Job boards are one of the oldest forms of digital advertising on the web and they've seen some pretty interesting changes over time. They started as simple directories for employers to post jobs that were then picked up by newspapers and other traditional media outlets. Nowadays they've become much more than just places where people can look for work but have also evolved into very sophisticated marketing tools with lots of features like analytics, email automation, social sharing and even SEO optimisation built in.
So how exactly does a job board actually work – who runs them, how do they make money from them, and why should you choose to go down this route rather than building your own website? We'll take a look at all these questions below...
In short, there are three main ways that a job board makes its revenue - through membership fees, advertisement and affiliate sales, and premium content subscriptions. In addition it will often generate income through sponsored posts and paid placements.
Membership Fees
A common way for a job site to make money is through charging a small fee per user. This usually ranges from $10-20 per month depending on the size of the company running the job board. It may be cheaper if you offer discounts for larger companies. Job boards offering services such as HR recruitment often charge significantly higher rates because they require a large amount of staff resources to run effectively.
Advertising
The majority of job sites rely heavily on advertisements to fund their operations. The standard approach here is to display banner ads across the top of each page which appear when the visitor scrolls down. These banners contain links back to the job board so that visitors can learn about new openings directly from the platform. Some job boards also include text adverts within their pages in order to increase visibility on search engines.
Affiliate Sales
Some job boards sell products and services via third party affiliates to drive traffic back to their websites. For example, a job board might partner with another website who offers a service such as a training course or ecommerce shop to promote those opportunities. If someone signs up for that opportunity they get sent to the job board automatically. This model works well for both parties since it means that the job seeker gets access to relevant information without having to pay anything extra upfront.
Premium Content Subscriptions
Many job boards now allow users to subscribe to specialised newsletters containing only the latest jobs posted on the platform. This allows them to target specific types of roles while still providing useful information to potential applicants. Job seekers tend to prefer using job boards instead of generalist job aggregators (such as Monster) due to the fact that they provide detailed descriptions of positions and the level of experience required.
When considering which job board to sign up to, it's important to note that not every job board has equal value. There are many factors that influence popularity including the number of active members, the quality of the listings, and the ease of use. A few key players dominate the market right now however, and we'd recommend starting off with any of the following before branching out further.
Indeed
One of the first job platforms to establish itself was indeed.com back in 1998. Since then it has grown massively and today boasts more than 100 million unique monthly visits worldwide. Its focus on local jobs gives it strong appeal among UK based organisations. Indeed's reputation comes largely from being able to show candidates what vacancies exist locally and therefore increasing the chance of getting hired.
Monster
Another well known brand is Monster. While it doesn't currently hold the same dominance in terms of sheer volume of users as Indeed, it remains hugely successful and maintains its position as a favourite amongst corporate recruiters thanks to its ability to provide instant feedback on applications. Many business owners opt for monster because they believe that the vast array of skills available on the platform will help them find the best candidate quickly.
SimplyHired
Yet another big name in the industry is Simply Hired whose motto 'We connect talent with great jobs' perfectly encapsulates the platform's purpose. Simply Hired claims to receive around 3 billion searches per year making it the second largest search engine behind Google. As well as focusing purely on recruiting, it provides valuable data related to salary trends and employee satisfaction levels.
Craigslist
Finally, Craigslist continues to be a force to be reckoned with despite facing stiff competition from Facebook Marketplace. Although arguably less professional, craigslist remains highly sought after due to its wide reach and cheap price tag compared to competitors.
Certainly yes. Indeed is a massive organisation with hundreds of thousands of employees spread across dozens of different locations.
The rise in online recruitment has seen many people set up their own job board for employers who want to hire staff. But with so many companies running their own sites, how can you stand out from the crowd?
You could try using one of the pre-built job boards that have been created by other businesses, but if you're going to spend time creating your own site then why not go all out and make something unique instead? You might be surprised at just how easy it is to get started!
Whether you've got big plans for your business website or you simply want to add some extra features to your current site, there's no reason why you should miss out on this opportunity. It doesn't matter if you already know coding or not – we'll show you exactly where to begin.
Here's everything you need to know about starting a job board and more importantly, how much it will cost you.
Job boards give recruiters access to thousands of candidates (and potential employees) ready to apply for new roles. They also allow employers to post jobs quickly without having to wait until they receive applications via email. This means that both sides benefit as soon as possible.
While job boards are great tools when used correctly, they aren’t necessarily perfect. Here are some downsides to keep in mind before you decide to join the world of job boards.
They don’t always attract high quality applicants, which means that employers may end up wasting time screening through hundreds of unsuitable resumes. This leads to lost revenue for them - especially if they pay per application fee.
