Do you tend to turn to general job boards or niche job boards for recruiting? With the increasing number of recruitment tools available online, we've highlighted the benefits of both to help you with your hiring needs.
A niche job board is a website that offers companies an easy way to find suitable candidates. They're typically focused on a specific industry (e.g., advertising, government, pharmaceuticals, human resources) and allow companies to post job openings so that targeted applicants can find them in one place.Experts have found that niche job boards typically help employers fill more jobs than generalist job boards (websites that cover all industries). As an applicant seeking a job in a specific industry, a niche job board can also be very beneficial: Applicants are relevant to the industry: Because niche job boards are industry-specific, you reach candidates who have the experience and qualifications you're looking for.
Lower cost: Niche job boards are typically lower cost than general job boards, and with niche job boards, your recruiting budget isn't spent on attracting applicants who aren't qualified.Brand awareness for your company: Posting open positions on a niche job board allows you to promote and build your brand among the people you want to reach.More networking opportunities:Niche job boards typically offer more networking opportunities and get you noticed through their social media channels and email marketing.Less competition:Because niche job boards are industry-specific, your job description won't get lost among thousands of job listings in hundreds of industries.Personal experience:Smaller niche job boards can often offer you a more personalized recruiting experience. Have questions or need help with the hiring process? Most niche job boards make it easy for you to get the answers you need.
General job boards
More volume: a major advantage of general job boards is the sheer volume of applicants they attract. Anyone looking for work and interested in a general job can apply.
Broad demographics: if you want to attract candidates from a wide demographic spectrum, general job boards offer something for everyone, including volunteer, part-time, and full-time employment.
Widely Known: Because general job boards are well known, candidates often target them when looking for a new job.
Why should you use industry-specific job boards?
So why is it important to focus your recruiting efforts on these types of job boards? Here are the two main reasons why you should use niche job boards.
1. Candidates are pre-screened
The main advantage of niche job boards is that candidates on these sites are pre-selected and filtered.
Generalist platforms such as LinkedIn or Indeed are visited by hundreds of millions of job seekers every day. Candidates on these platforms can work in virtually any industry imaginable.
So when you post (and pay for) a job ad, there's a good chance that a large percentage of the people who see your ad are not qualified candidates. That means you may be spending time and money making sure the wrong people see your ads.
With industry-specific job boards, you know that the majority of visitors to the site are actually qualified candidates (or at least employees who work in the same industry). This increases the likelihood that you'll reach qualified talent while spending less time and money posting and promoting your ads.
2. Increase the pool of potential candidates
Second, not all talent is active on generalist platforms.
For example, most marketing professionals likely have a LinkedIn profile and use this networking site when searching for a new job. However, this is not necessarily true for someone working in a field such as healthcare or hospitality.
And for some job profiles, specialised job boards are better suited to the needs of these candidates. For example, you might find a designer on StepStone, but they'd probably prefer to use a platform like Dribbble, where they can better showcase their visual skills.
So by using niche job boards, you increase your chances of quickly finding highly skilled talent that you would never have reached otherwise.
Examples of top niche job boards
The number of niche job boards is almost endless, as there are specialised platforms for virtually every type of niche. Here are some examples of specialised job boards that are great for finding industry-specific talent.
Platform 1 - Dribbble
As mentioned earlier, a first example would be Dribbble. Dribbble is one of the largest online communities for designers in the world and a great place to find graphic and design professionals from around the world.
Platform 2 - Behance
This niche job board is part of the Adobe family and offers one of the largest global platforms for creative professionals. You can't post free jobs on the platform, but if you're looking for creative talent, investing in premium Behance ads is definitely worth it!
Platform 3 - Berlin Startup Jobs
An example of a highly specialised niche job board that focuses only on startup jobs and only in the Berlin area. Due to its very precise focus, this platform offers employers some of the best ROI for their ads that we have seen here on JOIN!
