When several contracts for spring building work are signed over the winter, the manager of a small construction company suddenly has a good problem: there is plenty of work, but not enough people. That was the situation at a family-run construction company from the Savinja Valley that builds and renovates houses. The manager, Tomaž, needed three bricklayers, one carpenter and two labourers for the beginning of March. All at once and without a long wait.
Below we show how he went about his search on delaj.si, why he chose promotion for 15 days rather than one or two weeks, and how much it cost him.
The starting point: three roles, one deadline
In the past, Tomaž had a bad experience with a single combined ad along the lines of “construction workers wanted”. The applications were mixed up, candidates did not know which job they were applying for, and he spent a lot of time sorting through them. This time he took a different approach: a separate job ad for each role, with a clear description of the work, the experience required and the location of the sites.
The reason is simple. A bricklayer looks for a bricklayer ad, a carpenter looks for a carpenter ad. Separate ads are clearer, candidates can quickly judge whether the job suits them, and the employer knows straight away which position an application is for.
Step 1: posting three job ads
On the Post a job page, Tomaž prepared three ads: bricklayer, carpenter and construction labourer. Job ads on delaj.si are published immediately and remain live for 30 days.
The posting costs were low:
- first active ad: free,
- second and third simultaneously active ads: 2 × €4.99 = €9.98.
The company had already used the portal last year, so it could not take advantage of the introductory offer. If you are posting an ad for the first time, however, check whether it is still available: the first 50 companies get 7 days of promotion A, B and C free with their first ad.
Step 2: which ad to promote and for how long
Tomaž needed the most people for bricklaying, so that was the ad he promoted. He chose promotion A, the large slider at the top of the home page and at the top of the job listings. There are 12 slots available, and promoted ads are shown in random order, so each one gets a fair chance of being seen.
At first he considered two weeks. Then he checked the discounts for longer bookings on the Pricing page and found something interesting.
The calculation: 14 days or 15 days?
Promotion A costs €14.99 per day. The discounts are: from 7 days −10%, from 15 days −25%, from 30 days −35%.
- 7 days: €14.99 × 7 = €104.93, minus 10% = €94.44
- 14 days: €14.99 × 14 = €209.86, minus 10% = €188.87
- 15 days: €14.99 × 15 = €224.85, minus 25% = €168.64
So a 15-day booking is cheaper than a 14-day booking, even though you get an extra day. The difference is more than 20 euros. For Tomaž the decision was quick: 15 days covered the whole period in which he expected the most applications, and it cost less.
Paying with credit
As the company posts job ads several times a year, instead of paying by card Tomaž topped up €250 and received €300 of credit. The total cost of this recruitment drive (€9.98 for the additional ads and €168.64 for the promotion) came to €178.62, leaving him €121.38 of credit in his account for future ads or add-ons. All prices include VAT.
Step 3: booking in good time
There are 12 slots for promotion A. Once they are taken, a new booking is placed in a queue. Before the season, when many companies are hiring at the same time, it is therefore wise to arrange promotion as soon as you post the ad rather than when the deadline is approaching. Tomaž sorted it out on the Promote a job page on the same day he posted his ads.
The outcome
The first applications for the bricklayer role arrived the very next day, and over the following days candidates for the carpenter and labourer roles gradually applied as well. Not all at once and not all suitable, but enough for Tomaž to hold interviews in the second week. By the beginning of March he had filled most of the positions, and he left the ad for one labourer live until it expired.
For the carpenter role he also considered the candidate database, where with monthly access (€48.99) he can filter candidates by industry, region and EU country and send them an offer through the portal. Candidates’ contact details are not displayed, so communication takes place via messages on the portal.
If you employ workers from other countries, consult an employment law specialist or the relevant authority about employment conditions and the permits required, as the rules vary from case to case.
Key takeaways
- Post a separate ad for each role; the first is free, and each additional simultaneously active ad costs €4.99.
- Promote the ad for which you need the most people.
- Promotion A for 15 days (€168.64) is cheaper than a 14-day booking (€188.87) thanks to the 25% discount.
- Before the season, book straight away, as bookings go into a queue when all slots are full.
- If you post ads more often, credit with a bonus is worth it.
Have a similar season ahead of you? Post your job ads today and add 15 days of promotion.
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The story in this article is an illustration; the companies and people are fictional. Prices are valid on the day of publication and include VAT – current prices are on the Pricing page.