There isn’t any guarantee that someone applying through a job board will actually become an employee, either. While most companies do take part in LinkedIn Premium, Facebook Marketplace, Adzuna, AngelList, Indeed, Simply Hired, and others, these platforms still rely heavily upon word of mouth advertising. If a candidate doesn’t like working for your company, it won’t help matters if they find you easily enough through a job listing.
There is also the issue of data protection. The majority of job boards only store information relating to each applicant, such as name, location details, skills, education, etc., and nothing else. However, even though this makes things easier for employers, it comes at the expense of personal privacy.
In addition, while job boards often include built-in analytics systems, these are usually very basic and rarely offer anything useful. For instance, you cannot see how long it takes each person to respond to your adverts, which would be extremely helpful.
That being said, job boards can certainly improve your chances of finding talent. As well as reducing costs and increasing efficiency, they also provide valuable insight into how recruiters interact with different types of job listings. So if you ever wanted to learn more about hiring practices, here's where to start.
Before you can create a job board, you first need to choose between building your own platform or signing up to a third party service provider. There are plenty of reasons why you might opt to invest in a dedicated system rather than trying to piece together a DIY approach.
For starters, it gives you full control over every aspect of your business. You can customize almost every feature, including design, layout, text, images and videos, and you have complete freedom regarding functionality. In short, you can craft a job board designed specifically around your needs.
Another advantage of using a professional tool is that you will likely save money compared to setting up a similar system yourself. Most providers charge on a monthly basis, whereas you can expect to fork out less if you buy upfront. Another option is to sign up to a subscription model, where you pay annually. This way, you only have to commit to paying once a year instead of several times per month.
However, depending on your technical knowledge, you might find it hard to achieve perfection during development. A lot of work goes into making sure that your system works seamlessly across multiple devices and browsers, plus it requires constant attention and maintenance.
A third option is to look at outsourcing your entire job board project. This allows you to hand off responsibility to experts, allowing you to focus on the important stuff. Plus, if you’re really struggling to come up with ideas for improving your existing site, you might want to explore ways of getting some inspiration from elsewhere.
There are lots of services available for freelancers looking to create websites. These range from simple themes for WordPress to fully functional CMSs. Some of these freelance developers specialize solely in web design and content creation, whilst others specialise in SEO and marketing strategy. Either way, you can rest assured that you’ll find a developer capable of helping you out.
Once you’ve decided on a suitable partner, it’s time to move onto the next step and select a hosting package. There are numerous options available, ranging from shared servers to VPSes and cloud solutions.
When it comes to choosing a job board, it’s best to think outside the box. Here are three examples of successful job boards that prove that you don’t need to follow trends to succeed.
1. MyCareerist
MyCareerist was launched back in 2009 and now boasts millions of users worldwide. With its emphasis on career advice, the platform offers a wide variety of topics, including ‘how to quit smoking’ and 'what to wear' amongst others.
2. Jobster
Founded in 2001, Jobster is one of the oldest job boards on the market today. Offering a broad selection of careers, the site attracts over 5 million visitors every day. Its interface is clean and uncluttered, making it ideal for mobile usage.
3. Gigsleuth
Gigsleuth is another popular choice among job seekers. Launched in 2014, the platform claims to connect talented individuals with employment opportunities based on specific criteria. Users must specify the type of role they are seeking along with preferred locations, salary expectations, desired number of hours worked, etc.
Creating a job board is relatively straightforward when you compare it to other forms of digital media. Although the process is slightly longer due to additional steps involved, the price tag shouldn’t put anyone off.
To kickstart your journey towards success, you’ll typically need to purchase domain names, SSL certificates, and web hosting space. Depending on the size of your team, this initial investment could amount to tens of thousands of dollars. Of course, this is only the beginning. Once your platform is live, you’ll need to cover ongoing fees related to hosting, bandwidth, security updates, domain renewals, etc.
As mentioned above, you can reduce expenses by purchasing a yearly plan. Alternatively, you could consider partnering with a specialist agency when it comes to launching your brand. Many reputable agencies offer discounted rates for clients who require regular support and assistance throughout the life cycle of the job board.
With the right combination of dedication and expertise, you should be able to manage your budget effectively. One thing is certain – if you’re serious about boosting your career prospects, you owe it to yourself to check out job boards. By taking action sooner rather than later, you can avoid missing out on potentially lucrative positions.
Job boards are websites that allow employers and candidates to find each other based on their skillsets. They have become increasingly popular in recent years as more companies look at how they can reduce recruitment costs by using them instead of traditional methods like word-of-mouth or advertising.
