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What Are Online Job Boards—Meaning, Usage, and Benefits Explained
Are you starting a business? Do you have a few positions to fill? The days of posting job ads on physical notice boards (the original job boards) are over.
If you are new to online job boards, the meaning and usage may seem confusing initially, but we will explain what they are, why they are so beneficial, and how to use them efficiently to identify and hire top talent in your industry.
You will also find our top picks for the best job boards with their pros, cons, and prices.
What Is an Online Job Board?
Online job boards are the best resources you can use to access a vast pool of candidates in any industry and at any price range. Employers use these websites to promote vacancies while jobseekers look for available work opportunities.
Most websites offer jobseekers fantastic filtering options to find suitable positions based on location, experience, salary range, and more, so you are more likely to receive applications from candidates who fit your requirements. Interested candidates can apply on the website or be redirected to your ATS.
When posting an ad on an online job board, you should offer a detailed job description. That way, jobseekers can see whether they fit the profile, and you won’t waste time with unsuitable candidates. It is also respectful to people applying for a position because they won’t spend their time and energy on a job they most likely won’t get.
There are numerous job boards, some of which you must pay to use, while others offer free job posting options. Free job listings usually don’t get much exposure, but most websites offer different pricing plans, depending on the features and visibility. In most cases, the more you pay, the better your ad will be promoted.
Job boards can be general and niche-specific. General options allow employers across different industries to post their vacancies. These platforms are fantastic because they usually have a wide talent pool. Niche-specific websites focus on particular industries and can help you find lawyers, medical professionals, creatives, engineers, developers, or other experts in a specific field.
Why Are Online Job Boards Beneficial?
Job boards are immensely helpful to employers and recruiters looking for qualified hires because they:
- Allow employers to reach many candidates
- Provide resume banks
- Help with company branding
Reaching Numerous Candidates
Online job boards have been around for years. Many have an extensive database of jobseekers, so you can reach a lot of potential candidates. Such a vast talent pool means you can find potential employees at any price range, with specific skills and various levels of experience—and at any location. This increases your chances of finding suitable candidates for your business.
Some job boards also have an integrated applicant tracking system (ATS), making applicant management even easier. You can see your candidates in one place, your email won’t be flooded, and you can quickly review each application and compare potential hires.
Resume Banks
Many job boards allow jobseekers to create a profile by uploading their resumes and portfolios, so you can easily determine if a candidate matches your requirements in terms of qualifications and experience even before they apply. You can headhunt users who may not be looking for a new job currently or have not seen your ad and hire the best person without posting an ad.
Company Branding
Some job boards, like LinkedIn and Indeed, allow you to create your company page on their websites. You can present your organization and share your business vision, culture, and values. Presentation is essential because it helps companies attract suitable candidates.
Some platforms also allow users to rate employers and share reviews.
How To Promote Your Vacancies Effectively on Online Job Boards
To attract suitable candidates on a particular job board, you should:
- Research listings for similar positions
- Present your company values and culture
- Write a detailed and attractive ad
Research Similar Listings
You must understand who you are competing against. Hiring top talent is not easy, regardless of the position or industry.
You should make your offer attractive. The actual ad must stand out from other listings, so put time and effort into creating it or hire a professional to assist you.
Check out:
- What your competitors’ job ads look like
- The salary ranges they offer
- Perks and benefits
You should offer better terms, write an attractive yet concise ad, and showcase your company culture. You must be straightforward about the responsibilities, expectations, and benefits because the relationship should be based on trust and honesty from the beginning.
There are usually millions of ads on job boards, so making yours stand out is crucial for a successful hiring process.
Sell Your Brand
If a job board lets you create a company page, use the opportunity to present your business positively yet honestly. You must sell your vision to the best possible candidate.
Since the competition is fierce, think about what will make a qualified candidate pick you over others. Your logo, positive language, and fancy features like recruitment videos are not your entire brand. Tell your potential employees what makes you unique and how they can progress and develop by cooperating with you.
Storytelling is vital during this part of the process but don’t make promises you can’t keep or sugarcoat the challenges because your business can get a bad rep if current or potential employees feel deceived.
Write a Good Job Ad
Your ad must be super specific to attract the right candidates. It should include:
- Job requirements—Specify what skills and qualifications you expect from applicants. This will discourage unqualified ones from sending their applications
- Responsibilities—Applicants need to know what the job entails. It will tell them if they are capable of handling the responsibilities
- Your offer—Your ad should present what the chosen candidate will get if they decide to work for you. Specify the salary, perks, paid time off, training and career development opportunities, and anything else you deem relevant
What Are the Best Online Job Boards?
Depending on your company size, industry, and budget, you can benefit from different job boards. We will present you with the best options in three categories:
- Free job posting websites
- Premium job boards
- Niche platforms
Free Job Posting Websites
Many platforms offer free trials or free posting options. While they may not come with all the useful features or give your ad the exposure the paid option would, they are still a fantastic starting point.
