Getting the Most Out of Niche Job Boards

Despite recent changes in the online recruiting world, many employers still rely on niche job boards to reach specific groups of candidates. These niche sites – many of which have been active for years – actively market to targeted groups of job seekers. For example, you can find sites devoted to real estate finance experts, traveling nurses, extreme sports experts, and much more.

So how can you get the most out of your investment in niche job sites? Here are some pointers:

(1.) Find the right site: There are thousands of sites devoted to every niche and sub-niche that you can imagine – the challenge is locate the best sites for your needs. Early in 2011, InternetInc’s published a good list of the top 100 niche sites – these are the best known in their industry sectors. Also ask recent hires about where they looked when searching. Finally, use search engines such as Google or Bing to learn which sites are listing the job titles that match your own positions.*

(2.) Write a compelling job ad: It’s common advice – but it’s also extremely important: write a job ad that attracts the types of candidates you want and weeds out the candidates you don’t. The good news about a niche site is that you’re reaching more targeted candidates; the bad news is that you’re competing with more employers in your sector. Often times your job ad is the best way to stand out as an ‘employer of choice.’

(3.) Don’t rely on job postings: Most niche sites offer a variety of ways to reach candidates – not just job postings. Take advantage of them! Some sites send job openings through targeted emails to specific subgroups of job seekers, or advertise jobs in the newsletters or job alerts that candidates receive. Also ask about any employer branding opportunities that are available. Many sites now offer social media promotions as well.**

Niche job boards can improve your hiring effectiveness by putting you in front of the specific candidates you want – and usually at a much lower cost per hire than the ‘big boards.’  Use them!

 

The Job Board Doctor is Jeff Dickey-Chasins. Jeff was the original marketing director for Dice.com, growing it from $7 million to $65+ million in three years. He has worked with 100+ job boards and HR-related sites over the past 20 years, in almost every sector, including finance, technology, education, health care, sales and marketing, energy, and specific geographic regions. Email contact: [email protected]

*SmartRecruiters is partnered with over 100 job boards and offers the free technology to report the best performing job board, based on your job and location. Post your job to niches in one click.

**consider sharing your job openings on your company’s and/or employees’ social/professional networks too.

 

Check Out More of The Job Board Doctor’s advice from HR Technology Conference: