5 Ways to Search for the Ever-Elusive Perfect Candidate

By Maren Hogan:

And just how many articles on finding the perfect candidate are there, anyway? Silkroad took a new tack, asking: where are the job seekers looking? That’s a good point: how can recruiters possibly find candidates if they aren’t searching in the right places? Craigslist, LinkedIn, Indeed, CareerBuilder, and Glassdoor ranked as the top five job boards where candidates start their searches. Not too many surprises on that list, but let’s dig a little deeper.

Craigslist: Start Global Growth Here

Established in 1995, this board of online classified ads is the ideal place to look for candidates to build the company globally. It is available in 570 cities across 50 different countries, with an average of 1 million monthly job postings. The candidate search doesn’t get much more global than that. A majority of the candidates who frequent Craigslist are male and don’t have college degrees. Recently, Will Staney, head of talent acquisition at Glassdoor, posted his source of hire and Craigslist was there — with a small percentage, but still there. This no-frills job board has serious staying power — and you could get a free sofa or meet a missed connection on there, too!

LinkedIn: Where Entry-Level Hopefuls Plant Their Roots

Since 2002, LinkedIn has functioned as an online platform for resume information. Users on LinkedIn are almost overwhelmingly male — 65% — and are generally between the ages of 35 and 44. There are 100 million LinkedIn users in the United States alone; globally, it’s 3 billion. That’s nearly half of the global population. With two new LinkedIn members signing up every second, recruiters are bound to find someone perfect for the job — or in the very least, perfect enough with the right amount of training. While LinkedIn for Recruiters is a paid solution, the groups, message boards, and company profiles are all free, smart ways to use the big blue behemoth.

Indeed: College Degrees Aplenty

What a place to start your search for your dream candidate! There are 2.5 million resumes on Indeed. 43% of users have bachelor’s degrees, 23% are between the ages of 25 and 34, and another 23% are between 35 and 44 years old. On Indeed, recruiters can find a plethora of mid-level management candidates. In the United States, 72%  of job seekers visit Indeed each month. Because it’s the leader in job boards in the U.S., Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and South Africa, it makes sense that it’s the No. 1  job site worldwide. Indded is a classic aggregator, so if you post a job, chances are it will land there. Make sure your job details stand out in a big ocean like this.

CareerBuilder: Fortune 1000 company? Start Here

Predominantly female, 39% of CareerBuilder users have no college education, 46% have a bachelor’s degree, and 14% have a master’s degree. The site works with over 300,000 employers, so recruiters have good chances of finding a candidate here. 87% of the users on CareerBuildercome from the United States, so it might not be the best for global talent acquisition just yet. However, it’s perfect for hiring from across the country. The board has expanded from, well, a board, to a full-service hiring platform — but not many people know that yet.

Find out what the 5th job board is on Recruiter.com 

Maren Hogan

Maren Hogan is CEO of Red Branch and general Bad@$$

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Maren started Red Branch Media and, before she hired all the smiling faces you see below, she ran it on her own. In marketing for over 15 years, she has deep experience in strategic campaigns and a long-term, results-based operational approach.