For a number of years I have focused my resourcing activity around social media. I believe it to be a truly fantastic medium that allows a level of engagement that very few other channels can rival. One of the main benefits is cost. Whilst large corporate companies can spend a fortune on social media, smaller businesses can equally achieve many of the same results for free.

As someone who is referred to as having short arms and deep pockets, it is the low-cost or free routes that appeal to me most! I am not going to list the obvious options such as LinkedIn and Twitter, instead I have listed my favourite free sites and apps that make using such sites far easier and help your recruitment:

1. Google – This might sound like a rather strange one to start with, but Google is a massively underused resource in the recruitment process. In particular, Google can act as wonderful tool to aid LinkedIn searches. When conducting a search within LinkedIn, the results you receive are limited to the type of account you hold and the number of people you are connected to. A Google search, on the other hand, will give you access to everyone! If you not sure how to conduct Boolean searches, an easier option is to use Google’s advanced search tool which avoids having to be too tech-savvy.

2. TweetDeck & Hootsuite – I personally prefer TweetDeck, but only because I am more used to it. Both sites provide the ability to manage various social media accounts and remove the need to log into each one individually, instead doing so in one fail swoop. They also provide an easy method in which to search Twitter.

3. Followerwonk – The names of these sites are truly great! Followerwonk provides the ability to search peoples’ biographies on Twitter. As many people provide information about their location and career in their bios, this is an invaluable tool to help reach out and engage with potential new hires. You can also pretty much guarantee not many other organisations are doing this.

4. TweetLevel – Another useful tool to search Twitter, particularly if you are searching for a niche skill. An alternative site is Tweepz (I did say the name’s were great!).

5. Socialmention – I have found this site very useful when searching for a niche skillset or trying to research a particular topic. The site searches the entire universe for any mention of the given topic. As a tip, make sure you don’t use too broad a search or you will to be forced to wade through lots of unwanted information!

6. FindPeopleonPlus – I admit that I am still relatively new to this site, but it is the best tool I have found to date that allows you to search Google+. It may not need to be your central focus when resourcing, but you shouldn’t ignore Google+ as it has real potential to be an excellent sourcing channel.

You may notice a lack of information in this article about Facebook. The reason for this is that I am yet to find a free app or website that allows you to use Facebook for recruitment. However, paid for services such as Bullhorn Reach of BranchOut are available.

Finally, the above video shows a soon to be released app that is likely to be invaluable when using LinkedIn. Shane McCusker’s forthcoming app will allow you to see all the information of 3^rd degree connections on LinkedIn. This is definitely one to look out for!

So before you spend a fortune gives these routes a try. Good luck!