While it’s true that we live in a global economy and we’ve never been more connected, sometimes you need to find employees who live locally.
If you need to hire employees for retail outlets, manufacturing firms or any other kind of business where you want local talent, then there are plenty of methods that you can use to make sure you find the best people possible.
In this article we’ve outlined some of the key strategies and tips you should bear in mind if you want to find top local employees. Whether it’s making sure that you post on the best job boards or ensuring that you engage with the local community, if you follow these tips you won’t go far wrong.
We’ve also highlighted some of the best job sites to use in the US and the UK. And, if you need more help with recruitment, here are the top ten tips for finding employees and five mistakes to avoid when hiring.
Use the proper job boards
If you want to do the best job of hiring staff, you have to post on the big job boards, like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Monster. Those sites have huge audiences and are vital options for anyone who wants to hire staff. They’ve all got fantastic and detailed options for searching, filtering, and posting jobs based on location so that you can target your posts towards local candidates, and those local candidates can easily find your listings.
Beyond the big sites, though, you should consider other notable job boards. If you want to find local staff who are willing to work on a freelance basis or remotely, then consider a site like FlexJobs or UpWork. Handshake is a great choice if you want to hire graduates, and Scouted is our favourite site if you need to examine personalities rather than resumes. And if you need to hire quickly, GetWork and Snagajob are both important.
But don’t just rely on job boards
If you want to do a really excellent job at hiring locally then you should look beyond the big job boards.
If you’re hiring for local talent in the US and Canada, for instance, then Facebook Jobs should be one of your first destinations. No social networks have a bigger audience than Facebook, and the site also has straightforward job listings and top-notch location options. Towns, villages, districts, and regions all tend to have local interest groups, so you can post your job listings there to get them right in front of local people.
In a similar vein, consider posting on Craigslist if your town or city has its own board – that site is popular for retail and casual employment.
It’s also worth considering industry-specific job boards alongside the big, general-purpose sites. We’ve rounded up the best choices here, and it’s easy to find sites that specialize in the media, technology, finance, and medical industries alongside loads of others. These are ideal destinations for finding local talent because they combine databases of expert candidates and great location-based options.
Embrace the local community
It’s not just about posting in the right places online, either. If you want to find hyperlocal talent, then you’ve got to be active in the local community.
You and your company should develop relationships with local colleges, trade schools, and universities so you can hire talented graduates. Similarly, if you establish partnerships with local non-profits that support marginalized communities then you can access local people who are talented, enthusiastic, and often overlooked by the conventional jobs market.
It’s also worth attending local job fairs and even hosting an open house event at your own company. They’re both top-notch methods for getting your business in front of local candidates and for establishing relationships.
Beyond these methods, consider sports team and facility sponsorships, running adverts in local media outlets, or getting involved in charities if you want to get your company noticed by local people.
Ask your existing staff members
Your company should have a referral program for existing staff members. Your current staff will know which of their local contacts will be a good fit for your business in terms of their personality and skill set, and so they’ll be able to recommend top-notch people for your open positions.
This is often a better recruitment method than posting on local websites and big job boards – because your existing staff can point you towards locals who will be a good fit for your business.
Perfect your adverts and online presence
When you list jobs on any site – whether it’s a big job board, a Facebook group or your own company careers page – you’ve got to make sure that your job advert is straightforward, well-written and packed with the right information.
When it comes to hiring local candidates, consider putting relevant local information in your job description and on your company’s website. You could list the team’s favorite restaurant, highlight local facilities where you can use company benefits or show off your involvement in the community. They’re all good options if you want local people to consider applying for your roles.
You also need to ensure that your company has a top-notch online presence. Your Glassdoor and LinkedIn profiles should highlight the firm’s involvement in the local community, for instance, and your own company website should do the same job.
Pay attention to resumes
That last tip goes both ways, too. You can attract local candidates by showing off your local connections in your job descriptions and adverts, and you can also examine resumes to discover which applicants are your best local options.
If you want to hire local and hire the best, for instance, don’t just look at the tasks and responsibilities they’ve listed. Consider the companies they’ve worked for and the schools they’ve attended – if they’re local and well-respected, that bodes well for the candidate you’re considering.
Beyond that, look at the person’s hobbies and interests, as they can often provide crucial insight about a candidate’s personality and interests, and that section of a resume will often reveal if a person is an active and positive force in your local area.
We've also featured the best free job boards, best recruitment platforms and best freelance sites
