Hi,
I am Working in an Electronics Security Company as HR Executive. I was in need of new Hirings and tried, Local Consultancies, Newspaper Advertisements, Campus Interviews, Referals and still didn't get a Quality Staff.
(My Product is a Construction Magazine that is Market Leader in South and we are the only company who have Operating Authorities in 5 States in North...we need to Market that magazine in North)
I don't know anything about your industry (publishing), nor do I know your area, but when traditional means of recruiting fail, you need to look around your office.
Who are your successful employees? How did they come to work for you?
Then offer bonuses for employee referrals. Quality employees tend to have quality friends. You say you used referrals, but how much were you willing to pay for a referral?
You may have to go to an outside recruiter, someone who is focused on your industry.
Finally, you may have to think outside the box. You say you are a construction magazine? Have you been looking for people who declare themselves as writers? Or are you looking for people who know the industry and can write? In my experience (as a creative writing minor in college) is that people who label themselves as writers first would know squat about construction.
If you need a construction writer, I bet there are construction blogs. Try contacting one of those people.
Have you gone to trade fairs? You said you went to colleges. Do the jobs you are recruiting for require a college degree?
How is your pay and benefits package? If you are below industry standards you've either got to hire substandard workers or raise up your packages. If you are at industry standards and you still can't meet your recruiting goals, try going above, or adding non-cash perks, such as flextime and telecommuting.
Recruiting is hard. You've got a challenge ahead of you. I hope it works out for you.
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You've been tagged! http://careerencouragement.typepad.com/the_career_encouragement_/2007/07/time-for-tag.html
I'm going to disagree with Evil -- while "writers" may not know anything about construction, it is MUCH easier to teach a writer about construction than it is to teach someone how to write. Any journalist worth hiring will know how to research a topic. As long as you are willing to train someone about a particular subject, the person who asked this question should be able to find some great writers who would be interested in the position.
So my recommendation is to launch a search targeted to finding a journalist.
From what the question writer says, I suspect that he/she has been casting a wide net instead of targeting writing/journalism job boards. I recommend www.journalismjobs.com, which is one-stop shopping for all publication writers looking for new jobs -- jobs are posted in categories that include PR/Marketing writing. There are also several job Web sites for freelance writers, which is a market worth tapping into, because freelancers often get tired of looking for work and return to full-time employment. And if this is an entry-level position, target your college recruiting to top journalism/marketing/PR schools. For journalism, I can recommend the University of Maryland, Northwestern and Columbia University as being at the top of the list.
Also, referrals may not work for this position unless you ask the writers who work on the magazine. Writers do indeed know other writers. Have you sat down with the writing staff specifically and asked them where you should be looking? They'll probably have some good ideas. Where did the writers that you have now come from?
Ouch, good luck, I bet there's not a lot of people who know anything about construction who can also write or edit.
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