25 Great Ways to Find the Right People and Not Break the Bank

Are you trying to hire dozens of hourly workers or a senior executive? Where do you look and how do you get the word out? There are many ways to find the right people besides placing want ads.

Here are 30 innovative and inexpensive ways to expand the pool of potential applicants. Pick and choose the ones that "fit" your company and your budget.

  • Place ads on TV and radio, in the movie theater, at bus stations and airports, etc.
  • Register to list your open positions with your state and local employment service.
  • Recruit a more diverse workforce by setting up booths at minority fairs and events.
  • Maximize employee referrals through a well-publicized bonus and reward program.
  • Work with the chamber of commerce to post positions and inform you of new arrivals.
  • Hire and train entry-level workers through "Welfare-to-Work" and other federal programs.
  • Track applicants who went to another company and re-contact with them at periodic intervals.
  • Search out and woo non-traditionals ? men, minorities, retirees, ex-military, career changers, etc.
  • Tell everyone you know ? accountants, bankers, clergy, boards, even hairdressers ?about openings.
  • Use internet employment sites such as monster.com, myjob.com, etc. Post positions on your own website.
  • Stop in at community centers, churches, etc. - introduce yourself - and say, "I'm looking for workers."
  • Start a speaker's bureau and speak at church job clubs, high schools, college campuses, military bases, etc.
  • Begin internships or apprenticeships for high school and college students to introduce them to your company.
  • Cultivate relationships with community organizations such as churches and clubs and ask them to refer promising applicants.
  • Ask your best people to give you the names of three other first class people they know who might be persuaded to come on board.
  • Contact career transition firms, relocation companies, real estate agents that come in contact with spouses looking for positions.
  • Create a first-name relationship with state welfare and job service officials so that they will remember to refer job seekers to you.
  • Network at trade shows, work the crowd to identify possible candidates, and then maintain contact with the best until an opening comes up.
  • Track local companies' announcements of layoffs, relocations out of the area, mergers or shutdowns. Work with the company to set up a recruiting fair.
  • Place recruitment ads at civic, church events, fire departments, high school sporting events, senior citizen centers, shopping malls, Rotary, Kiwanis, etc.
  • Ask new hires which people they would recruit from their former companies and colleges, because talented people tend to recognize other talented people.
  • List open positions on job hot lines and websites of professional associations as well as with outplacement firms who counsel a variety of job seekers.
  • Stop limiting your recruiting to "the best" universities and big company candidates. Many of the best hires can be found at state colleges and at smaller organizations.
  • Ask current successful employees what they do in their leisure time. If you find that many of them have similar interests outside work, set up a booth at those events.
  • Train managers to capture the names and email addresses of impressive people they meet at conferences. Over time, create a talent database and send them a regular email newsletter.
  • Marcia Zidle, the 'people smarts' coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job ? to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management.

    Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com and get the bonus report "61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers". Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks ? resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs ? fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.


    Policy & Procedure Manuals - Tools For Greater Productivity and Efficiency

    In today's tough retail environment the retailer needs all the... Read More

    Unlock the Hidden Creativity of Your Employees

    To release creativity in employees, managers must get involved in... Read More

    You Cant Afford the Luxury of Disengaged Employees

    In today's business environment with increases in staff reductions and... Read More

    10 Critical Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Consultant

    Talk to as many consultants as you can before hiring... Read More

    10 Fool Proof Ways To Intensify Your Profits

    1. Create benefit intensifiers for your list of ad copy... Read More

    10 Fundamentals for Effective Meeting

    Here are ten fundamental concepts that characterize an effective meeting.Definition:... Read More

    10 Resolutions For The New Year!!

    Each year many people create a list of resolutions designed... Read More

    10 Steps Towards A Stress-Free Introduction Into Management

    Becoming a manager for the first time can be an... Read More

    10 Steps When You Need Help in Your Business

    If you think ahead and plan, many nightmare panic and... Read More

    10 Ways New Managers Become Great Leaders

    "It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder... Read More

    10 Ways To Maintain Profits In A Slow Economy

    1. Sell more back end products to your existing customer... Read More

    10 Ways To Work Through A Business Slowdown

    In running any kind of business, it's inevitable that sometimes... Read More

    1000 Managers Turned Their Plans Into Energy!

    I bet you can't tell me how leadership training and... Read More

    11 Strategies on How to Work in An Open Plan Environment

    Many work environments now are open plan, with only a... Read More

    13 Comments on Bad Meetings

    Bad meetings are a cultural malady that senior executives pass... Read More

    14 Ways to De-Stress Employee Vacations

    Employees truly deserve paid vacations. Theystruggle through stressful jobs most... Read More

    2 Steps For Increasing Company Profits or Performing Business Turnarounds

    1. Eliminate wasteEliminate reports, habits, products, duplicate input, and processes... Read More

    25 Great Ways to Find the Right People and Not Break the Bank

    Are you trying to hire dozens of hourly workers or... Read More

    25 Super-Practical Steps to Build Your Business!

    For the past several weeks, we have focused on some... Read More

    3 Ingredients of Highly Profitable Organizational Change

    As waves of organizational change sweep across the business landscape,... Read More

    3 Innovation Keys - Do Your Innovative Efforts Need More Power?

    Recently, I attended a webinar with nearly 400 other Chief... Read More

    3 Keys to Being a Fearless Executive

    In my work with business executives, I have come to... Read More

    3 Reasons Why CRM Strategies Fail

    Customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the most effective... Read More

    3 Simple Things the Best Managers Do - And You Can Too!

    If it's so simple, why don't managers all over the... Read More

    3 Steps You Can Use Developing Leaders In Your Industry

    With the economy bordering on a recession, every company is... Read More

    3 Tests To Hire The Best

    Question: What's the easiest, cheapest and quickest way to have... Read More

    30 Ways to be a Butt-Head Boss

    1. Trust no one. Not your superiors and not your... Read More

    4 Simple Steps to Successful Delegation

    Last month, my featured article was about creating a "Stop... Read More

    4 Steps to Success In Life, Business, The Universe And Everything

    Everyone wants to succeed in life. And no one starts... Read More

    4 Tips on How to Avoid Communication Lines Breakdown

    For example, in a small, two-person company, there is often... Read More

    5 Awesome Actions of Highly Creative Leaders!

    How many times have you wondered why you are unable... Read More

    5 Creative Evolutionary Leadership Niche Strategies!

    I have a short story to share with you about... Read More

    5 Ideas To Leverage The 3 Stages Of Career Development In Your Organization

    In most industrialized nations, the average age a student graduates... Read More