The 9 Best Websites for Finding Top Talent

While there are numerous sites for finding potential hires, these nine are surprisingly useful for recruiting candidates that will grow your business.

Unemployment in the U.S. job market is now a low 5.3 percent, but we all know there are still problems. Some of the decline is due to additional workers who have given up looking for jobs. In some states the unemployment rate has actually risen. Also, small businesses have been dealing with a shortage of skilled workers for some time now. A survey last summer found that roughly a third of small businesses had unfilled positions due to an inability to find qualified applicants.

As I look for job candidates for my company I have to be more and more savvy to find the best workers possible. It’s weird that over the past 12-24 months I’ve had fewer and fewer people applying to work for me. I’ve done the normal post on Craigslist and a few other places but not gotten the same results as I did in the previous years.

This caused me to have to look outside my small box, become a bit more tech driven. I found that there were thousands of sites where potential employees were. Here are nine of the top sites that I have found to be very useful in my search for the right employee.

1. Pinterest

This may seem weird but I’ve had the best results with this one. I was taught this by my recruiter buddy. Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social media sites out there. Although it's mostly known for its arts and crafts users, the service has evolved and developed a lot of functionality for business owners. This is something recruiters and job searchers can take advantage of. Recruiters can create a board for the job they're trying to fill and pin desired attributes, pictures of the office and recruitment videos. This can make it so that the job posting doesn't just get found, it actively excites potential applicants. I’ve personally found that Pinterest is a place where many freelancers find jobs as well. Since nearly 12% of the workforce is Freelance, this is a great place to find skilled workers. I’ve found some amazing talent off of here.

2. Simply Hired

For those looking to keep recruiting costs at a minimum, Simply Hired is one of the cheapest options that I’ve found to recruit. Just post your job and it becomes easily searchable by potential candidates in your industry and region. When recruiting I pay a little extra to get bumped to the top of results. I only pay extra (which I would recommend when someone clicks on your posting). A study found that the site reduces cost per hire by 58 percent over traditional job boards and 7 percent over another comparable job search engine.

3. MOGUL

Many industries with a lot of skilled workers, especially tech, suffer from a lack of women in the workforce. This isn't just wrong from the perspective of equality, it can be actively damaging for companies not to have the unique points of view that come from a diverse workforce. MOGUL, a platform for women worldwide that connects users to trending content, has proven to be an effective way to reach talented women with job postings personalized to their interests. With a reach of over 18 million per week in 196 different countries, companies such as AppNexus, Lumosity and AXA Advisors are already using Mogul to find candidates. I’ve found that some of the best female talent on this site.

4. Recruiter

Do you feel pidgeonholded at your current job? Maybe it's time to find a company where opportunities will more easily present themselves. Unlike more traditional career websites, Recruiter is geared towards employees that already have jobs, but are open to a move. I really like people that haven’t been out of a job (not saying it’s bad if you have) as they are wanting to move on but haven’t. Workers create private profiles and the site filters through all of its job listings and emails you the ones you might be interested in. This is a convenient way to reach the large pool of highly qualified candidates that might already have work but would be happier at your company.

5. Dice

Since seeing their hilarious billboards along many freeways and needing tech talent, I’ve checked these guys out. If you’re looking for tech guys, Check out Dice; which has over two million users, many of whom have at least 10 years of experience in their fields. Their new "open web" service pulls in social data from over 100 different sites and is currently used by tech giants such as Amazon and Facebook. I’ve found 2 tech guys through this site and I love them.

6. ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter works for employers that want to cast as wide a net as possible in their search for top talent. When I first started recruiting I wasn’t sure what I wanted so I just put it out there. Basically, from your account, you can post a job to over 100 of the top online job boards with a single click. You might not have the same level of customization and targeting, but you can be sure that your post will reach a large number of eyeballs…which it does.

7. Glassdoor

Looking to sell potential applicants not just on the job itself, but on your entire corporate culture? Go to Glassdoor, a site that allows employees to rate their employers and give feedback on the pros and cons of the company. Assuming you've built a company that people enjoy working at, these reviews can be a big selling point when you post jobs on the site. I always encourage employees to write honest reviews of my business and use this as a slick recruiting tool for future workers!

8. Facebook

Recruiters have embraced social media when it comes to attracting talent, but often they look in the wrong places. The majority of jobs posted on social media are on Twitter (which is gone in 30 seconds), and Linkedin is making billions for its recruiting services, but jobseekers also see Facebook as a helpful tool for advancing their careers. With over a billion users, and hundreds of public groups filled with potential job applicants, you've definitely got a wide pool of talent to choose from. Facebook is also a great resource for them to stalk us and see how amazing we are.

9. Idealist

Given their limited budgets, non-profits tend to really struggle when it comes to attracting top talent. If you're a non-profit looking for someone that shares your passion, Idealist has a large pool of potential candidates that cater towards that demographic. You can also turn to the site to recruit interns and volunteers.

Since finding all these sites I have been able to increase the number of amazing applicants to my business as well as only interview talent that would really help my business grow.

What other sites have you found to be useful when recruiting?

SOURCE: INC

The 9 Best Websites for Finding Top Talent