Cost-effective recruiting: Letting technology do it for free

Are your recruiting costs ranging from $200 to $1,800 per position?

As a small business owner, the decision whether or not to expand your business is an important one. Some key indicators that your business is ready to grow are: your high performers are falling behind, your clients are noticing delays, and there are increased errors.

Once the decision to expand has been made, your business will need to start the recruiting process. Private sector employers should be aware of at least three laws affecting them as they begin the recruiting process. For businesses with 15 or more employees, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Equal Employment Opportunity/EEO) and the Americans with Disabilities Act apply, and businesses with 20 or more employees need to abide by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. A simple statement in your advertisement can communicate your business’s commitment not to discriminate and to conform to EEO requirements.

However, when a business incorporates these requirements into a recruiting advertisement, the position posting becomes lengthy and, therefore, more expensive. Recruiting prices can soar.

Businesses need to actively recruit candidates using trusted websites and social media. Trusted websites allow businesses to review résumés, sort by city or county, and post by industry. Social media sites such as Facebook can offer a family and friends referral network.

The state of Wisconsin has created a free resource for all businesses. The Job Center of Wisconsin is an entirely free site where employers can recruit employees.

The University of Wisconsin, the UW System, and other organizations also offer businesses free sites in which to post a position. For the UW sites, the position postings will reach students and alumni, which benefits businesses by targeting industry-specific candidates.

Some free local recruiting websites include www.wisconsintechconnect.com, www.jobs4wigrads.com, https://bus-wisc-csm.symplicity.com/employers, http://jobcenter.wisc.edu, and www.thedailypage.com.

Once they have started to receive résumés and applications, businesses must retain them for a period of one year from the time the position is filled. Federal contractors may be required to retain records for two years.

Mandy Ayers is the CEO and founder of The HR Generalist Store.

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