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8 Reasons Niche Job Boards Do Not Work And How To Fix It

By admin | October 4, 2007

I’m tired of hiding it. I’m going to let you all in on a little company dilemma. We are facing the weirdest situation as a startup niche job board: we are receiving positive feedback about the idea for NoStateIncomeTaxJobs.com and we are generating steady, increasing traffic.

Yeah!

However, at the same time, I am hearing “Niche job boards just do not / did not work for us” from employers and recruiters. In fact, I heard that just yesterday from a seasoned recruiter.

My mental reaction? ‘Ouch! That hurts.’

Then, ‘Eeeek! That’s scary.’

After digging deeper yesterday and today and asking some recruiters and employers specific questions about their past niche job board experiences-and receiving some pointed answers-my reaction quickly changed to ‘Hmmm…..Perhaps they’re right.’ And as the founder of a niche job board myself, I guess I’m partially to blame for the ‘Niche job boards do not work’ mantra. But I would also like to be part of the solution for why niche job boards can and do work.

· Statement: “I tried a niche job board for 30 days and it didn’t work.” Thoughts: A niche job board should be used long enough to see if posting on the niche job board adds value to your overall recruiting strategy. A fix: If a job board doesn’t advertise it, recruiters and employers can request pricing and package incentives from niche job boards. They can explain they need a generous amount of time, longer than a 30 day instance, because it would help to get a better feel for the kind of job seekers using the site and responding to their opportunities.

· Statement: “I don’t get enough responses.” Thoughts: Niche job boards are usually built to target people, skill sets, geography, etc. so they can reap different quantity results for recruiters and employers than general job boards. A fix: Niche job boards require a different mindset from recruiters and employers than when posting on general job boards. Valuing the quality of the responses received from niche job boards versus the quantity is important because all you need is one talented candidate to respond and apply. In the end, it doesn’t matter if that talented candidate was 1of 2, 1 of 20 or 1 of 200.

· Statement: “I tried the niche job board mentioned in all the business journals and I didn’t get squat I could use.” Thoughts: Posting on a niche job board just because it is the trendy, ‘flavor of the month’ is unlikely to give the results you are seeking. A fix: Recruiters and employers can try posting on select niche job boards with a defined ‘purpose’ or that makes a difference to job seekers.

· Statement: “I didn’t feel like anyone cared if I used the job board or not so I just stopped using it.” Thoughts: Even though we can and do automate a lot of functions, it can unintentionally leave clients and customers feeling like they are alone and not valued. A fix: If a niche job board does not assign a representative to you, no matter how often or how many jobs you post, request one.

· Statement: “When I complained I wasn’t getting any resumes, they told me to change my ad! What do they know? That job ad received responses on another job board.” Thoughts: Although recruiters and employers are the experts about their job openings, one size does not fit all. Flexibility is key. A fix: Consider changing the job advertisement to conversate with the audience of the niche job board if it doesn’t already do so. A niche job board that is not overly saturated with the same kinds of ads saying the same thing over and over can be attractive to job seekers and an opportunity for recruiters and employers.

· Statement: “I don’t like using niche job boards no one else in my industry is advertising on. It must not be any good.” Thoughts: Niche job boards are an opportunity for employers and recruiters to get ahead of the crowd instead of following it. A fix: Get out of your comfort zone and venture to where your job seekers are searching for jobs and information affecting their careers and lives because you want to be where your competition is not.

· Statement: “I’ll give your niche job board a try if I don’t get anything good from the ad I just placed in the paper.” Thoughts: Niche job boards could support job advertisements online and offline. A fix: Incorporate niche job boards it into the overall recruiting strategy from the beginning of your job marketing campaign because you want to find the best candidate not just the best available candidate. · Statement: “I am busy enough. I don’t any more time in my day to post to another job board.” Thoughts: I hear ya! Time is precious and your posting plate is full. A fix: Look for niche job boards offering to post for recruiters and employers. If they don’t have such a service currently in place, again no matter how many jobs you post or how often you post, ask them if they will still do the service for you-at least until you ramp up and get used to their system.

This list obviously doesn’t include all the reasons niche job boards do not/has not worked for recruiters and employers. Niche job boards are just not for anybody and everybody. They’re not meant to be. That’s what the general job boards are for. And all niche job boards are certainly not created equal. Yet, I do think niche job boards have their place.

Well, of course I do.

But I also view niche job boards as an opportunity to help recruiters and employers

· get clear about their open position.

· amplify their job opportunity to job seekers above your competitors’ noise.