Do Niche Job Boards Really Work?

Online Job boards are a mixed blessing. They promise access to thousands of great candidates. And while they certainly deliver oodles of resumes, they sometimes fall short on “great.” If you’re like many hiring managers, you may wonder if you want to continue casting such a wide net when results are so disappointing.

Before you give up on your list of job boards entirely, give niche job boards a chance. Niche job boards in 2022 offer a way to target candidates with the specialized background you’re looking for, without luring the duds. Niche job boards do work, as long as you’re using the right one for your hard-to-fill positions.

Types of Job Boards

Everyone knows about the behemoths. Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor and other big sites usually top the list of places to search for jobs. But Indeed has 16 million job postings, with almost ten new jobs added each second. With job seekers and job postings numbering in the millions, making a connection on the big sites can be tough.

Just like you, candidates are frustrated with top job boards. Their keyword searches net junk job ads. And just like you, they’re left sifting through the mess to find the right match.

Niche job boards offer a solution to the grievances on both sides of the interview table. They do the work of narrowing the talent pool to only candidates who share a particular quality. Because niche job boards cater to a smaller audience of job seekers, your job ad has a better chance of attracting more qualified resumes.

The candidates may all be members of the same industry organization or graduates of the same university. When you advertise on a niche job board, you can be reasonably assured that nearly every job seeker has at least some of the qualities you’re looking for. You can also write a more targeted job description using jargon or industry certifications.

How to Choose the Best Niche Job Board Software

Many hiring managers steer clear of niche job boards simply because there are so many. With thousands of niche job board software sites, it may feel safer to stick with routine job sites. But you can post to smaller job boards confidently when you follow these tips.

• Assess your top employees and find out which associations they’re likely to belong to.
• Look for niche job boards that offer a sense of community and industry-related news and information. The best niche job sites offer more than job ads.
• Try the job board from the candidate’s perspective. Applicants won’t waste their time with shoddy sites. Search for jobs using common keywords, scan the job ads to make sure they’re current and click the apply buttons to make sure the niche job site is usable.
• Look for niche job boards that rank well in a Google search using terms your candidates will likely use.
• Look for niche job boards that reach beyond their IP addresses. With thousands of job sites, niche job boards need to actively market themselves and extend their reach beyond chance encounters with candidates. Look for a site that hosts virtual job fairs, advertises on larger sites or has a strong social media presence.
• Look to local organizations to advertise your job openings. Your local chamber of commerce or small business association may have a jobs site to target local applicants.
• Post your job openings on university or college websites for both current students and alumni. Graduates often keep in touch with their university’s news. Posting to university websites can help you find quality passive candidates.

Niche Jobs vs Niche Job Boards

Most companies hire for a variety of positions, and what works for one job ad may not work when a different job opening comes along. So how do you determine where to spend your recruiting dollars for your targeted job posts?

It’s still worthwhile to post your open roles to free job board software sites. You can save time and ditch your little black password book when you use an applicant tracking system. ExactHire’s ATS allows you to post your job openings to multiple sites with a single click.

Your openings for niche jobs in demand, such as IT professionals, work well for smaller niche job boards. These specialized postings are easily lost on the mega sites when applicants perform a job search by industry niche. When looking for a particular skill set, look for job boards for specific industries.

Sometimes you’re looking for qualities beyond the typical niche jobs meaning. Proactively hiring veterans is one niche jobs example that works well with targeted job boards. There are also job boards that can help you reach your diversity goals by targeting marginalized groups.

Some types of positions work well for the larger job sites. Entry-level positions or positions that have crossover appeal will attract more candidates on the bigger job sites. You can avoid too many junk resumes by writing a job description that appeals to your ideal candidate.

No matter where you advertise your job openings, an ATS can help you zero-in on the best job boards that work well for your needs. ExactHire’s ATS includes analytical insights on job board performance. You can see on one screen how each job posting performs across multiple sites. As you gather performance data over time, you can avoid spending your limited recruiting budget on sites that don’t work.

Niche Job Boards Do Work

As job openings increase, so do recruiters’ options for advertising their open positions. There simply isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to finding the best applicants. But you also don’t have to resort to haphazardly posting your job ads and simply hoping for the best.

ExactHire’s applicant tracking system can help you decipher the best job posting strategy for your company. You can quickly post to multiple sites, including niche job boards. Then you can track how each site performs.

You can finally uncover which niche job boards and large job sites provide the best return on your recruiting investment. Schedule a demo today.

Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash