How to post to multiple job boards
It has never been easier to cast a wide net by posting jobs to multiple job boards. In this post we offer a refresher on the basics from writing great job descriptions to getting the right balance between premium and free job posting sites.
Effective hiring is critical to any business so there is no reason why it can’t be a more conscious and structured effort. A strategic approach to job posting is the first step. Then, you can use job boards for sourcing candidates and resumes.
Unsure where to begin? We provide you with everything you need to maximize the exposure and effectiveness of your job ad:
Posting to multiple job boards: The basics
The job ad title
The job ad’s title is the first thing that attracts candidates. They’re not likely to click on a job posting where the title is ambiguous or uninviting. But if you are tempted to include enthusiastic titles like “ninja” or “wizard”, be warned. Using terms that candidates are searching for is more likely to get them to notice your job ad. Use the correct keywords that will make your ad both attractive and easy to find.
The job description
When writing your job ad, you should pay attention to the job description. Vague descriptions can drive away candidates while concrete and professional ones can motivate them to apply. It’s your chance to make the responsibilities and requirements of the job as clear as possible. Understand the role, be concise and avoid jargon while including the correct keywords. If you’re unsure, use templates from our job description library.
The candidate experience
Put yourself in the job seeker’s place for a moment. How many clicks are you willing to go through to find a career’s page or an application form? How many forms or fields can you fill out before you abandon the application process? Also, if you belonged to almost half of the job seekers going mobile in their job search, would you not be put off by a process that is not mobile-friendly? The more complicated you make it to apply, the more qualified candidates you will miss out on. It’s simply not worth it. Aiming for a great candidate experience can make a difference.
How do I post jobs?
So, you have everything in place. An excellent job description and a streamlined application process. The time to start attracting candidates has come and you are wondering how to post jobs:
Careers page
Your careers page is the home of your job ad. Before it starts traveling through job boards and social media, this is the place it should appear on first. Make sure you have a careers page that does credit to your company and your job postings. Keep the necessity for a unique candidate experience always in mind.
Social media
The power of social media to connect people is undeniable. Communicate that you are hiring through your company’s account and reach a wide audience that includes, not only job seekers, but also passive candidates. In fact, most of the candidates you want, are not actively looking for a job. Your employees can be great allies: by letting them share job openings you are extending your reach even further and enhancing brand awareness. Do your research to find out what social media works best. It is also highly recommended to set up a referral system for your employees.
Free Job boards
Job boards are essential for hiring. Despite social media’s help in your recruiting process, job boards are still the ultimate application providers. You can post jobs to multiple job boards free of charge or you can opt for paid job ads. Whether you choose to pay for a job listing eventually, it is always advisable to post jobs for free first.
Paid Job boards
Free job posting can work quite well in many cases. Indeed’s free job ads have millions of unique (and qualified) visitors. Depending on the circumstances though, you may consider opting for paid job listings. Some examples where it may be a good idea to pay for a job listing are:
- The best job boards for your particular job listing are paid
When you aim for a wide reach and large volume of applications, paid global job boards like Indeed, Monster or Careerbuilder can be supremely effective.
- You are hiring for highly qualified positions
Niche job boards allow better targeting of qualified candidates. When you are hiring for highly qualified engineers or physicians, you don’t want your e-mail to be clogged with hundreds of unqualified applications. Niche job boards aim for better targeting and can help you get the best candidates more easily. They can be categorized by industry (e.g. stackoverflow.com), job type (e.g. flexjobs.com), diversity (e.g. diversityworkers.com) or other factors (e.g. collegerecruiter.com). Search for the best niche job boards to find out what is best for you.
- You want to hire someone as quickly as possible
When making a hire is a matter of urgency, paying for a job ad can be advantageous. A free job posting will likely get buried under other listings.
For a comprehensive list of all listing sites use our job board directory to find free and paid job boards, by industry or location.
More: The best places to post your job openings
Post to multiple job boards with one click
Do you find manually posting jobs to different sites a hassle? So do we. It may be easy to lose track and spreadsheets aren’t exactly your saviors in this instance. There are ways to post jobs to multiple job boards without being overwhelmed with the process. You have the following alternatives:
- Job boards with partner sites
There are some job boards that will give you the option to post a job to one or more of their partner sites to maximize visibility. Mashable.com, for example, will charge an extra fee to post your job ad to three partner networks.
- Applicant Tracking Systems
Apart from making your hiring process easier and providing you with a single and searchable place to store resumes and applications, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) save time and effort on job posting. Workable, for example, can post your job advert to more than 10 free job boards automatically.
Additionally, you can choose from a list of free and premium job boards and post your job to all of them with one submission.
What are the common paid advertising methods?
The most popular advertising method is pay-to-post or pay per job listing. Its philosophy is simple. After creating your account, you prepare your job ad and post it for 30, 60 or more days, according to the job boards pricing options. This model is the most widespread and very easy to use. Recently though, other models are slowly gaining popularity and they may be worth exploring. You may look for pay-per-click or pay-per-candidate options. Find out more about job advertising options and evaluate them according to your specific needs.
