Looking for a few good employees? If you’re running to your local newspaper to place a Help Wanted ad, you might be missing out. It won’t even see the light of day with many of the best candidates. Instead, they’re looking to sites like LinkedIn to make the connection. Find out how to use LinkedIn to recruit the right candidates to your small business.

Setting the Stage

Make sure your company’s LinkedIn page is in order before you reach out to potential candidates. It should let visitors know what you offer. Convey that in the words you use and the image you select for your banner.

Include a Career Page, too. Here’s where you let potential applicants learn what’s in it for them. Describe what it’s like working in your company. For example, do you value teamwork? What kind of person shines at your company?

Don’t have a LinkedIn page yet? Here’s how to create one (and it’s free).

Raise Your Hand

Tell people you’re hiring by creating a LinkedIn job post. They’ll display your job to people who match the criteria you establish. They also identify “best-matches.” Then you can contact them directly to begin a conversation, perhaps through a shared LinkedIn contact. The fee is based on your geographic location.

You can also search LinkedIn on your own for free. Look first for people who are currently working in a similar position. That will help you identify common words that people might use to describe the job. Use those in your search. You can also filter your search for location or industry. For a fee, you can access additional filters to narrow your search even more.

Spread the Word

Ask your staff to list their current job at your company in their LinkedIn profile. That will link them to your business page and make it easier for them to share openings with their contacts.

That’s huge since referrals from current employees are one of the best recruiting sources. Your crew knows what it’s like to work for your company and what the job is all about. And they have a vested interested in finding team members they’ll be able to work with on the job. So they’re in a unique position to connect you with good candidates.

Whether you have an immediate need or want to develop a network of talent for future use, LinkedIn can help. With its wide network of subscribers, small businesses can target groups of people who have the skills you need. That puts you in the spotlight of potential applicants.