A new fiscal year is starting which means you might be suffering from a case of the “Budget Allocation Blues.” Fortunately, this isn’t a terminal diagnosis, actually it can be looked at as a new beginning or as the eternal optimist says, “It’s still possible to be a cockeyed optimist these days – you just have to be a little more cockeyed.” ~Robert Brault

There are ways to effectively recruit on a slimmer budget, here are a few options:

1. Outsourcing: Fewer people to do required tasks is a common problem facing HR department’s today. Outsourcing to a reputable recruitment agency is a great option. These agencies can handle all your ad placement, ad writing, market research, job postings, contracts negotiations, job fairs etc.. Make sure the chosen agency doesn’t have a laundry list of “extra” fee’s. There are a few agency’s that do not have additional fee’s and in this challenging economic environment, deals can be made to sweeten the relationship. The agency will free-up time for other HR duties without increasing the bottom line.

2. Social Networking: Using sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook provide a great way for recruiters to get in touch with prospective employees, former workers and others who might assist in finding quality applicants. Companies can use these sites for free and if set-up effectively, social media can be a great tool in the recruiting arsenal.

3. Job Board Aggregators: Placing your recruitment ads on sites like Indeed.com, Simplyhired.com will garner good results and they’re free.

4. Posting Jobs on Discussion Boards: This tool is primarily used with LinkedIn. You can post job openings for free within discussion groups. The group is already targeted towards your industry, if someone likes what they see, they can either apply or forward to a friend. Once again the power of networking is utilized.

5. Referral Program – A great motivator for employee recommendations; typically a company will offer a monetary reward or industry goods as the incentive. On average a solid referral program will fill 30% of positions. Requests for referrals should be specific with mandatory qualifications slated toward the qualifications of the above average. This will help filter applicants and prevents employees from referring unqualified people.

As company’s adjust to smaller budgets, the above mentioned options can help now and in more affluent times. Solid, cost-effective recruiting methods never go out of style.

Ad Club, a leader in social recruiting and traditional recruitment advertising since 1987. Please contact Rick with questions or for business inquiries: rwalsh@adclub.com