How to choose the right job board for your job ad

By Amy @BubbleJobs

So you’ve been tasked with the job of recruiting for a new position for your company – lucky you! You’ve got the job ad and job spec all lined up (remember, they are different!) and now all you’ve got to do is find the right job board for your particular role…. and…. you come to a grinding halt!

Yep, picking a job board is often easier said than done, particularly when there are a handful of really funky looking sites out there which cater specifically to jobs within your niche and which all promise a great ROI. Now, while it’s great that there’s so much choice out there, it can make your job as a recruiter or direct employer a little tricky to say the least.

So where do you start? Well, when it comes to tracking down the perfect job board, there are a number of things you need to consider before you take the plunge and hand over a hefty percentage of your recruitment budget.

First up, you need to look at the roles you’re looking to fill to see whether you need a niche job board (a la Bubble) or a more general job board which advertises every type of job under the sun. Both have their advantages but if you’re looking to recruit for a specialist role which requires super-niche skills and experience, you’re probably better off with a niche job board which has been specifically set up to attract a certain kind of candidate.

It probably goes without saying but you need to consider the prices charged by each job board before you make a decision. From a couple of pounds to a few thousand pounds (yes, really!), the price you pay to post an advert can fluctuate massively so it’s always worth doing your research. If you’ve got a couple of roles to fill in the same niche, why not be cheeky and see if you can get a knock-down price if you post them all on the same site? Better yet, stick your neck out and ask for a free trial if you’re having reservations about the potential of a particular job board – what’s the worst they can say?! No?!

Another thing you need to consider is how your job ads will be promoted social media-wise. You might find it hard to believe but while some job boards work around the clock to get the word out about your job, some job boards don’t actually lift a finger when the time comes to promote your ad – shocking, right?! Obviously, the more a job ad gets promoted, the more views it should attract and (in theory) the more candidates should apply so it might be worth paying a bit extra to make sure your ad gets shouted about on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

You also need to work out what the job board can offer not just to recruiters but to candidates too. A site which offers just a basic job board will obviously attract visitors (people are always looking for jobs, right?) but if that’s all they offer, they might not be attracting as many visitors as a job board which has a quality blog (ahem!) and is packed with useful job seeker tips, advice and unique tools. If a site is multi-purpose (ie. jobs, information and news), there’s a strong possibility it’ll get more visitors than a site which isn’t and in the end, more visitors has got to equal more views for your very own job ad.

Last but not least you need to consider if the job board you’re considering is part of a wider network of job boards. Some independent, niche job boards are part of a larger, integrated network of job boards – this means that every time you post a job on one, they’ll automatically post it on any others within the network and niche – for free! Yep, pretty clever isn’t it? Like we said before, the more eye balls you can get on your particular job board, the more candidates you should get applying so a job board which is part of a wider network could be the way to go!

Tags: job board tips, Job Boards, online recruitment, recruiter advice, recruiter tips

About the Author

Amy Edwards Amy Edwards is the SEO Manager for Bubble Jobs. With a strong background in online content and copywriting, Amy is responsible all the on-site and off-site SEO of Bubble Jobs and the Bubble Jobs blog. You can follow her on Twitter here or add her to your circles on Google+ here.