When you’re hiring, it’s common to turn to the same old places to find and recruit talent. While this approach has likely landed you some pretty amazing people in the past, it’s also beneficial to move outside of your comfort zone. By experimenting with different online, offline and in-person recruitment channels, you may discover that you can fill your talent roster faster, and with even more qualified people. Here are a few channels to consider before setting out on your next recruitment mission.
1. Your own organization
If you can fill a position with qualified talent that you already have on staff, that’s typically a win. Vacant positions take a significant amount of time and money to fill, so it’s in your best interest to look internally first. Plus, by offering existing employees exciting opportunities to grow and move up in the company, you’re also helping to drive retention — which, let's be honest, requires a pretty robust strategy of its own.
2. Boomerang employees
Akin to our first recommendation, former employees who left on good terms can make great candidates. These “boomerang employees” already understand your culture and operations, which can significantly reduce onboarding time. If they’ve gained new skills or experiences since leaving, they may return even more valuable than before. Stay in touch with past team members — you never know who might be open to returning.
3. LinkedIn Sales Navigator
LinkedIn offers a wide range of tools specifically designed for recruitment, such as LinkedIn Recruiter. That said, is your sales team already using LinkedIn Sales Navigator? Consider repurposing it for your needs! Sales Navigator is a tool designed to help sales (not HR) professionals identify and build relationships with prospects, but its robust search filtering and deep insights into professional networks make it a powerful, out-of-the-box tool for sourcing talent too. We highly recommend repurposing its capabilities to uncover candidates in a less conventional, but highly effective way.
4. Social media
While this might feel obvious, social media is still worth mentioning as a viable recruitment channel. If you have a strong social media presence, consider posting information about job openings across your most active accounts, whether that’s LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X or another network. However, don’t post for the sake of posting. If you don’t have many followers or haven’t posted anything in years, you may want to put your efforts elsewhere. If you’re not giving these channels much attention, chances are that prospects aren’t either.
5. Job sites
Candidates today are drawn to job sites that simplify the process by matching them with opportunities based on a simple search query. By taking advantage of job sites like Monster, Indeed, Google for Jobs, CareerBuilder, Glassdoor, LinkedIn and more, you can gain instant access to a large pool of interested prospects. Just be prepared to weed through a lot of resumes — some applicants won’t be a good fit, but plenty will.
Pro Tip: Ask your HR technology provider if they offer job board integrations. This can make it quicker and easier for you to post open roles on sites like LinkedIn and bring applicants into the system for evaluation and onboarding.
6. Niche job sites
Job sites that cater to specific industries are popping up left and right. Ask others in your industry for recommendations or do a quick Google search and see what’s available in your vertical. Here are a few we’ve heard good things about: SalesJobs for sales, Dice for tech, Idealist for nonprofits and GoodFoodJobs for foodservice.
7. Schools
Whether you’re hiring for entry-level roles or looking to build a long-term talent pipeline, schools can be an excellent recruitment channel. Trade schools are ideal for sourcing specialized job-ready talent in fields like healthcare, construction, manufacturing and technology. Universities and colleges offer access to interns and recent grads with fresh perspectives and a hunger to learn. Many institutions also host job boards and career fairs you can tap into at little to no cost.
8. Clients and partners
If you use an email automation tool to communicate with your clients and partners, consider sharing information about a job opening or asking for referrals. That said, you know your clients and partners best, so evaluate if this is an appropriate ask or not. Depending on the tool you use to send emails, you may even be able to easily segment who you want to receive (or not receive) your communications. This way, you can exclude certain recipients or tailor your message to a particular audience. You can also take a more personal approach and call a few strategic contacts to ask if they know someone who might be a good fit. People often appreciate being asked, as it signals that you value their insight and trust their network.
9. Your website
Post your openings on your website, as it’s always a good idea to use your site (or a job portal with your branding) as the main “hub” for your job openings. This way, regardless of the outside channels you promote openings across, you’ll always drive candidates back to a location and experience you control.
10. Third-party websites and channels
In addition to leveraging your website, promote your job opportunities through partners' websites, social channels, newsletters, email blasts and more. Partners can include professional organizations you're involved with or trusted vendors. Also consider other free or paid options like university job boards, school alumni sites, industry forums, professional association sites or online trade publications.
11. Job fairs
Contrary to popular belief, job fairs are still a thing. In fact, they are an excellent way to access a large pool of diverse candidates. While exhibiting at a job expo, or even a university-hosted fair, requires more time than digital alternatives, these events are a great way to meet face to face with prospects. By taking advantage of in-person meetings, you can better assess candidate fit, ask valuable questions typically reserved for interviews and get a feel for the local talent pool available.
12. Staffing agencies
If you don’t want to deal with finding and recruiting new talent on your own, you can hire a staffing firm to help. However, be prepared to pay. Depending on the agency, they typically charge a flat fee or take a percentage of what the new hire will make. Executive or niche placements typically command higher fees than entry-level, so consider your need and how difficult it is to find qualified talent when thinking about an outsourcing option like this.
13. Advertisements
If your recruitment efforts need a little boost, consider a paid ad. Again, focus on the media channels that your ideal candidates engage with. For example, if you’re on the hunt for a tech-savvy millennial, you should forgo newspaper or radio, and instead focus on digital ads, such as a sponsored Instagram or LinkedIn post.
14. Referrals
Before you go to all ends of the earth to find your next best hire, turn to your trusted connections for referrals. If you respect someone as a professional, chances are they have other valuable and qualified people in their arsenal. Talk with current and past employees, vendors, clients and partners (as mentioned earlier), friends and other business connections about people they’d recommend. Plus, referrals are often a great way to unlock talent that’s not actively looking for a career change, but is the perfect fit.
It's all about fit
Knowing where to share information about open positions at your company isn’t always as cut and dry as it may seem. Since finding and recruiting candidates takes effort, you need to be strategic about how many and which channels you use. Consider all avenues, but prioritize the sources that align with the behaviors and demographics of your “ideal” candidate. And remember, take your time. You want to find a new hire who's a good fit — otherwise, you'll be back on the hunt before you know it.
For more tips on recruiting, check out our blog: Four External Recruiting Strategies to Find Top Talent.
