Lately job board bashing seems to be all the rage in the recruiting blogosphere. This article is my attempt to set the record straight and dispell the myths and rumors out there.
First, let’s be clear about the term job boards. There are many types of boards: general, niche, local, matching, etc. To classify all them as dying is stereotyping the entire industry. The fact is, there are many niche and local job boards who still have a lot of value to offer employers when it comes to recruiting talent.
However, I tend to agree with some who have said the big 3 boards have peaked in terms of sales and usage. But they are not going away overnight. No doubt social media has come on strong this year as the latest and greatest tool to recruit. But it is not the be all end all: it’s just another tool in the toolbox.
There are hundreds if not thousands of successful job boards, particulary in niche and local markets that provide a solid recruiting experience. We’re just another talent shortage away from seeing even more of them pop up. Yes, there are too many job boards that have sprouted, but this downturn will serve to trim the herd and keep it healthy.
Here are my top ten reasons for the continued existence of niche and local job boards.
- 1. Relevance: niche/local boards deliver targeted traffic of local job seekers or industry specific industries.
- 2. Cost: posting jobs on these smaller job sites often cost much less than the big guys and provide more bang for the buck.
- 3. Job Description: does anyone think the job description is going away? Recruiters need somewhere to post it.
- 4. Social Networks: I think these pipelines are best for sourcing and branding, not for filling immediate needs.
- 5. Hard to fill: in any economy there are always talent shortages in certain industries. Job boards will always exist to serve those needs.
- 6. Leads: recruiters are trained to use job boards. They’re not trained to use social networks. They still need leads for open positions.
- 7. SEO: job boards are better at driving search engine traffic to jobs than any employer or social networking group will ever be. Most candidates start their searches on Google.
- 8. Small business: they need job boards; we are their ATS! Small businesses create the most jobs, and their business owners need a quick and simple solution.
- 9. Evolution: job boards are morphing from just places to post jobs into valuable, relevant online talent communities.
- 10. Effectiveness: job boards still work. I should know since I run a few of them.
Popularity: 9% [?]
September 3rd, 2009 at 10:46 am
Well stated Chris…Recruitment is LOCAL and targeted and the future of recruitment is online on these niche sites. The Big three are changing and realizing this by partnering with local papers, associations and creating niche verticals.
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:52 am
One fundamental advantage of using a regional job board for job seekers is that the job board owners actually know exactly what jobs appear on the site. You don’t see a lot of scam jobs on niche sites.
A big advantage for employers is a commitment to customer service. If an employer calls and says “I’m not getting the responses I expect”, the niche site staff will do whatever it takes to help the employer out.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Absolutely right. And top of the heap is relevance and focus – this is something that the folks talking about the death of job boards tend to forget. The big boards ARE unfocused – just like Twitter and LinkedIn and…. Niche boards are extremely focused – and if well run, can deliver the kind of targeted traffic that most employers crave.
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
This job board bashing is really nothing new. I hear the same old story again and again. This has not changed in the last 10 years. Every other recruiting avenue that comes and goes says they are going to take over the job boards. NOT. Not anytime soon anyway. Twitter will long be gone while the job boards march on. Why? Because there is room for all kinds of applications that have a job section but job seekers also want to go to sites that ARE SPECIFICALLY FOR JOBS. That desire isn’t going to change. So next time you come accross another one of those job board bashing stories let the author know thay are just another cycle on a broken record(or CD).
September 4th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Chris…well put all around. I think you have outlined some really strong arguments for niche sites. I find 9 to be particularly compelling with such a shift toward community & online exchanges of highly relevant information. Thanks again for a great post…
September 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
1 and 9 are my favorite reasons that you listed. I think there will always be a place for niche, local, and first. That said, I think the niche job boards that will grow like crazy will find a way to offer more value to both sides – like reviews, remarkable content, behind-the-scenes access, or quality interactions.