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Are your job advertising dollars well spent?

05 December 2008 6:41am

• Use more than one job board. "Spread your advertising across different media platforms."
  
  You should also always advertise your jobs on your own careers website, Shaw says.



• Use a niche board. "Look at both generalist and niche job boards - you can't just use generalists. Niche boards work very well and access passive job seekers. Although the number of applications might be low, the quality is very high."
  
  Look for one linked to an industry association, news service, or other site that attracts regular visits from your target market.



• Ask for a free trial. Every site offers these, Shaw says.



• Use free job boards. Sites that currently offer free job ads include NowHiring, ReverseJobs and RecruitMeNow.



• Negotiate. "There is no harm in playing one board against the
  other with advertising costs," Shaw says. One site will match or better the rates from another, and the more ads you plan to buy, the bigger the discount you're able to get.



• Consult with your peers. "Ask industry colleagues or friends if they have heard of - or used - the job board. Also ask your best candidates where they look for jobs."



• Research where your competitors are advertising. "Are they using general or niche sites? Are they using social networks or referral programs?"



• Critique the website design/layout. "If you can't work out how to use it, prospective candidates won't know either."
  
  The biggest problem with some job boards, Shaw says, is that they require jobseekers to register before applying for a job. "If they're there, looking at it, they want to apply straight away. They shouldn't be redirected to another site to sign up, or have to verify their details."
  
  Also test the search functionality on the site and make sure it's easy to use, and that you can filter the results.



• Ask the account manager for the site's statistics. Most important are the number of unique visitors, job advertisements, applications, and registered users, Shaw says. "Importantly, these should be verified by a third party such as Nielsen's Net Ratings."



• Know the job board's marketing plan. "Ask the account manager what is their marketing plan - how are they attracting candidates? Is their marketing 100 per cent online or a mixture of online and print? Are they associated with industry bodies, news publications, educational institutions, or other groups?"



• Test how easy it is to apply for a job. "Do you have to register or login, or can you apply as a guest?"



• Ask whether the job board integrates with multi-posting systems such as Adlogic or JobAdder.



• Find out whether the job board is optimised for mobile applications such as the iPhone.



• Ask whether job ads are indexed on search engines. A growing number of jobseekers are using Google to search for jobs rather than visiting job boards, Shaw says. "Make sure the boards you're using are on search engines."



• Find out if the job board allows for social bookmarking or integration with web 2.0 sites. You want jobseekers to be able to send your job ad to a friend, post it to Facebook and save it to their bookmarks, Shaw says.



• Check if you can build your brand awareness by branding the job ads or your own profile page with images, video, audio or links to third-party sites.



• Know whether the site uses creative email marketing campaigns. Email is the most effective form of free communication and can be used by job boards to boost traffic and applications, Shaw says.
  
  
• Ask whether job ads are aggregated to other sites, such as SimplyHired, MySpider and Recruit.net.



• Check whether the job board has the ability to microblog via Twitter. Shaw says he is "amazed" by the number of overseas recruiters using Twitter to communicate with candidates on a social level, and says the trend is catching on here. "It's a great way to keep in touch. And if someone you're following says they're having a bad day, ask them if they're looking for a new job."