Niche sites are good recruitment tools. Select your advertising source knowing the audience that you wish to address. Remember the passive audience as well, noting what content captures the attention of such prospects — those not actively looking for new jobs — and how your job posting can be viewed near that content. Know how to use job boards to serve you best.
Assessing an Advertising Source
- Ask yourself what audience the advertising source reaches.
- How will you target active and passive job seekers?
- How will the responses come to you? Can you set up a "search agent" that e-mails you résumés that match your job?
- How rich is the résumé database and how much does it cost for you to access that database?
- Can you call someone to get a report on how well your ad is being viewed?
- Is there a way to screen the responses to help you sort the applicants?
- What help can you receive in writing your ad?
- How long does the ad run?
- What enhancements can you buy to give your ad greater visibility?
- Can you change the ad without charge part way through its run?
- What testimonials can you read that speak to the success of the site?
Print publications can draw candidates as well. These are more costly. When you do advertise in print, ask for the associated online job board and buy the package of print and online. Newspapers, niche publications and associations are sources for advertising.
Recruiting firms, headhunters, placement agencies and some career centers are sources for recruiting. These all charge fees. You should ask about the cost of services. Firms such as these help when you:
- Are looking to hire top talent from competitors,
- Want to keep the hiring process confidential,
- Have exhausted job board and print advertising and need more investigation and digging to find the ideal hire, or
- Want to assess your internal employees against the outside market.
Firms charge in different ways:
- Contingent fees based on a percentage of the salary only when a candidate is hired, and
- Up-front fees paid for doing the search, plus expenses for travel to interview the candidates.
Regardless of the source you use to advertise, begin your recruiting effort by taking the time to write a compelling ad. It is your first "call" for qualified candidates.
Next: Why are so many job ads boring, and how can you make sure yours isn't?
