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With all the job boards available, it’s not always easy to decide where your time and money are best spent. So what is the best job board? The short answer – there really isn’t just one. Not for everyone, anyway. There are, however, better ones. The key is figuring out what makes sense for your business, and to spend your time and money in those places. Let’s begin by breaking things down…

The Big Guys

You’ve no doubt worked with Monster and CareerBuilder already. They’re not the biggest for nothing. These sites have been around a while, and are still a “go to” of choice for employers and job seekers alike. They’re professional, they’re user friendly, and they have a whole lot to offer with regard to resources and communities. They span the gambit in terms of industries and levels of positions. If you’re trying to recruit candidates from all over the nation, or the world for that matter, these sites are a great place to start.

Indeed and SimplyHired are two other large sites considered aggregators because they scrape data from the internet off of other job sites. They each have a pretty comprehensive database of roles from everywhere, and these sites are also highly intuitive.

We can’t leave out Craigslist. Working in a classified ad model, Craigslist posts job openings in just about every industry conceivable, including contract and “gig” opportunities.

Niche Sites

If we’re being honest, the big sites are nice, but they don’t work for everyone. If your business is smaller, or in a unique location, or if the skill set you’re recruiting for is really specific, chances are, you’re going to have a harder time finding the right candidates on a huge job board. This is the reason niche sites have become such an integral part of the recruiting world. Depending upon the industry you recruit for, there are bound to be a few front runners that are well worth your time. For example:

Culintro – this is a top job site for the culinary industry utilized by restaurant professionals seeking to advance their careers in major metropolitan cities.

Clearance Jobs – this site specifically focuses on recruiting candidates who have active U.S. government security clearance.

AllRetailJobs – retail recruiting is arguably one of the toughest as the pace and volume is always fast and high. This site focuses on candidates specifically interested in working retail.

FlexJobs – what if your job is anything but typical? You’re looking for part-time, or work from home candidates, or perhaps contractors and freelancers. FlexJobs is where those candidates hang out looking for those “anything but typical” types of opportunities.

Dice – perhaps one of the biggest niche sites out there, almost everyone has at least heard of Dice.  The reason being that candidates in the tech space – think IT and Engineering – are heading to Dice for their next role.

C-Suite

For executive recruiters, the larger job sites are typically not as effective, because C-Suite executives aren’t there. You won’t often find their resumes in larger databases, however, they will look for opportunities on sites catered to their skills and experience. Some of the job boards doing this are The Ladders and Headhunter. They focus on matching senior-level candidates, normally in the 6-figure range, with executive level roles.

Your Own Website

With savvy job seekers doing a lot of homework before they ever apply with your company, chances are they’ve looked at you on social media, and perhaps even saw your postings on a larger job board, yet still chose to go directly to your website to apply. Or, candidates may have heard of you for years or have been referred by a current associate, and will be visiting your website as their first stop. Be sure that your job listing and careers page on your own website is intuitive and user friendly, attractive, and highlights the best your organization has to offer.

Getting Social

When social media first came on the scene, the platform most utilized by recruiters was LinkedIn. It was somewhat passive at first, and then steadily became a positive way to engage with candidates without being overtly direct. As time went on, LinkedIn created a full-fledged job board where candidates can not only search for open positions, but have the opportunity to see whom in their network works for those companies, and can find out more information about the organization and ask some poignant questions before submitting their resume.

Recognizing the power of social media, recruiters have started using other social media platforms as well. Facebook and Twitter also began as a passive way to connect with candidates, and can still be, however, companies use both to post openings, and have created candidate communities as well.  Pinterest has also become a player. Companies are pinning career related blog posts on Pinterest. This is another passive yet effective way to provide strong content and allow potential candidates some insight into your company.

Perhaps somewhat surprising to see on a list of job boards is Glassdoor. Originally created as a place for job seekers to do a little recognizance on an organization, now has a job listing of their own, and is a fantastic place for recruiters to showcase what their companies have to offer, and to provide more insight into who they are and what it’s like to work there.

The key to determining which job board is best for you is to assess what your needs are. Depending on the size of your organization and the types of roles you recruit for, you will most likely be using a combination of sites. You will also need to consider the location you live in, and whether or not that job board serves the population you’re targeting. Between the largest of them, niche sites, your own site, and social media, you’re bound to find the right combination of job boards to find the perfect candidates.

What’s the Right Choice for Your Jobs?

With all of these choices, the best job board is the one that works for you.  One of the best ways to make that determination is to use your applicant tracking system to manage all of your postings and run reports that will tell you how successful your sources are. The ATS should tell you which job boards or postings yield the most and the best applicants. To learn more about how The Applicant Manager can help streamline your posting process, make it easier for applicants to apply and provide critical data to help you maximize your recruiting dollars, please reach out.