According to Weddle’s Fast Facts on Job Boards there are now over 100,000 online job boards. The process of trying to find an ideal match using an online job boards can seem an overwhelming task with significant opportunity cost to recruitment staff.
While online job search has primarily been dominated by a small group of major boards such as Monster.com CareerBuilder.com, SimplyHired.com, and Indeed.com. The current trend in online recruitment is the use of targeted niche job boards that focus on a specific industry, job title, or geographic location. Niche boards make the search process more effective and efficient for both recruiters and job seekers.
While it is true that you can narrow your search parameters with the major boards and receive email alerts when jobs matching your search criteria are posted, it remains a largely hit and miss experience. Many times the job alerts present opportunities that are not related to your search criteria or are outdated so that even if you submit a resume, it may never be reviewed. If you have submitted a number of resumes and not getting any call backs it may be that employers have blocked incoming email from the board once the position has been filled. Where possible, rank the job listings by date posted; the more recent the post the greater the likelihood that the position remains open.
Not all jobs boards are created equal, says Don Firth, founder of the job board alliance NicheBoards.com. Some boards possess superior technology, along with an impressive history of helping companies and job seekers find one another. According to Mr. Firth, before signing up with any niche job board, it pays to follow a few basis guidelines as outlined below:
Start with top-Ranking Sites: Topjobsites.com rates leading niche boards in terms of traffic. For example, CafePhrama.com is rated as one of the top boards in the pharmaceutical sector.
Research hits: The Web site Alexa ranks every existing Web site based on the number of monthly visitors. Those niche job boards that rank among the top 250,000 Web sites on Alexa are getting a good number of site visitors and are likely a good source of job leads.
Research endorsements: Look to see if the job board has posted success stories of other job seekers and companies in your industry. In addition, well known organizations such as CareerXRoads and Weddle’s provide a useful overview of the niche job board market.
Check to see what companies are using the board. Major companies are selective with regard to the recruitment tools they use and won’t utilize a given job board unless it is producing results.
Review the source of traffic: The manner in which a job board attracts traffic can be just as important as the volume. As an example, trade groups and professional organizations establish linkages and alliances with certain job boards that provide evidence of the degree of respect with which that board is held.
Experiment with the board: If the site is user-friendly, that is a good sign. You should not have to run through hoops to search job listings or post your resume.
Establish search criteria: Test the board by creating a set of keyWords most appropriate to the company and job you seek. Input these keyWords into the search bar and evaluate the quality of results. If the board returns few, if any, results, you will know it is not a viable resource for your particular career goals.
The following is a listing of twenty top niche job boards for different career areas (listed in alphabetical order):
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