Dig Deeper Into Online Job Boards And Win

Sssh!  Can you hear it?  It’s the sound of staffing and recruiting professionals everywhere connecting to job boards with their recruiting software!

Job boards have long been the go-to channel to connect with candidates.  Even today, with the advent of social media and new tactics to find talent, job boards are still at the top of the list of recruiting tools.

Some might argue that job boards are overrated.  Yet the numbers associated with big boards such as LinkedIn, Monster and Career Builder show their continued popularity.

In a recent post, Subadhra Sriram, editorial director of Staffing Industry Analysts, shared some interesting findings from a 2014 Temporary Workers Survey – Job Board/Social Networking Usage:

“Job boards scored higher than recruiting tactics like hiring from existing candidate lists, referral bonuses, listing jobs on company website, advertising one’s firm, etc.”

Sriram explains that while Monster, Indeed, LinkedIn and CareerBuilder are the popular choices for temp workers, Dice comes into play for IT jobs and Craigslist for office/clerical.

Yet beyond that, writes David Gee in a Staffing Talk article, the niche sites popping up across the virtual hiring landscape are attracting their own tribes of followers.  “According to one job board expert, 2013 may have been the best year for niche job boards ever.”

He quotes Job Board Doctor Jeff Dickey-Chasins to offer proof:

“It’s a different industry than it was 10 years ago certainly, but it is definitely growing,’ says the Job Board Doctor Jeff Dickey-Chasins, a veteran of the job board, publishing, and e-learning industries. “About a third of the clients I work with are start-ups, and I see new ones every week.”

Does this mean that job boards have the potential of knocking staffing and recruiting professionals out of the game?

Not likely.

While job board use is clearly robust, the staffing and recruiting industry is also enjoying growth across sectors.  In fact, the American Staffing Association presented a rosy batch of numbers last year.

In the first quarter of 2013 U.S. staffing and recruiting companies employed an average of 2.86 million temp and contract workers per day.  This number was up 2.9 percent compared to the same time frame the year before.

The ASA Quarterly Employment and Sales Survey also found that “The January through March period marked 13 consecutive quarters of year-to-year staffing job growth since the recession ended in 2009.”

So putting together the puzzle pieces we find that job boards are serious recruiting gems and creative staffing and recruiting professionals can look forward to long and happy careers.  But there is a cautionary note to be found amongst all the rainbows and butterflies.

Anybody can do the basics when it comes to job boards.  It’s those folks who dig deeper into the value and capabilities of these channels to create relationships that will beat out the competition.

They aren’t just firing up their recruiting software and hoping for the best.  They are going beyond by:

• Familiarizing themselves with niche sites in the industries they serve
• Using their recruiting software to start conversations, engage with candidates and join communities
• Connecting with candidates through such tactics as targeted emails
• Getting active with mobile-based job search and applications

Just as importantly, the more successful pros understand that job boards can be great brand-building tools.

The message to hungry staffing and recruiting players is a call to action to leverage job boards as part of your industry footprint.  Combine an active presence at these sites with all the things you are doing to keep your company name vibrant in the marketplace.

Job boards can be just one element in conjunction with your social media branding to keep you on the path of creating a powerful name for your staffing and recruiting firm.

Pretty soon, the sound you hear may very well be more candidates filling up your sales funnel.  Can you hear it?

To learn more on recruiting strategies and issues, check out our whitepaper on 6 Ways Staffing Agencies Can Engage Their Social Channels.