But while there's no shortage of options when it comes to building your own job board (and we've got some tips below), if you want something with more features than just an online resume database, then why not go down the route of hiring a white label job board provider? These businesses offer all kinds of services to help make running a successful business easier - such as marketing tools and payment processing.
So what exactly does this mean? And which ones would be best suited to your needs? We put together this guide so you'll know everything you need to about creating your own job board from scratch...or one of these third party providers!
A job board is essentially a website where people post jobs and applications. It may seem obvious but it's worth explaining because many people still don't understand its function. For example, a company could take advantage of a job board to advertise vacancies internally without having to pay for external ads or recruiters. Or it might be set up purely as a way to manage applicants' profiles and track their progress through the application process. The possibilities really are endless.
There are two main types of job board available today: community driven sites where anyone can sign up and start posting jobs, and paid subscription systems designed specifically for HR departments.
The latter tend to focus on managing applications rather than simply providing a platform for job postings, so you will usually get access to applicant tracking software, time management tools, reporting facilities and analytics packages. This makes it much simpler for potential employees to apply directly to the right role, allowing you to track who has applied and who hasn't.
Community-based job boards aren't always as well developed, although they do often provide functionality similar to those found on professional networks. You should also expect to see a greater number of "job alerts" here too, which means you won't miss out on any opportunities that come along.
As mentioned above, most job boards fall into one of two categories: either they're built around facilitating internal recruitment processes within large organizations, or they're focused primarily on connecting candidates to suitable roles outside of work. But regardless of which category you choose, job boards serve a very important purpose.
Firstly, they act as a central point of contact between both parties involved in a position opening. If you're searching for someone to fill a vacancy, you can easily browse through several different job boards and narrow down your search accordingly. Secondly, they facilitate communication between the employer and candidate, making sure everyone knows what stage things are at and helping to keep lines of communication open throughout the whole process. Finally, they're a great tool for keeping tabs on your current team members and finding new talent when needed.
In addition, job boards give the impression that there are plenty of positions available across the country (which isn't necessarily true). So they encourage candidates to apply early before others jump ahead of them. As a result, they increase competition levels and drive up salaries, especially for senior roles.
Finally, job boards enable you to target specific areas for recruiting purposes. By setting up campaigns on specific platforms, you can ensure only relevant users see your adverts. That means fewer irrelevant clicks and less money spent overall.
When choosing a job board service, it helps to think carefully about the kind of information you'd like to display alongside posts, including job titles, locations, salary ranges and skill sets. A good place to start is with the job board marketplaces themselves, which typically feature thousands of listings already organized according to location and industry sector. However, you shouldn't rely solely on these databases alone. Many job boards also have dedicated pages offering tailored solutions for small businesses and startups.
You should also check out the various sections offered by the big players, such as Indeed, Monster and Simply Hired, which contain hundreds of millions of user data points and job descriptions. In particular, you should note the availability of advanced metrics, job alerts and career advice. Job seekers can even receive personalized recommendations based on their profile preferences.
These days, job boards are becoming increasingly sophisticated, incorporating AI technology to improve the relevance of results displayed. For instance, you can now filter candidates by keywords related to your product or industry. Some even let you specify preferred languages and geographies, reducing the risk of missing out on top talents.
However, despite all these benefits, job boards remain notoriously difficult to master. There's a lot to consider, including deciding whether to charge per placement or per click, which content format to use and how to optimize your site for SEO. Then there's the tricky task of dealing with spam messages and fake accounts. All of these factors contribute towards the complexity of launching and maintaining a successful job listing portal.
Doing it yourself can therefore prove challenging, particularly if you lack technical expertise or resources. Fortunately, however, there are a wide range of affordable web development services available nowadays, ranging from basic HTML templates to fully integrated ecommerce solutions.
It's hard to deny that job boards are extremely effective at increasing employee turnover rates and motivating workers to seek better employment elsewhere. When combined with automated scheduling and reminder emails, they can significantly cut back on recruitment timescales.
That said, it's important to remember that job boards have limitations. First off, they are limited to local searches due to the amount of traffic generated. Second, they are unable to handle international markets effectively. Thirdly, they rarely generate enough interest to compete against traditional forms of advertising, such as print media. Lastly, they're not always able to cope with high volumes of incoming requests simultaneously, resulting in long wait periods for customers and poor customer experience ratings.
Nevertheless, job boards are undoubtedly an incredibly powerful tool that every business owner should consider implementing. With careful planning and attention to detail, you can transform your existing workforce and save significant amounts of cash in the process.
Whether you decide to launch your own job board or hire a freelancer to assist, make sure to weigh up the pros and cons thoroughly first. After all, the choice doesn't have to be yours forever!
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.