Recruiting in a recession can be difficult. We understand that and empathize with all of our customers whose budgets have been cut. There still remains a problem. If you stop advertising your open positions, the longer they'll be open. So we've come up with a few options that will help you recruit during a time when your budgets are tight, save you a little company cash and not to mention a headache for you.

1. Getting Most Value Out of Current Advertising.
Oddly enough the first place to start is to look at what you're currently doing. Writing a good job description and being clear about what the job offers and what you expect will help immensely as well. Learning how to recruit candidates in tough economic times will also help you overcome objections from great candidates that maybe seem less interested. If you're currently utilizing EmploymentGuide.com or any one of our products you can call one of our advertising consultants on how to optimize what you currently are using. We have job posting templates and can assist in wording and information that will help you attract the candidates that you are looking for. You can also check out ERE for the latest tips on advertising and recruiting to help you as well.

2. Job Fairs.
Try a community college career fair or participate in an Employment Guide Career Fair. This is a great way to piggyback off of the host's advertising and attract hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of candidates all at once. Not only that but you can pre-qualify candidates right at the event. We've experienced several times where a company hires a job seeker on the spot at our job fairs.

3. Diversity and Niche Publications.
For example: The Veterans Transition Guide. This is a quarterly publication that we send out to ex-military personnel who are finished with their duty and want to move into civilian life. This publication has a shelf life of about 4 months and can help fulfill your diversity requirements. We've gotten some great feedback on the quality of candidates - after all our troops are trained to a high standard and it's also a great way to give back to the soldiers who serve our country. Not only that but advertising starts as low as about $150 a month. It includes print and online advertising too. Not too bad.

4. Advertising Showcases or Packages.
For example: right now in the Carolinas we're doing a healthcare showcase. We do these occasionally to get a group of industry specific jobs in one place and attract qualified candidates for that industry. Because there is such a draw for recruiters we're able to lower your cost and bundle products together. This particular showcase is going to go on for 5 weeks and feature your company. We'll utilize not only The Employment Guide Print publication but also EmploymentGuide.com and HealthCareerWeb.com as well. You can take advantage of a showcase like this one, bundle products together and save yourself some money in the budget. Right now our Healthcare Showcase can help attract medical professionals for you at up to a 70% discount.

5. Get Online & Network.
Surprisingly enough just your company's presence online can help you recruit. Utlize social media outlets like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter to recruit and get people interested in what you're hiring for. There are also industry sites like HealthCareerWeb.com where you can post community events or connect with candidates through the profiles or forums. Jim Stroud's "The Recruiter's Lounge" has some great tips for sourcing resumes online.