Is It Like David and Goliath?

Over the past few months on various blogs that I follow and LinkedIn groups that I am a part of there has been much discussion regarding job boards and the need for them to innovate or die. There has been a feeling in the recruitment sector that the national generalist job boards are overpriced and you are more likely to spend more time sifting through CVs that are either not suitable, not qualified or lack what the advert states.

In my time as a recruiter I have used both the major job boards like Monster and Totaljobs, niche job boards like Wired Sussex (I have used the jobs board successfully before coming and working at Wired Sussex, so although a little biased now I have had a very positive view of our jobs board) and the likes of LinkedIn. I have had mixed responses from all of them, but have found that focussing your budget on a niche jobs board, utilising LinkedIn and other social media avenues is a far more time and money saving than blatting your jobs across the nationals.

So why do niche boards work?

The main reason is because they are targeted, if you are looking for someone in digital media, using a digital media jobs board will mean your advert is viewed by more relevant people, if the jobs board is localised too you have a chance of even if the role isn’t for them they may know someone else who may be looking. They are more community focussed, they are not just a nameless faceless jobs board but an active member of the industry sector.

But are the niche job boards the be all and end all to your recruitment needs?

Not 100%, utilising your networks, LinkedIn contacts and social media as well as niche jobs board will give you a fully rounded recruitment process. No one thing will be able to fulfil your needs but balancing your process across more targeted, niche activities will assist you in finding that top talent

So is this the end of the big national jobs board?

No, unfortunately, there are too many recruiters and companies that use them. As long as they continue to have people post they will continue to dominate. Their huge marketing budgets overpower people perception of job boards but never deliver what they say they can.

If you read my last post you will realise that we are blessed in Sussex, not only with the Wired Sussex jobs board (sorry but you must admit, it’s pretty damn good), but also a mutually beneficial networking scene so in my opinion there is little or no need to use the national ones.

Whay methods have you found that work the best for your recruitment?