Job Boards Are Still Alive?

I’ve recently been thinking about the long-term effectiveness of job boards like Monster and TheLadders.

I am impressed with the way these two job boards have grown to dominate their marketplace. It took a lot of ingenuity, hard work, and marketing savvy. And ultimately, they both do what they claim to do: match up companies and workers. Staffing professionals – especially those in big companies – aren’t doing their jobs if they don’t use such job boards as a baseline research tool.

But here’s my concern: job boards are set up to provide a recruiter with a lot of matches, notgreat candidates. In the end, they are a sophisticated version of classified ads. They have broader reach than the hometown newspaper, and they can be used by employers and potential employees alike, but they still follow the “job description/apply here if you’re interested” model.

As any recruiter or job seeker can tell you, this is not the way most people find jobs. Most job placements come about informally, through referrals. And why shouldn’t they? Start with 1000 applicants on the one hand and a referral from a friend or employee you really trust – which is more likely to produce a good employee in a short amount of time? It’s no wonder that many companies provide small bonuses for employees who refer friends that end up getting hired.

For really important positions, then (and maybe some not-so-important ones), the recruiting path should primarily be one of expanding referral networks. That’s why I’ve said that LinkedIn can be so helpful for today’s social-savvy recruiter: it expands a referral network the way Monster expanded the classified jobs section of the newspaper.

The difference, of course, is that referrals are a better way of landing a top candidate. Before they show up for an interview, you’ve been able to hear about them from all kinds of people you trust (and people they trust, and so on).

Does this mean that you can never recruit a top candidate from a Monster? No, of course not. I know plenty of recruiters who have, and I encourage employers and job seekers to use it. But I also advise spending more time expanding referral networks through LinkedIn and other networking opportunities.

Do you think I’m right? Wrong? Am I missing something? Join the conversation below.

Comment by Paul Alfred on March 24, 2011 at 9:34pm: So Christopher if my clients are using a Job Board and I am using the same Job board what unique value do I provide to those clients ? Job Boards is a useful tool site for Unqualified resumes. Someone has to still do the Job (Internal Corporate or External recruiter ) of sorting the pile. Companies in the end really invest in a source that feeds their databases with unqualified resumes. What a business model pay to post not pay for a hire ...

Comment by Christopher Poreda on March 27, 2011 at 11:58am: Paul...it seems that if I insist the sky is blue you will argue it's actually light blue.

I would hope you know that answers to all the questions you've posed and are just trying to be provocative...otherwise, you're leaving a lot of money on table.

Comment by Paul Alfred on March 27, 2011 at 6:44pm: No Christopher on the Contrary - I have studied this model and my Company was founded on the answers to those questions ... Id love to hear you answers to the questions posed ... Ofcourse, I will understand if you chose not to.

Comment by Julian wood on March 28, 2011 at 6:43am: Today you can easily make job board software and adds features like moster and nakuri.....

Comment by Christopher Poreda on March 28, 2011 at 7:56am: Paul...your clients can care less how you source candidates. The value is not in how you source the candidates or how much money you spend in doing so. The value of any good recruiter, the value clients pay for is getting the candidates that your clients want to say, YES! This involves the pitch and managing the process.

Comment by Paul Alfred on March 28, 2011 at 8:09am: Thanks Christopher this is really great insight Let's see what I've learned from your response... My Clients that have teams of Internal Recruiters who invest hundreds of thousands on Job Boards will be helped by me also providing resources from the same Job Boards ...

My Clients do care and care very much how I source the candidates they have a difficulty finding. That's right it's the reason I can call them my Clients ... Your response has taught me nothing ... Can you try again...

Comment by Jason Monastra on March 28, 2011 at 8:50am: I agree with all of the above, it is pillar in a strategy that should use various venues to attract the right people. I will say however that certain sites are better than others, and for companies looking for certain types of people - the vertically aligned sites produce far better results. For example, DICE. We are a systems integrator for the federal government and the site produces far better reach into the IT space than Monster or any of the "general boards".

Comment by Christopher Poreda on March 28, 2011 at 8:58am: @Paul...so you're telling my you've had a client ask where you sourced a candidate and made a decision on seeing them based on your answer?

Comment by C. B. Stalling!! on March 28, 2011 at 9:24am: @ PAUL

If you don't like chris' answrs do listen to him. Tell you client to give me the 100,000 they spend on job boards and I will fill all their open reqs...They could also fire the internal staff. Sound like they are waisting lots of money

Comment by Paul Alfred on March 28, 2011 at 11:58am: @Christopher ... Yes I am telling you my clients want to work with us because that is the Value we offer ... You still have not answered my question ... But its ok ...

@CB I am all about taking notes and learning something new.... Its why I read blogs provide feedback get a new perspective digest or provide a new perspective ... So I challenge bloggers and I want to be challenged every time...

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