The table below presents some of the most popular free online job boards and those with free trials and affordable paid plans. You can check their strongest features, weak points, and starting prices for job ad posting.
| Job Board | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Indeed | Over 63 million diverse job seekers per month Applicant screening option Applicant tracking system Ability to review candidate’s resume | Sponsored job ads can get costly Heavy email traffic Subpar filtering and search capabilities |
| AngelList Talent | Great remote work filters Options to see salary and equity | Primarily for startup and tech jobs Not many entry-level positions |
| SimplyHired | Easy candidate sorting process Intuitive interface Interview scheduling option Vast talent pool | Hard to integrate with an ATS No message automation |
| Google for Jobs | Job postings displayed based on search queries Regional search results with the “jobs near me” feature User-friendly | No focus on the employer brand No social media integration |
| JobSpider | Resume bank Works well with an ATS | Not many additional or customizable features |
| PostJobFree | Large audience Integrates well with an ATS Resume alerts for profiles that match your needs Job ads syndicated to other job boards | Access to full candidate profile only for paying clients Poor design (seems spammy and unreliable) |
| Ladders | No limits to the number and duration of job listings Easy to use Reliable customer support Diverse talent pool | Some listings are confidential Geared to executive positions mostly |
| JobInventory | Aggregates posts from other job boards A scam-prevention system Regional search filter | Account registration necessary |
| Workable | Easy to navigate Vast talent pool Applicant tracking Social media sharing Resume management | Non-intuitive data visualization Doesn’t detect duplicate applications |
Premium Job Boards
Paying for an ad on a premium job board comes with various perks. You’ll get high visibility and maximize your reach to jobseekers.
Some of the best options include:
| Job Board | Pros | Cons | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monster | Suitable for companies of all sizes Flexible services Option to track job ads and candidate statuses Intuitive UI Excellent database | Limited candidate information Many inactive candidates and outdated resumes | From $279/month for 1 job ad |
| Free option available Most popular website among jobseekers Interview scheduling option Integrates easily with ATS | Hard to track candidates without paying extra Can’t target the audience | PPC promotion from $5 | |
| CareerBuilder | Sourcing candidates by location Contacting candidates via the CareerBuilder platform Creating original and generic email and job templates Large audience | Doesn’t integrate well with ATS Not user-friendly | From $375 |
| Nexxt | Large audience Various pricing plans Social media exposure Resume bank available for all packages | No trial period or free posting option Costly | From $119 |
| Snagajob | Option to create a customized career page Ability to screen candidates with follow-up questions Interview scheduling feature E-verifying integration for staff onboarding | Focuses on hourly and in-demand jobs Inefficient customer support | From $89 per post per month |
| FlexJobs | Excellent sorting options Good customer support No scams | Mostly targets remote positions No free option | From $399 a month |
| ZipRecruiter | 5-day free trial Option to cancel the listing before the trial ends User-friendly Wide candidate pool | Not great at filtering spam Paid option can be pricey | Depends on different factors like the number of ads |
Niche Platforms
If you want to fill a position in a specific niche, look for job boards specializing in particular industries. Here are some examples:
What To Do When the Applications Start Arriving
Posting ads on multiple job boards is only the first step. You will quickly realize that sourcing candidates is not the most difficult task in the world. In fact, you may end up with more applications than you can handle.
You must optimize and streamline your hiring funnel to process all the applicants efficiently so the best ones don’t slip through your fingers. Having a system that will allow you to review all the applications, reject unqualified candidates, and reach out to the good ones quickly is essential. What you need are a reliable applicant management system and email automation.
Why Is Hiring Qualified Candidates So Hard?
Even when you manage to contact candidates with suitable resumes, hiring the wrong person is still highly possible.
Resumes and interviews can tell you only as much about a particular candidate. You must test them to get a clear idea of whether an applicant is a good match for your company. Pre-hire assessment is a much more reliable way to understand how well they would perform.
Marketing experts like Alex from Slingshot Content and Gaetano from Nextiva already use pre-hire testing to ensure they pick the best candidates.
Alex (Founder @ Slingshot Content)
Gaetano (Head of Growth @ Nextiva)
Why Are Companies Hiring With Workello?
Workello is an all-encompassing platform that helps you optimize your hiring process. You can move applicants through your hiring funnel effortlessly with a single click.
You can efficiently communicate with candidates without cluttering your email by sending automated rejection emails, interview invites, and actual offers.
Best of all, Workello lets you send pre-hire assessment tests to candidates who meet your basic requirements.
Here’s how Workello helps you hire the top 1% candidates in any field and at any price point:
- View all candidate applications in the same place—your unique Workello dashboard
- Send pre-hire assessments developed by subject matter experts to promising candidates with a single click
- Interview the candidates with the best scores
- Hire a candidate who is a perfect fit for your organization
The best part is—everything’s pre-configured, so you can set up an automated hiring funnel with Workello in 3 minutes and start assessing candidates today!
Start your Workello free trial and discover a faster, easier, data-driven way to hire top talent.
