HE BEST WAY TO FIND A JOB IS TO HAVE a job, goes the old saw. Conversely, the best person to hire is often someone who isn't looking for a job or perusing the classifieds. Recruiters and headhunters call these candidates "passive" job-seekers. Now there are better ways to reach them.

Sure, you can post a job on MonsteLcom for Rs. 17,780 and generate applicants and scan resu¬mes. But what you won't get are candidates rec¬ommended by someone you know or by some¬one who knows your business. For that, there are some relative newcomers that are trying to leverage social networks to generate referrals.

LinkedIn, a social-networking site that is focused on career build¬ing, charges compa¬nies Rs. 4,280 to post a job listing for 30 days. LinkedIn members who look for jobs on the site can immediately see if they are connected to the hiring employer via an "inside connec¬tion," a person in their network who already works for the employer. The inside connection can then generate a helpful referral.

To target specific candidates more directly, services such as Jobster charge employers thou¬sands of dollars a month. Small businesses, how¬ever, can tap into the trend through companies such as H3 (see screen shot), which lets employ¬ers send e-mail about jobs to the employer's trusted group of contacts. Anyone who refers a successful candidate is paid a finder's fee, and H3 takes a cut. If the new hire leaves within 90 days of his start date, you get your money back.