What is a Job Board?

Job advertising used to be as simple as placing an ad in the local newspaper, putting up a Help Wanted sign in the window, or getting it out there through word of mouth. Today, advertising an open position is much more complicated—or much simpler—depending on how you look at it.

The job board is the place that connects you to the rest of the world

Today, job advertising is primarily done through online job boards. A job board is a website where employers can go to advertise their open positions and job seekers can go to search for open positions. The job board is the place that connects you to the rest of the world. They connect you to the top talent and help you draw in the most qualified applicants for your open positions. Additionally, job boards get your job seen by as many applicants as possible, which helps you build your applicant pool so you have more qualified talent to choose from.

Job boards come in many different shapes and sizes and cater to audiences of all different kinds. Most fall into one of three categories, industry based, keyword based, or location based. There are hundreds of thousands of online job boards that fall into each of these three categories. Depending on the job you are advertising and the candidate you are looking for, choosing the right job board(s) to advertise on plays an important part in garnering the applicants you need.

Keyword Based Job Boards

Keywords are a big deal when it comes to job advertising. In fact, almost all job boards fall under this category and all of the biggest job boards are set up on the basis of keywords. In a previous article we discussed how to properly optimize your job ad so keyword based job boards like CareerBuilder can direct the most qualified applicants to your open position.

Keywords work hand in hand with job ad visibility, which is why so many function on a keyword search basis.”

Keywords are a major player for job advertising. It’s important that job boards are set up on a keyword basis – that way when job seekers search for jobs, they come up with the most relevant jobs in the category and location that they are searching for. Optimizing your job so it is keyword optimized allows your job ads to get in front of as many job seekers as possible. Keywords work hand in hand with job ad visibility, which is why so many function on a keyword search basis.

Some keyword-based job boards are also known as job aggregators. Job aggregators function a little differently than a regular job board, but they are a job board all the same. Look out for an upcoming article in our Recruiting Basics series for all you need to know about job aggregators.

For more information about keywords and how to build your job description and job ad to attract more applicants, click here.

Location Based Job Boards

Location based job boards bring communities together

On nearly all job boards, you can search for jobs based on location, but there are some that keep their primary focus on location. Location based job boards are websites dedicated to a particular location, most often a large metro area that allows a higher visibility of your job ad by job seekers in the area. These job boards function most like newspaper classifieds. It follows a traditional format, but operates in the digital world, which offers a wider visibility for job seekers.

Working hand-in-hand with keywords, location based job boards bring communities together. Here, employers can use these job boards to draw directly from the community where the company is located. Most draw from the largest metro area closest to the job location. These job boards are effective if you want applicants who live close by. It is also effective at drawing in applicants from surrounding cities who are open to moving nearby the work location.

The job location is often one of the most determining factors whether an applicant applies for a position. Look to advertise your position in local online classifieds or college job boards. Some other location-based boards are Regional Help Wanted, Jobing, and state workforce agencies.

Advertising your jobs to a greater number of job boards will only strengthen your job ad’s visibility

Industry Based Job Boards

Industry based job boards are exactly what they sound like: job boards that allow employers to post jobs and job seekers to search for jobs based on the job industry. Many small job boards fall into this category. These typically have a niche industry that allows job seekers to find the right job in their field of interest. These boards are effective if the employer is targeting a certain audience, and especially for those job seekers who possess certain skills and abilities that an employer is looking for. From IT jobs to culinary jobs, there are thousands of job boards out there that fall into the industry-based category.

Industry based job boards typically don’t have a lot of users, so job seeker visibility is usually low. However, it allows your job ad to be seen by applicants who are more than likely to be qualified for the type of job for which you are hiring. Advertising your jobs to a greater number of job boards will only strengthen your job ad’s visibility and so it is seen by as many applicants as possible. The more applicants who see your job ad are more likely to apply – especially if it is advertised in the right place.

All of the Above

The more applicants who see your job ad are more likely to apply

There are many big job boards out there that encompass all of the above. I’m sure you’ve heard of Monster, Indeed, and CareerBuilder. These in particular utilize all of the above search tactics to help employers find their perfect candidates and job seekers to find the job they’ve been searching for. Some also automatically push your jobs out to additional job boards so that it is seen by as many qualified job seekers as possible.

How to sift through your growing applicant pool through the effective use of job boards is the next big step. Implementing an applicant tracking system into your hiring process will help you navigate through your applicant pool and find the one perfect candidate you’ve been looking for. ApplicantPro will not only help you track your applicants as they come through and apply to your open positions, but we also offer a job advertising service. With ApplicantPro, you can automatically push your jobs to Indeed and CareerBuilder. You have the opportunity to choose from our database of over 500 job boards and get your job advertised within 24 hours of the job push request.

To get started advertising your jobs with ApplicantPro click here