I saw an interesting online discussion last week regarding a recruiter who was having problems attracting candidates. While the current economic climate sees lots of candidates it's still tricky to recruit for specialist roles with skills shortages common. What interested me was that other recruiters offering advice focused on job ads. 

I'm not knocking job ads. They're an effective way to reach candidates even if they are a little generic. But with a lot of specialist candidates sitting the recession out so there's a chance your job ad isn't reaching your ideal candidate. And they're expensive too. There's a reason why Monster made $1.3bn last year despite the onset of a recession. There are more productive and effective ways to reach candidates.

For example take GamesIndustry.biz. It's the place where games developers, artists and designers head to catch up on industry news. It's dying for a recruiter to write a column once a week on what skills are in demand, what employers are looking for and or answering a question from a reader about finding their ideal job. It's a chance to get in front of passive candidates and make your name stand out. Oh and all the employers head there too. 

Or go find your local geek group. As a recovering IT geek myself I can tell you every city has a group where techies meet to swap ideas and demo latest technologies. Offer to set up an informal career advice desk at one of their events, answering and questions and reviewing CVs. And of course you'll be willing to list any candidates or post any suitable jobs on their mailing list... 

There's a thousand and one ways to reach out to talented candidates who aren't necessarily looking. Promise me you'll try something different next time you're splashing cash on a job ad that starts, "My client, a market leader has a unique opportunity..."