Recently, an Executive Roundtable Member joked that the best method he knew of for finding new employees is “posting and praying.”

All the good employees are working, so it’s challenging to know where to look. But a study cited in the Washington Post tells us that 71% of employed people are looking to change jobs. How do you find them?

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Consider some creative ways to grab the attention of your next great employee.
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• Everyone is on Facebook and LinkedIn these days. Use their targeting features to advertise in the feeds of people who match the skills, region, and even hobbies you want.
• Form alliances with local colleges and instructors, let them do the recruiting for you.
• Tap into associations and organizations that the kind of person you’re seeking may belong to.
• Think about where the type of people you are looking for may hang out in their leisure time.
• Find job boards and websites that are specific to your industry.
• Rent a billboard.
• Wrap a vehicle.
• When you are shopping, eating out, etc. observe how staff interact with customers. You can teach specifics, but innate empathy and strong customer service skills are hard to fake.
• Create a paid internship program as part of your recruiting pipeline.
• Actively look for ex-military.
• Spend time in the community giving back.
• Buck tradition and hire your friends.
• Add a ‘Hiring’ or ‘Careers’ page to your website.
• Take advantage of free city, county, and state resources. Many have resources to match business with potential employees.
• Think like a headhunter; build a network of contacts you would like to work with. Keep in touch through LinkedIn and talk about your successes.
• Set up a mini job fair.
• Post a ‘Hiring’ sign on your work vehicles.
• Create a viral video.
• Ask for referrals from your hairstylist, manicurist, and mechanic.
• Instant bonus for any employee giving the name of a referral. ($1 lottery ticket)
• Sponsor a break during an evening college class – provide free refreshments.
• Write articles or columns in school newspapers.
• Contact local libraries.
• Advertise on the back of supermarket register tapes.
• Advertise on city buses.
• Put up a sign in front of urinals and in bathroom stalls.
• Ask your temps to write testimonials.
• Interview on your local morning news program (in a positive way).
• Advertise on movie theater screens.
• Recruit from GED classes.
• Place coupons in the paper – give something to the applicant for registering for your job.
• Guest lecture at colleges and continuing education classes.
• Align with local realtors – recruit people who are relocating to your area.
• Borrow space at a university or set up a table in the student union.

There are lots of ways to capture your next great employees’ attention. You just need to get creative.

The road is easier together,