Free Hiring: The Secret Of A $0 Cost Per Hire

Let's be honest, recruitment can be expensive both in terms of time and money. But does it really have to be that way? Here we list some great free tools out there that recruiters can use to find and hire people for free. A cost per hire of $0 is not so far fetched as you imagine.

Free job boards……..are you using them?

There are loads of free job boards out there. Ok, so they may not quite have the coverage that some of the big players have but free is still free and if you make just the occasional hire from it then down goes your cost per hire!!! Here are just a few we've looked at:

http://www.jobmax.co.uk

http://www.executive-i.com

http://www.4jobsonline.com

http://www.jobvertise.com

http://www.jobspider.com (US only)

http://3wjobs.co.uk

www.staffbay.com

Do a Google search ‘free job board' and you'll be amazed at what you can find.

Use an applicant tracking system (a free one) to build your own talent pool.

Still using email to get cvs in? Oh dear. There are a few really good systems out there that can help you manage your hiring programs for you. The system does all the donkey work for you like bulk rejecting applications etc………all saving you precious time.

www.ikrut.com is a great example……..and it's completely free. Ok, so we're biased because it's ours but hundreds of companies use it for the very good reason that it does all the work for you. But the main reason for using an applicant tracking system is the ability for you to store cvs easily and retrieve them just as quickly. If you get cvs in now for a job and think they could be useful in the future, try not to log the cvs in email folders, filing cabinets or excel spreadsheets………that will only get you so far. A cv database will allow you to store unlimited cvs with a couple of clicks, search them by detailed criteria in seconds and send bulk emails with details of a role……..oh and this is all free if you're using a free applicant tracking system. It will also allow potentially interested jobseekers to log their cv with you for future roles by dropping their cv directly into your talent bank even if they can't see a role right now that they'd like to apply for. There's nothing for you to do but search it when you're next hiring, find suitable candidates and sign them up for without spending a dime.

Don't forget, the cvs that you get in are exactly the same as the cvs that agencies get, they just store them and retrieve them better than direct employers then charge you 20% for the privilege of sending you a cv that you received directly 12 months ago but failed to store correctly.

Social media - it's (mostly) free so use it

The buzz (some would call it hype) in recruitment these days is all about how social media is going to be the way all recruitment is done in the future. We don't buy that one bit. There's no way you can rely purely on social media for finding your staff, but if done properly it can get you in contact with passive candidates and thus must be a part of your resourcing strategy regardless of how big the organization or company is.

LinkedIn

If you personally don't have a LinkedIn profile it's a good idea to add yourself on and don't forget to post an entry on your profile if you're hiring. Similarly if your company/organization hasn't got a LinkedIn page, create one and post that the company is hiring. Also, make sure you join some of the groups set up. There's bound to be at least one that is in your field and post a help request on that…….'Can anyone suggest a good Web Developer…..etc'.

It just takes one referral or the right person to spot your entry and you could fill the job. LinkedIn is an absolute goldmine for finding good candidates so make sure you do a people search as well but ensure that you use the advanced search box because that allows you to narrow the location down to a much tighter area. So click on the advanced link next to the search box at the top and type in a job title into the Title box, then a rough location and see who appears. You can always add in some keywords as well if you get too many results.

Unfortunately you can only see the first 10 pages for free but you'd be amazed who's in your network. You can contact anyone who is either a direct connection or an indirect connection (i.e. you know someone who knows them) for free or better yet, get introduced to indirect connections by whoever is the link person between you and them.

Oh and don't forget……if you communicate with a good candidate for whatever reason and you want to keep a link with them for possible future hiring, ask to link to them on LinkedIn. So easy to do and gradually you can build a network of potential future hires and a source of referrals as well.

We've found LinkedIn to be a great source of candidates for roles we've recruited for our clients at a senior level but less so for more junior roles. Finally, make sure as many of your employees have profiles on LinkedIn. It's very easy for job seekers to work out who they are connected to at your company. The more of your employees are on LinkedIn, the more likely you are to source the widest possible amount of applicants. If jobseekers know people at your company, they are more likely to apply or at least ask for an introduction.

Read the remainder of the article at http://zodo.tumblr.com/ (there's still another 60% to go).

We have not been paid for any of the product recommendations we have made and our endorsement of them is based purely on our personal use or awareness of them. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided at the time of writing is accurate we don't warrant that it is. Please ensure you do your own research before purchasing or using any products or services that we recommend.