In today’s economy, many companies are working with tight recruiting budgets. That’s why now is the perfect time to revisit some tried and true ways to attract talent without spending a lot — or sacrificing the quality of new hires.

Just look around. HR departments already have plenty of resources available — the company’s Web site, current employees, alumni, etc. What’s working best today?

Here are some of the top low-cost strategies experts recommend:

1. Blogs – Ask employees to write blog posts about what it’s like to work at your company. Also, find out if any of them contribute to other blogs related to their professions. If so, they can include some positive words about your organization.
2. Alumni employees – Especially in this rough economy, your company may have some ex-employees who are regretting their decision to leave and will be happy to come back on board if they’re contacted. Bonus: You already know about their performance and cultural fit.
3. Referrals from new hires – New employees are often the best source for referrals because they’re coming straight from a different company. During orientation, ask them for the names of former colleagues who are qualified and might be interested in a position.
4. Top candidates who turned down the offer – At one point or another, most companies have offered a job to the best candidate, only to have the offer turned down. After some time has passed, you can get back in touch with the candidate and re-sell the position or describe a new opportunity that’s available.
5. Industry associations – Ask top employees, managers and execs to get involved in organizations related to your industry. That will raise the company’s profile and provide priceless networking events.

What low-cost recruiting strategies have worked best at your company? Share your experience and advice in the comments section below.

Here are some keys to keep in mind when communicating with rejected candidates:

• Say something, if you have time (depending on the volume of applicants), either through a letter, e-mail or phone call. Often, you won’t be able to get back to everyone who sent a resume, but it’s worth getting back to quality candidates you interviewed — you may have something open down the line that they’d be interested in.
• If someone asks why they didn’t get the job, keep it simple — for example, just say another candidate was more qualified.
• Don’t comment on the rejected applicant — make it about the person you did hire. For example, instead of something like, “We felt you didn’t have enough experience,” say, “The candidate we chose had the most experience.”
• Don’t go into details if the unsuccessful applicant presses. You’ll most likely just get dragged into a conversation in which he or she tries to change your mind.

How do you handle communication with unsuccessful job applicants? Share your advice in the comments section below.

Don’t send them out empty handed.

Instead of walking new hires through the workplace for a long series of introductions and handshakes, pick a day to send the newbies around with something employees will appreciate — for example, have them hand out coffee and donuts.

It’ll make more of an impact on employees, so they’ll be more likely to remember the new folks next time they pass in the hallway.

And it will ease some tension for the new hires, since they’ll be walking around doing something fun.