3 Ways to Brand and Hire for Pennies

So you’ve worked hard and sculpted a company culture to be proud of.  Now you need to raise awareness about your culture and find some new recruits that suit your style. Getting the word out about your company culture and open positions doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does take some work.

How do you best get the word out about your open jobs and reach a targeted audience in volume? Here are the top three ways to create buzz around your culture and your job listings:

1. Social Media it Up!

Duh, right? Social media is the obvious answer. Well, let me tell you: Social media done wrong can cause some serious damage. It’s not enough to figure out how to send a tweet, it takes a lot more than that. Be honest with yourself, if you don’t know what you’re doing, do some actual research and find out how to run your social media accounts properly and successfully. There is a wealth of knowledge out there on the subject and chances are, you know a social media expert. Don’t be ashamed to ask questions. Yes, odds are that your 10-year-old nephew knows more about social media outlets than you do. Gaining followers, creating a presence and staying current are at the top of your list. There’s always a hot new app and you need to know about it. Twitter, LinkedIn and FourSquare…oh my!

Currently, an app called Vine has been sweeping the social media world. This app allows you to create and share short, looping videos. Setting up a Vine account for the office and sharing fun videos of your everyday interactions is just one of the dozens of ways to use social media to share your company culture. And it’s free!

You can also use any combination of sites to let people know what openings you have. But please, for the sake of everyone out there in internet land, make it interesting and fun. You should showcase your company culture while recruiting. People will respond better to an interactive, informative, and fun job listing.

2. Employer Branding

Yes, the recruiting world harps on employer branding, but it is such a key component in recruiting the best employees. A positive employer brand is always worth what you put into building it. A happy employee is the best recruiting tool you can have. When an employee is happy, they tell people about their job, they exude a positive image for your company. Naturally, people are going to line up for a job with a company that boasts happy employees.

A great employer brand doesn’t happen overnight, it takes a conscious effort and hard work, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. Most employees will trade off on monetary advances for other perks.

Being aware of these trade-offs to keep employees happy is the key to a great employer brand on a budget. Here are a few perks from a Cicso poll that are cheap or free to the company and very important to the employee.

• 1/3 of those interviewed prioritize social media freedom, device flexibility and mobility over salary.
• 3/5 believe they have the right to work remotely with a flexible schedule.
• 56 percent will not accept a job from a company that bans social media.

3. Employee Referrals

According to the 10^th annual CareerXroads source of hire report, nearly 65 percent of all openings are filled through internal movement or referrals. That’s a high percentage, and there are several reasons why inside referrals makeup so much of the workforce.

• Who knows better who will fit into the company culture than someone already in it?
• These candidates start off with a social presence or relationship.
• The person referring the candidate actually wants to work with this person. Half of your battle as a recruiter has been fought for you.
• A referral candidate is 54 times more likely to result in a hire than a candidate coming from a job board.
• Encouraging employee referrals is a fantastic way to reach the passive candidate.