One thing entrepreneurs never seem to have enough of is money. The other is time. The average U.S. company invests $4,000 and 24 days to hire a new employee. So whether you’re looking for your first employee or adding a dozen highly-specialized professionals, recruiting is both a time suck and a money drain.
When it comes to hiring, the old adage “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” still rings true. Hubspot reports that 85% of jobs are filled through networking. So ask for personal referrals, share your social media posts, and tell friends, family and professional colleagues about open positions – you never know who they know. However, don’t be limited by your personal network. Embrace technology to amplify your hiring efforts beyond your wildest face-to-face dreams.
Free technology options for recruiting include posting positions on job boards like Indeed or Glassdoor, but the competition is stiff. Glassdoor says over one million companies use their site to post jobs and Indeed says over 500,000 jobs are added each week, in the United States alone. So your company may need to use paid products to stand out and get noticed.
Perhaps the most effective free option is to advertise on social media. According to research by the Open University, 79% of job seekers are likely to use social media for their search, and the number increases to 86% for younger job seekers.
But if you are willing to invest money in recruitment, a good bet is to meet your potential new hires where they live – on their phones. Recruitment apps can help discover, vet, and connect with job candidates on the go. Here’s a few options:
Workable
With Workable’s intuitive templates, you can post a job opening in minutes and relax while the software cross-posts your submission to over 200 free and paid online job boards. Then use Workable’s dashboard to track applicants’ progress through your recruitment funnel. The app is available free to all Workable users whether you’re on a paid plan or the 15-day free trial. To sign up for a free trial go to www.workable.com. Workable subscriptions start at $99/month.
Handshake
Recent college graduates have up-to-date skills, are comfortable with technology, and require lower salaries. But they aren’t as easy to connect with as you might think. Although start-ups offer exciting job opportunities, students may overlook them at the typical campus job fair dominated by large and medium sized companies. Handshake levels the playing field, virtually connecting students and employers based on keyword searches – not size. You can even use it to advertise part-time employment or internships, a good option for startups.
PosterMyWall
Social media is a great way to connect with job candidates and thanks to PosterMyWall, you don’t have to have deep pockets or be a graphic designer to create dynamic posts “we’re hiring” ads in-house. PosterMyWall offers over 200,000 free social media templates for Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Pinterest – all designed by professionals and customized by you.
Techadox
Technology is the heart of many startups – creating a website, an online store, an app and making sure everything is properly networked. Techadox fills the void when you need IT help but can’t yet afford a full-time “IT guy.” It’s like TaskRabbit for IT – highly skilled IT professionals working the gig economy.
LinkedIn Recruiter
For the sheer size of the candidate pool, you can’t beat LinkedIn. LinkedIn Recruiter allows you to filter searches and send in-mails to potential candidates. The Recruiter app delivers updates directly to your phone but it’s pricey. $119.95 per month, or $1,199.40 annually.
Finding the right people to hire isn’t easy—but with the many technology tools available will make the process far more efficient and effective.
