6 Ways to Use Social Media to Post Job Openings... for Free

When it comes to job postings, everyone knows about the big job boards such as Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Dice, etc. The problem for employers is that these sites are quite pricey and sometimes cost-prohibitive.  If budgets are tight and you'd still like to get the word out, here are some free alternatives for posting jobs.  (Even if you do have the budget to post on paid sites, some of these options are a great way to supplement your existing job posting strategies.)  An added bonus, they also enable you to reach those ever-elusive passive job seekers. When Should You Be Posting On Social Networks?

1. LinkedIn Status: Update your LinkedIn Status to announce openings and spread the word with your network.  Those you know are likely to spread the word with their networks, especially if you ask them to!  Here are the 20 Reasons  Why LinkedIn Will Be the #1 Recruiting Portal of the Future

Cost:  Free

Total Reach: 1500 people in my LinkedIn network (plus more, if anyone was kind enough to forward it along to their networks)

2.  Twitter / Facebook:  Announce your openings on Twitter and/or Facebook.  Use keywords and hashtags as appropriate and don't forget to include a link to your website.  Ask your followers / friends to retweet / share.  It's all about networking, word of mouth and "who you know." 

Cost:  Free

3. LinkedIn Groups: Join job-specific, industry-specific and/or geographically-specific LinkedIn groups and post on their job boards.  The character limit is much more generous than on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn status updates, so you can post an entire job description or just a blurb (as I did below). It's 100% free and reaches a very targeted and relevant audience!  (Note - these postings expire after two weeks, so you'll need to send yourself a reminder to repost periodically.)  

Cost:  Free

Total Reach:  More than 10,000+ members (plus more, if anyone was kind enough to forward it along to their networks)

4. Facebook Notes:  Use Facebook Notes.  You can include a "note" in your profile that will allow you to post as much info as you'd like, including a full job description.  Notes are almost like a blog within your Facebook account; it keeps a chronological record of all your notes.  You can also add a "box" (rather than just a tab) on your main Facebook Profile page that will show up along the lefthand column (under your profile pic, friends box, etc.) so that others can easily see your postings when visiting your page to write on your wall, etc.
Cost:  Free

5. Facebook Marketplace: Also on Facebook, there's a great free application powered by Oodle.com called Facebook Marketplace.  It's a sort of classified board where people buy, sell and trade anything from houses, rentals, cars, tickets, services, miscellaneous "stuff" and, yes, there's even a jobs section.  On the jobs page, you can post jobs, search open positions and/or share your resume. You can choose to share with everyone or just your friends, if you prefer.  Once it's posted, you can also "share" the posting with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers.

Cost:  Free

Total Reach: 15 million+ unique monthly users 

6. Ad Hoc Job Boards: You may want to search Google to find smaller sites that allow you to post jobs for free (such as Locanto.com, San Jose Recruiter, etc.).  Larger job sites like Indeed.com crawl the web for postings and may pick yours up!

Cost:  Free

Total Reach: varies per job board

At the end of the day, it's all about word of mouth and social networking.  Social media is a wonderful, free resource that is growing every day.  Take advantage of it!