Has anybody used Indeed or another site to hire part-time workers for landscape/gardening work?
It looks like Indeed wants $55/day minimum to list job postings. That's pretty expensive for us.
What are other small businesses doing to find workers?
I am in the same situation. The job sites are so expensive and really do not get you anywhere in my experience. I have started using Facebook Marketplace under jobs. I have gotten a few hits but nothing steady yet but better than spending all of that money for nothing.
Hi. The best advice I got was to ask all your customers if they know anybody. We also posted (for free) on Indeed and got an immediate hit. The ad will get pulled because we're not paying for it. I also put something out on the neighborhood listserv and got another immediate hit. Another bit of advice was to put a big sign on your truck - HIRING! with a phone number or email. That could work. Good luck. This small business thing is super challenging!
I can recommend using Nextdoor. Lots of people looking for part-time and skilled trade work.
On "Indeed", the skip sponsorship link is definitely not obvious. Another option is to look for available college students over the summer on the App, "Nextdoor" or to post your ad looking for local, casual labor.
Have you tried local Facebook community groups, referrals, churches, colleges, or workforce development programs? I think sometimes networking in your own community can help you find reliable people without spending a lot on job postings. I'm still building my business as well, so I love seeing what works for other business owners too!
We’ve actually had really good luck with Indeed. We spend around $250–300/month total, not per job, and we maintain a pretty consistent pipeline of applicants. For us, it’s been worth the investment because we’re almost always recruiting instead of waiting until we’re desperate to hire.
Outside of Indeed, a few things that have worked well:
One thing I’d recommend is looking at hiring as an ongoing process rather than something you only do when you have an opening. Building a bench of candidates has helped us make much better hiring decisions instead of feeling rushed (we go through about 50-75 applications per one hire).
Is the $55/day quote you’re seeing for a sponsored posting? We’ve found you can control your monthly spend while still generating a steady flow of applicants.
