Creating a job board within a website is a common requirement for many clients, especially those who are part of a member organisation or looking for ways to monetise their website. Integrating a job board into a website is a strategic decision that not only adds value for users but can also become a source of additional revenue. This article explores what online job boards are, their key features, and the considerations to keep in mind when setting one up.

What Are Online Job Boards?

Online job boards are digital platforms within websites where employers can post job vacancies, and job seekers can browse and apply for these positions. They serve as a great way for employers to find talent and for potential employees to easily browse industry-specific job listings. 

The Benefits Of Having A Job Board On Your Website

Adding a job board to your website brings heaps of benefits, not just for you but also for your visitors. It’s a great way to attract more traffic to your site, with both job seekers and employers regularly checking in. This extra traffic can also turn into extra revenue if you charge employers to post job listings.

Additionally, a job board serves as a community hub with your organisation positioned at the centre. This makes you a go-to resource in your field, increasing your authority and trust among your target audience. Plus, the data collected from job boards can provide valuable insights into the job market and user preferences, helping you further refine your services and what you offer with up-to-date industry insights.

Having a job board on your website also serves a marketing purpose by improving your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). An active job board with frequent job openings and posts helps keep your site’s content fresh. New content uploaded to your site regularly will improve your search engine ranking, meaning more eyes on your website. Having a job board can also allow you to rank for local keywords, e.g., Website Developer in Canberra, and show Google that you are a real, thriving organisation that is constantly growing.

Job Board Features

An effective job board should have a wide range of features to ensure it’s user-friendly and meets the needs of both employers posting jobs and individuals searching for them.

Free and Paid Vacancy Submissions

Your job board should provide options for both free and paid vacancy submissions. Free postings encourage a higher volume of listings, while paid options can include premium features like highlighted placement or extended listing periods. This variety ensures a wider range of job opportunities, attracting diverse users to your site.

Discounted Job Board Posting Fees for Members or Specific Users

If your site caters to members of an organization or community, offering discounted job board posting fees for members or specific user groups adds value to membership. It’s also an incentive for members to regularly use and contribute to the job board, fostering a vibrant, resource-rich community that encourages users to consistently renew their membership.

Fields That Job Posts Should Include

It’s essential that any posts on your job board are as informative as possible. This makes it easier for job seekers to find what they’re looking for and ensures employers only get suitable applicants. Essential fields to include in a job vacancy are:

• Position: Clearly state the job title. This could be a dropdown list for standard roles or a free text box for flexibility.
• Work Type: To accommodate different employment preferences, include options like a full-time, part-time, or temporary contract in a drop-down menu.
• Location: Specify whether the position is remote, hybrid, or in-office. This helps job seekers filter opportunities based on their location or work arrangement preferences.
• Organisation: A field for the employer’s name offers transparency and context about who is hiring.
• Closing Date: This allows the website to automatically archive job posts that are no longer open.
• Salary Range: While not all employers show salary information in job postings, open positions with salary ranges tend to have higher engagement rates. This could be a free number field, a drop down, or two boxes to allow the entry of a salary range.
• Contact Details: How job seekers can contact the posted if they have further questions. Include a name, email, phone number and company website.
• Desired Skills: Adding skill tags helps employers clearly define what they’re looking for, saving time overall and making search a little more flexible.
• Benefits: Allows employers to easily highlight and promote what makes their job listing enticing.
• Company Size: Allow employers to show their company size (i.e., 10-20 employees).
• Third-Party Application Link: Provide an option for employers to include a direct link to the application, whether it’s on their own site, or a third-party platform like Seek or Indeed. This streamlines the application process for job seekers.

Custom Development vs WordPress Plugin

If you want to add a job board to your website, there are two options: you can opt for a pre-made job board plugin or choose custom development. Each route has its unique advantages and suits different needs. We tend to recommend clients custom develop their website’s job board functionality, but here are the pros and cons of both:

WordPress Job Board Plugin

Using a pre-made job board plugin is a quick way to get your job board running. These plugins are user-friendly and great for those who aren’t too tech-savvy or don’t have a developer on the team. They let you easily create a job board without knowing all the ins and outs of coding. The downside is that they might not give you all the personal touches and specific features you’re after, like discounted job board posting fees for segmented groups.

Custom Job Board Development

Choosing custom development means you can make your job board look and work exactly how you want. It’s all about tailoring the experience to fit your site and your audience’s needs. You can get creative with the design and features, going beyond what standard plugins offer. The catch is that you’ll need some coding skills, more time, and potentially a bigger budget. But if you want something truly yours, that extra effort can really pay off.

In a nutshell, using a WordPress plugin is an easy and straightforward path to launch a basic job board, but if you’re after something more tailored and unique, custom development is the way to go. It’s all about what you need, what resources you have, and how personalised you want your job board to be.

Looking To Add A Job Board To Your Website?

We can help! Futuretheory is a Canberra-based digital marketing and website development agency with over 15 years of experience. During that time, we’ve worked with over 100 clients all over Australia, including adding and developing job board functionality in a number of them. Contact us today for an obligation-free introductory call or quote.