Ask HR Bartender: Niche Recruiting

Sharlyn Lauby

2 Oct 2011

I received a note from a reader asking how to find niche sites for recruiting. Unfortunately, they didn’t say what niche…so I can’t really answer with “If you’re looking for vacuum cleaner sales people, go here.” But because I have worked in industries where there were very specific positions to fill (i.e. executive chef, pilot, etc.), let me share some ways to find the niche sites/communities that might be helpful.

Find out if the niche has any kind of association. For example, if you were looking for a HR pro, there’s a human resources association called the Society for Human Resource Management. But let’s say you wanted a Payroll professional, then you might want to look at the American Payroll Association. National associations often have local affiliates, so if you wanted to contain your search to a specific area then the national sites could probably help you find a local contact.

Many niches are starting to develop online communities. Great example is FohBoh if you’re looking for information and resources in the food and beverage industry, they bill themselves as a foodservice social media site. Another angle to view communities would be if you’re looking for … let’s say interns – there are intern communities. Or communities for hiring veterans.

I’ve written a couple of posts over at Mashable about communities, you can check out if you like.

5 Valuable Online Communities for Freelancers

Top 5 Online Communities for Starting Your Career

Job boards are starting to offer communities and networks. For instance, the wildly popular job site Monster.com offers several communities. Some of the niches include NursingLink, PoliceLink, AdminSecret and SalesHQ. These communities offer more than just job listings. They are places to network and stay relevant on career issues.

Lastly, don’t forget about the recruitment opportunities via social networking sites. LinkedIn has thousands of groups covering a wide variety of topics. For example, there are groups for public sector employees, airline employees, and sports careers. It’s likely there’s a group for the niche you’re trying to recruit.

You can also use Twitter to follow people that align with the niche you’re trying to connect with. There’s a great story from Pinstripe, Inc. in this Mashable piece about recruiting via engagement with people who watch Mythbusters.

Finding the right niches does take time. And it’s possible what works for one recruiter will not work for someone else. But once you find your sweet spot…you’ll know.

I know I’m not the only person out there with experience finding niche recruitment sites. What advice can you give this reader? Leave a note in the comments. Thanks!

Image courtesy of richardjingram