happen to be hundreds of miles away.
Yes, you can set up filters and even CV screening tools to separate out the local candidates.
But that’s a solution to a problem you’re creating.
For specialist jobs, you’ll inevitably have to go to the job boards.
But your local community is awash with people qualified for general roles and they might be commuting right now.
So, before you head to Indeed or Reed, why not try putting an advert in the local newspaper?
You can even go old-school for general jobs and put a notice up in the local supermarket or library.
It will cost relative pennies and you might be pleasantly surprised at the applicant pool.
OK, so this might not work every time… but it could certainly be worth a try.
4. Industry Blogs.
Real world experience in your industry is pretty much priceless. It means that candidates know the quirks of your business and you could save hundreds of hours explaining the basics.
So how do you find these mythical unicorns? It’s easy when you think about it.
Simply place your job advert on the leading industry-specific blogs.
The internet is hard to monetise and a lot of blogs struggle to make ends meet, despite outward appearances.
So if you make a direct approach and offer to pay for the advert, many will snap your arm off, even if they don’t have a job board per se.
Offer a firm amount, ideally less than it would cost you to advertise the position.
Then try to negotiate coverage on their social media channels as part of the deal. It costs them nothing, but it is great marketing for you.
It’s stating the obvious, but people that read about the industry in their free time are going to be more committed.
It’s a career choice for them, rather than a simple job.
5. LinkedIn
Too many recruiters have given up on LinkedIn after trying and failing to build a community.
Take the time to look again.
LinkedIn has raised its game and the pro Recruiter package can help you locate the right people and even build a pipeline of talent, of sorts.
However, it is a little pricey. So I wouldn’t recommend the investment, for just one role.
You still have to do the work with LinkedIn, but with a series of carefully chosen searches you can find the people you want to talk to long before you have a job opening.
The real benefit, especially in industries with skills shortages, is the ability to target passive candidates, those that aren’t necessarily looking for a job right now, but would be willing to consider your position, if the package was good enough.
6. Ask your customers.
Do you send physical products or even regular correspondence to your customers?
You could (and this is a bold move) ask them to work for you…
Obviously this is for B2C companies and not B2B – your clients will NOT take kindly to you poaching their employees.
But for B2C, your customers clearly believe in your product.
And those are the kind of people you want on your side.
IKEA proved that it works in Australia, converting thousands of flatpack furniture enthusiasts by placing a job advert in every box.
The result was 4285 applications and 280 hires.
The advertising costs were almost zero.
7. Your own reject pile.
Too many recruiters take the person they want for a job and then basically flush the rest of the CVs.
Don’t do that.
If a candidate has potential, then keep their details.
When you have an opening, you can simply email them and see if they are still looking for work.
It really is that simple and a candidate that narrowly missed out last time might be just who you need right now.
Bonus Tip: Competitions
As we mentioned in our blog last week, MI5 recruited new agents with cryptic puzzles that challenge the public to step up to the plate and make an effort.
Could you use something like this to your advantage?
It is a bit of wildcard approach because it throws your own standard selection process through a loop.
You’ll be confronted with potential candidates you might never have considered.
And the beauty of the competition is that you can put it anywhere apart from a traditional job board.
So, paid social media placement, industry blogs and your own company website are all great places to start.
Summary
Sometimes, it’s important to change your approach to recruitment.
If nothing else, just to see if there are different ways and means to attract better candidates.
Honestly, it’s likely that not every tactic we’ve mentioned above will work for you… but some of them could work absolute wonders and save you heaps of money, so it’s worth a try.
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