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Recruiting on Craigslist: What you need to know

When budgets are tight and times are tough, many recruiters turn to one of the cheapest job boards on the web – Craigslist.

Along with online personals and real estate listings, the no-frills website offers low-cost job postings. Most postings for major metropolitan areas cost $25 to $75 – a real bargain compared to other job sites.

Or is it?

Craigslist is “losing effectiveness as a recruiting source under the weight of its own success,” recruiting blog Cheezhead recently noted. Recruiters are reporting three frustrations with posting jobs on Craigslist.

Job postings produce too many unqualified candidates.

These days, every Craigslist job posting is inundated with applications. But the number of qualified applicants has remained constant or even decreased, recruiters say. This means they’re spending more time sorting through resumes to find the handful of people who are qualified for the job.

Here’s a better idea: SnagAJob.com gives recruiters the ability to sort the best from the rest by using screening questions. Plus, our audience is much more focused on one thing – finding hourly jobs.

Job postings have a short shelf life.

Jobs on Craigslist are posted in reverse chronological order. This means you have only a few hours for job seekers to notice you. Three hours after you post, you’re at the bottom of the page. One day later, you’re forgotten. You can pay to repost, but the fees add up quickly; many companies find themselves paying $25 per day to keep a single posting in view.

Here’s a better idea: Post jobs for as long as you want on SnagAJob.com – 30 days, 60 days or longer. Our unique location-based packages let you post unlimited jobs for each of your business locations for one low price.

Customer service is minimal.

Having technical problems? You won’t be able to talk to anyone at Craigslist. Customer support is handled by a small team, and only by email.

Here’s a better idea: Take your business to a job site that cares. At SnagAJob.com, real people answer our phones. Our best-in-class customer service team handles all requests in record time.