A2X Consulting

Everyone who runs a business (or is about to) has one particular thing in common: they all are looking for extremely qualified people to become a member of their staff, whether it’s full-time, part-time or contracted (freelance) work.

The thing is, trying to find the right fit can become a frustrating experience if you’re not quite clear on where to begin your search. That’s why we’re here, to provide you with some of the best places to find highly skilled talent without having to spend a lot of time or unnecessary amounts of energy in order to do so:

Social media. Although Facebook and Twitter may have started off as places to stay connected with family and friends or to read up on the latest celebrity gossip, it definitely has also become a haven to search for potential employees as well. If your company has a Facebook fan page or Twitter account, be sure to post a message letting people know that you are looking for individuals who are seeking employment. While you’re at it, make sure to stop by LinkedIn to read up on different people’s profiles on there as well.

College campuses. One way to find good workers that never gets old is via an internship program. By extending one to some of your local college campuses, you are able to get fresh and young talent that is eager to learn with the hopes that they may be able to transition from being an intern to a full-time employee following graduation.

Online employment websites. Thanks to the internet, another way that you can seek out the kind of workers that you need is by placing job search announcements on websites like Monster and CareerBuilder. However, you don’t have to stop there. Craigslist is a place where you can post listings for free under their “jobs” section. There are also websites like oDesk and Freelancer (just to name a few) that are formatted in a way where you can find the kind of person that you’re looking for in a matter of days, if not hours. There’s also a pretty cool website called SkillPages.com that has over 8 million people in its database who are skilled in everything from journalism to carpentry.

You Tube (or your own website). There used to be a time when people would have to rely on things like the newspaper classifieds or a popular business careers guide in order to find skilled talent. It was fairly reliable, but not the most creative approach. Now, you can go online; not just to seek potential workers but to also post your announcements as well. It only takes a few minutes to create your own video about the kind of individuals that you’re looking for. You can post your “professional infomercial” on your web page and even create a subscription page on YouTube where people can watch the video and contact you directly. Some may even creatively reply by responding via video as well (a good way to get a grasp of their abilities before actually scheduling an interview).

Word of mouth. Many will attest to the fact that some of their best employees are those who came via a referral. Therefore, don’t hesitate to put the word out that you’re looking for some honest and reliable help to people who you consistently interact with. You never know, you might find the best employee that you ever had through a work associate or co-worker simply by putting the bug in their ear. Good luck!