How to spend less posting on job boards
Job boards cost your agency financially and must be factored into job hiring stats. Increasingly, job board credits are costing more and more. Yet, historically have been essential to recruitment agencies, and wil continue. But, at times, agencies have spent more than they should on boards because consultants are not using the many tools at their disposal. In this piece we look at why and what the alternatives are to you.
Why decreasing job board dependency matters
Managing a recruitment agency’s bottom line takes careful consideration of everything that you invest in. If you’ve been keeping an eye on industry news lately, you’ll probably have heard of some job boards raising their prices by up to 300%.
This is a trend that’s continued over the past few years, as for example SEEK (in Australia) moved to variable pricing.
Recruiting has entered the era when job postings outnumber candidates. Combining that with the fact that job board price increases are unlikely to slow, and it’s clear that agencies will need to find more efficient ways to source candidates.
A more self-reliant recruitment agency won’t be as vulnerable to increased sourcing costs. And using the same level of resources to bring in more candidates will protect the business’ bottom line.
We’ve put together this guide to cover bringing job posting in-house. Besides a list of tips on how to spend less on job boards, we’ve also got a guide to writing more effective job postings.
Whether you’re posting a job to your own site, improving your websites’ candidate attraction strategy, or setting goals to streamline sourcing, it all comes down to efficiency.
How to spend less on job boards
1. Set limits for consultants’ use of job boards
When using job boards, are you sure how effective they are to you? Once you’ve decided to invest in one, can you control how and when it’s used? A lock and key isn’t feasible, so your relationships will be essential. At times, consultants might be tempted to look for more candidates just by adding a new post to a job board. With job boards costing around £130 per post, this is a drain on company resources that might not prove to be effective.
To control consultants’ use of external job boards, try considering these questions:
1. Do you have visibility over every job posting created by one consultant?
2. Have they got the latest advice on writing a job board advert?
3. How many credits do you have per job board and how long do they last?
4. Are you using the best job boards for your industry sectors? Are there any niche job boards where your candidates are more like to apply to?
5. Do you have any data from the placements you’ve made from your job boards?
2. Use networking and referrals as alternative to posting on job boards
Networking and referrals are becoming increasingly popular as a cost-effective way to attract job candidates for a recruitment agency. Instead of paying fees associated with job boards, networking and referrals are more efficient in terms of time and cost associated with the entire job search process. When job postings are shared via social networks like LinkedIn, job hunters can get prompt responses from potential employers while saving job board costs. Since job seekers rely on referrals more often when looking for employment, leveraging existing contacts or professional networks on the internet is preferred by most. The typical job board costs associated with posting job descriptions and searching for the best fit candidate can be saved through digital channels when combined with traditional channels such as word-of-mouth recommendations from colleagues or friends in order to find qualified job applicants for any company or agency.
3. Leveraging social media networks
Social media networks have become an incredibly powerful tool that can be leveraged to promote and grow businesses, organizations, and personal brands. They allow for meaningful interaction and engagement with clients, supporters, and followers, creating new opportunities for expanding influence and reach. In today's digital age, staying well-informed about the latest trends and constantly adapting social media strategies is essential to remain relevant and competitive. By utilizing platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, businesses can effectively target specific demographics, establish a strong online presence, and foster dialogue with their audience. Furthermore, leveraging the analytic tools offered by these platforms can yield valuable insights which can be applied to improve marketing campaigns and burgeon brand exposure. Regardless of the size or niche, embracing the power of social media networks is a strategic imperative for anyone looking to achieve continuous growth and success in today's interconnected world.
4. Leverage your website for candidate attraction
Your recruitment website, if utilised correctly, can be a great alternative candidate attraction tool to job boards. With easily accessible and optimised job content on your website, your candidates can be directed straight to your site from their initial job search on Google, whether it’s via GoogleForJobs or the organic search listings, skipping the job board process entirely and significantly reducing costs – sounds great, doesn’t it?
Naturally, this isn’t something that you can achieve quickly, but putting in the time and effort can reap rewards. Here’s what you need to consider to ensure you can leverage your recruitment website and reduce the reliance on posting on job boards: · Develop and execute a strong SEO strategy and ensure your website content is optimised for search. Ideally, you want to choose a recruitment website supplier that is optimised for GoogleForJobs out of the box.
· Ensure that once visitors land on your site your website presents an easy and equitable user experience. Volcanic have produced an eBook which highlights key design aspects of a website to ensure you maximise engagement and conversions. Download your copy here.
