LinkedIn, Craigslist, TheLadders, and Indeed are four sites that you can mine for good candidates. There is nothing wrong with any of them, and I have had success recruiting from each one. But…

The truth is, the best candidates will usually come from within your professional network, or those of your coworkers and employees. A strong employee referral program can go a long way toward simplifying the hiring process and getting the right people into your company.

So how can you take advantage of this fact?

To start, make it your company’s policy to encourage employee referrals. You can reward a successful referral with cash bonuses (or other perks).

The company, and all employees, should post to their social networks. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter can all be places to get the word out that you're hiring and interact with potential job seekers. Be clear about the skills and qualities that you're looking for from the very start. That will help narrow down the applicant pool that you have to work your way through.

And when you do meet with potential employees, focus on the character traits and qualities of the person more so than just the work experience and specific skill set. More times than not, if you find the right person, you can teach them what they need to know to excel in the position.