5 Ways to Attract Job Seekers Beyond Job Boards

Hiring is one of the most daunting tasks that many small business owners face. As we all know, finding great employees in the labor market can be very difficult.

If you run or recruit for a small business, you’ve likely posted an online job advertisement at some point to help you fill a position. Job boards can certainly be an effective way to hire, but sometimes they seem to send nothing but bad fits and unqualified applicants your way – even if you’ve written perfect job description. 

In such situations it is necessary to seek alternative means to reach untapped job seekers.

There are plenty of creative ways to reach a more diverse pool of potential candidates. In this article, I will take you through five such ways to recruit outside of using a job board:

1. Tap Into Social Networks

There are plenty of ways to make Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Snapchat work for you.

If your company has accounts on any of these social networks, make sure you post about the positions you are hiring for. Ask current employees to share the posts to their networks as well.

The great thing about social media is that your employees, friends, and other members of your network can act as a referral network. If any of them know someone who might be a good fit for the position, they can share your post with that person!

It’s beyond the scope of this article, but I also recommend experimenting with paid advertising on these networks. You can target specific people based on location and other demographic information. This helps you get your position in front of passive candidates who are not actively searching for jobs online but willing to leave their current positions.

2. Advertise on Your Website

In addition to using your own social networks to advertise your open positions, you should also be using your company website.

If someone is visiting your site, they are likely already interested in your business, so this is a great opportunity to sell them on the idea of working for you. Even if the visitor is not the right fit, you can try offering incentives for them to share the position with their network. For example, if you a run a restaurant, you could offer a discount to any visitor whose referral leads to an interview or hire.

Advertising open roles on your website is a great way to leverage the traffic your business already attracts. Plus, you have complete creative control over any content on your company website, which means you can add pictures, videos, and any other media or information that will help you show off your business.

3. Physical Ads

Physical ads, like putting a sign in your storefront or placing flyers around town, can be an inexpensive way to attract talent. If you have the budget, bus ads and billboards are also an option. Big technology companies use both techniques to drive more interest to their open jobs. A physical ad is a great way to catch people on their commutes or when they are out running errands.

4. Incentivize Employee Referrals

Employee referrals are a great way to find new hires, but your employees may need a little incentive to participate. Try offering a cash bonus for referrals that lead to an interview or hire.

On average, employee referrals lead to better employees who can be hired faster and who last longer at the company. It is definitely worth rewarding your employees in exchange for good recommendations.

5. Leverage Existing College and Alumni Networks

If you are open to hiring students or new graduates, contacting career services departments or alumni networks at local colleges is a fantastic way to spread the word quickly about your open jobs. It’s as simple as reaching out to a local school. Tell them about the position you are hiring for and ask if they can spread the word in an email, on their website, or via a flyer on campus. This is an extremely low-cost and effective way to tap into a new pool of job seekers.

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There’s no denying that job boards are a fantastic resource for hiring, but they can’t be the only tool in your hiring tool belt. Just like financial planning, your hiring plan needs to consist of a diverse set of resources.

In this article, I gave you a few different ideas that you can try, but there are other creative recruitment strategies out there, too. Sometimes you just need to step a little outside the box to reach the right people.

 Will Zimmerman is a content marketer for Proven.