How to Choose Where To Post Your Job Ad

“What job board should I use?” The simple answer is to just to remember to ask yourself this question before you post any position. Too often employers fall back on what they know and what they are comfortable with. Back in the day that was the traditional ad in the Sunday paper. Now that the ‘classified section’ is no longer the end-all-be-all, don’t allow any one site to become your only source. No site, despite what they tell you, works for everything.

Every type of job board has its place. In general, there are four options to advertise your position. National boards, Regional General boards, Industry/Trade Specific boards, and non-employment sites that offer career sections as ancillary content.

Factors that should affect your decision:

1. The position. You should advertise for a seasoned, high-end professional in a much different manner than you would for a lower-level position.
2. Your budget. Assuming you can afford $500 for a campaign, a good approach is to target a national site, regional site, and industry site.
3. Your timing. How quickly do you need this filled? If you proactive you can take a more conservative approach and test the waters on fewer boards.
4. Are you going after active or passive job seekers? (Falls back on the position and the likelihood of qualified candidates finding your job on a board)
5. What’s worked in the past? If you are doing it right, you’ve been tracking what sites have been working best for you, by position. Over time, you’ll see that every site produces different results for different positions.

If you are Life Science Company looking to add 50 employees in the next six months, unless they are all the same position, you should not run out and buy a 50-pack on xyzjobs.com and call it a day. Putting all your eggs in one basket DOES has advantages…can save you time, money, and headaches – but making your life a little easier isn’t the point. What will REALLY make your life easier is accomplishing what you set out to do - which is to attract the best candidate for the right position. Sorry folks, that tends to involve a little more effort.

In the next coming weeks I will be spotlighting advantages / disadvantages of each of the board options.