How do you find good employees? Always a challenge. Most employers find that employee referrals are often the best source for qualified candidates. Some even offer a small employee incentive for referrals that are hired and stay with the firm for 3 months or more. This is great if you don’t have a full time human resources department or limited management time for interviews, or if you need special skills, really quick.
Here are some other avenues you can try. Your industry trade association may have an online job board or an email newsletter where you can post your job opening, for little or no cost. This ensures that you get the best qualified people, without having to sift through tons of irrelevant resumes. You may even be able to post the job listing anonymously.
Depending on the nature of the job, you may also find Craig’s List (www.craigslist.com) to be a great resource, especially for entry level jobs or to attract a younger workforce, or even for temp positions. Certainly you can also place a help wanted ad in your local newspaper or community weekly, for a small fee, which is usually much less than the major daily papers.
There are many online job boards, like www.monster.com, www.hotjobs.com, www.dice.com (for tech jobs), www.hirestrategy.com, www.asae.org and www.idealist.com (for association or non-profit jobs). There is usually a nominal fee for posting jobs to these websites. You can also add a careers or jobs section to your website.
The trick about hiring is starting with the right job description. Be specific about the skills you are looking for. Don’t put all your wish list items in there. If you have budget constraints, put the salary in the ad. It will save a lot of guesswork and allow candidates to self select. You will negotiate salary based on skillsets.