· Continually analyse the effectiveness of your marketing channels. Your recruitment website platform should present in-depth analytics and insights to help you make informed decisions about which channels are performing over others. This will enable you to invest more time and resources in the high-performing channels to drive more quality candidate traffic to your website.
5. Is your CRM helping you reduce posting on job boards?
Investing in a well-optimised CRM is an essential step for any job recruitment agency and can save costly job board costs. Rather than posting job openings on job boards, you should start by scouring through the candidates already in your CRM to look for potential matches. Not only does this ensure that you are investing in the candidates who are already interested in your services, but it can also improve candidate attraction as job seekers begin to recognise how much you appreciate them from the very beginning stages of their engagement with your business. Developing an effective CRM is key to successful and cost-efficient recruitment strategies.
6. Use a well-balanced approach
It is essential for recruitment agencies to maximise efficiency and provide top-notch services for both clients and job seekers alike. One critical aspect of achieving this goal involves setting limits for consultants' use of job boards within your agency. By establishing proper guidelines, you'll ensure that your consultants are using these valuable resources in a focused and productive manner, and ultimately driving better results for your agency. A well-balanced approach to job board usage ensures that time spent looking for suitable candidates is optimised and does not compromise the quality of the service provided. Moreover, defining these boundaries not only fosters a more organised and efficient work environment, but it also encourages your consultants to think outside the box and explore alternative methods of recruitment. Placing thoughtful constraints on job board utilisation within your recruitment agency serves as an investment in long-term growth and success, benefiting all stakeholders involved. In today’s fast-paced recruitment landscape, it’s advisable for consultants to think of the other options before spending aimlessly on job boards.
How to write a great job posting
If you are going to use a job board posting, there are some top tips to ensure candidates see it and take action – applying for your advertised role! Writing a great job posting is essential when it comes to attracting the right candidate for your role. It should be succinct, descriptive and full of no-fluff details surrounding the job responsibilities and qualifications of the ideal candidate. If you’re posting on various job boards, keep in mind that may have different requirements for posting length, formatting, or even content restrictions. You should also highlight any benefits associated with the position such as office culture, benefits packages, opportunity for growth etc. Include what makes your company unique – this can help engage possible candidates and bring excitement
to their job search. Make sure you are appealing to everyone by using inclusive language. By welcoming a diverse candidate pool, you’ll be widening the scope of outstanding candidate applying.
What a good job posting does
A well-crafted job posting serves as a crucial tool in attracting the right candidates and streamlining the hiring process. By effectively outlining the position's requirements, responsibilities, and expectations, it not only piques the interest of potential applicants but also conveys the company's values and culture. This transparency enables job seekers to make informed decisions about their fit for the position, ultimately saving time for both parties. Furthermore, a good job posting increases the likelihood of reaching qualified candidates who match the company's needs and can contribute positively to its success. In essence, a carefully composed job posting establishes a strong foundation for a productive working relationship and promotes your growth.
What to include in a job posting
In today's competitive job market, attracting a diverse candidate pool can help your agency tap into a rich reservoir of talent and innovation. To ensure your job posting appeals to a wide range of potential applicants, it's vital to craft an inclusive and informative description that accurately communicates not only the role and its responsibilities but also reflects your company's commitment to diversity and inclusion. Begin by using gender-neutral language and endeavour to showcase your agency and your client’s values, culture, and policies that support a diverse workforce. Moreover, be explicit about your dedication to equal opportunity and emphasize how diverse perspectives are needed to drive growth and success. Highlighting any relevant employee resource groups, mentorship programs, or career development initiatives is an added bonus. Remember that an engaging job posting is your first step towards attracting top talent from all backgrounds, so let your commitment to diversity and inclusion shine through.
Final thoughts
When posting job openings, agency leaders need to weigh the cost and benefits of posting on job boards. By researching posting options and seeking cost-effective alternatives, employers can sustain low posting costs on job boards while still successfully filling open positions. Leveraging referrals, networking and social media platforms can all help reduce posting costs. Ultimately, finding the right mix of posting options is the key to posting job openings cost-effectively. The end result of posting on job boards is finding the qualified candidates for open positions, and employers should always keep this in mind when selecting which job board to use. Posting effectively can help reduce posting costs while still finding the right employees for your recruitment business.
Take your candidate attraction to a new level and one in which you are in control. With Volcanic, you have access to candidate portals, reporting dashboards, SEO tools and the ability to integrate with your back-office software so you can see and review where your candidates are coming. With Volcanic, you'll get the benefits of posting on job boards without breaking the bank. Try it now risk-free and start saving money on job board postings today. Book your no-obligation demo today
