Are job boards still a valuable resource for employers/job seekers? 

This question has become a hot topic of debate in recent months.  Our team at Job Coconut have discussed the debate in detail.  This is what we (and upon researching the topic, the general blogging public) think!

The Fall from Grace of Generalist Job Boards

The generalist job boards such as Monster and CareerBuilder were the pioneers of the job board industry.  They became game changers in the recruitment industry, educating the public about the concept of a job board.

But today, over a decade later, the market has changed dramatically.  Due to waning job opportunities these sites became wildly popular.   The job boards became inundated with CVs.  For each job vacancy, recruiters had to sift through a deluge of largely irrelevant candidates. 

For example, Monster is still among the biggest job boards, with more than 70 million stored resumes and over 1 million job postings at any given time.   As a result, these job boards don’t normally yield a high number of suitable candidates for specialist vacancies but may prove effective for a broader campaign.  It also raises awareness of a brand.  Employers continue to use these job boards also because they are comparatively cheaper than using a recruitment agency.

  The Rise of LinkedIn

Job boards are also being threatened by social media and networking sites such as LinkedIn.  These sites are increasingly playing a role in the recruitment process.  Recruiters are using LinkedIn to:

• Screen and verify candidates - using their profile, which paints a fuller picture of a candidate’s capabilities versus simply a CV. 
• Use Linkedin InMails - to personally reach out to candidates. 
• Participate in LinkedIn groups - an ideal way to source relevant potential candidates and employers can post job vacancies.

However, 80% of people on LinkedIn are passive candidates.   This means that they are not actively seeking a new job.  So, in many cases recruiters could be wasting their time reaching out to candidates whose qualifications are easy to view but are plainly not that interested in a new job.

We at Job Coconut, think that it is vital for both job seekers and employers to have an up to date and active LinkedIn profile.  For an example of a company’s profile click here (feel free to follow us!). 

 The rise of niche job boards

Niche jobs boards are playing an increasingly important role in the recruiting space.   They are advantageous for both employers and job seekers as they are industry-specific.  This means that instead of offering job postings across the board they provide career opportunities and information tailored to a particular industry.

Some of the advantages of using a niche job board include:

• Viable employers – niche job boards tend to attract more credible and enthusiastic employers than general job boards.  Often, the requirements for job posters are more stringent on niche boards, ensuring a level of quality.  As a result, candidates tend to be more relevant, thus, there is likely to be more engagement and mutual benefits.
• Easier to navigate – rather then applying for jobs in countless industries, niche job boards are more focused on speciality areas than job categories.  This makes job seekers searches more tailored to individuals rather than the masses.
• Smaller applicant pool – it is more likely that employers will receive a small but more relevant stream of potential candidates.  For job seekers applications are more likely to get noticed, as you are not up against hundreds of candidates. 

We at Job Coconut we believe that job boards (notably niche job boards) are not dead, but alive and well!  What about you?  Do you think that job boards are still relevant for employers or job seekers?  We would love to hear your view!

If you are struggling to find a decent job board to satisfy your employment needs why not check out Job Coconut.  Our “niche” is for people with a global mind-set who wish to work abroad.  Click here to view the site.