Job Board Software

As the job market gets more and more competitive, you need every edge you can get. A good candidate experience can give you that edge, and it starts the moment a potential candidate lands on your job listing—which is your only chance for a first impression. Job board software can also give candidates some insight into your company culture through your postings.

In this buyer's guide, we'll discuss the various features of job board software that can help human resources (HR) teams, recruiters and recruiting managers, as well as job listing websites reach the widest pool of candidates possible.

Here's what we'll cover:

What Is Job Board Software?
Common Features of Job Board Software
What Type of Buyer Are You?
Job Board Software Pricing
Benefits of Job Board Software

What Is Job Board Software?

Job board software provides the tools businesses need to build out a customized careers page to post openings and accept applications without the need for complex coding knowledge. From a custom careers page, candidates get a better view of the company culture, its offerings, partners, values and more, because it's an extension of the company's main website.

In addition, job board software can help you integrate your careers page and job postings with your social media accounts. This can help you attract younger workers, since the new generation of job seekers prefers applying for jobs via social media platforms, such as LinkedIn.

Common Features of Job Board Software

Though job board software vendors vary in the depth and breadth of their offerings, there are some common features you'll find in most systems:

Application management	Stores applications in a single database. Use of keyword-based searches allows users to quickly narrow down the most relevant candidates for a job.
Job management	Manage jobs posted on various websites and job boards, descriptions currently in draft stage, the number of applicants for a job and more from a single dashboard.
Billing and invoicing	Allows job posting websites to manage payments from recruiters and employers who are posting jobs. Also helps internal HR teams manage payments to consultants, external job boards, headhunters etc.
Built-in applicant tracking system (ATS)	Helps recruiters manage applicants and narrow down the field by allowing them to easily rate and review candidates during various stages of hiring. This information is shared with all stakeholders and helps eliminate unqualified candidates early on.
Matching engine	Automates resume filtering saving recruiters time, as they can upload an ideal resume for a job and the software searches the application database for the closest matches.
Resume posting and job search	Helps candidates autofill application forms using data from other job boards or an uploaded resume. This also automates the process of searching resumes for recruiters.

Applicant management dashboard in iCIMS Recruit

What Type of Buyer Are You?

Job board software helps streamline recruiting by improving the initial stages of the hiring process. There are many solutions on the market, so it's important to match buyers with the right vendors.

Businesses that use job board software range from companies hiring people directly to job board websites where business can post their openings. Most buyers will fall into one of the following categories:

• Small businesses that are growing. In a startup, the first few employees might be friends, family or former colleagues. But as they grow and want to expand, they must widen their search. A branded careers page will help these businesses market their companies and build a database of promising candidates. In addition, these businesses should look for job board software that makes it easy post to Google and other job websites automatically.
  
• Businesses operating in multiple locations. These are generally midsize and larger businesses that need to hire candidates in different locations, and even different countries. They need a larger pool of candidates with specific skills and expertise. The matching engine feature of job board software can help them find the most suitable candidates through precise matching algorithms.
  
• Third-party hiring agencies. These agencies match professionals to specific jobs and also create a niche environment for recruiters and consultants to interact build their networks. One of the important features these businesses require is billing and invoicing in order to charge clients either per role or for the duration of services rendered.

Job Board Software Pricing

Job board software pricing primarily depends on the features you need. Specialized niche features such as API integration with third-party software and a dedicated account manager cost more. However, most software vendors provide a basic version or package to get you started. As your needs increase, you can upgrade your package with additional and/or more advanced features.

It's important to note that pricing is often based on number of admin users, job postings on external websites and level of customization required, as well as domains, or websites, where the software is used. There are two types of options for users:

• Choose a software vendor and create your job board through their platform
• Add a vendor's plug-ins to your existing technology setup

There are pros and cons to each option.

When using the vendor's platform, you are often able to add your own logo and customize the platform according to your branding. One downside to this scenario is that your data is hosted by a third-party, which could potentially be a risk in cases of a data breach. Hosting your data on your own allows you to be in control of the encryption and security. However, many third-party cloud-based servers offer strong encryption. Be sure to ask software vendors you're considering about their data storage capabilities.

On the other hand, using a plug-in requires an already established setup on your end. You can add the code to your website and customize it to your liking. However, this requires at least some coding knowledge.

Benefits of Job Board Software

Job board software offers benefits for recruiters and also improves the candidate experience. Here are some of the key benefits for both applicants and hiring managers:

For recruiters:

• Customized career page with branding. Companies can design a careers page with their own branding style and logo, which helps to raise brand awareness and also attracts candidates who may already be familiar with the brand.
  
• Faster job postings. Software saves recruiters time spent on preparing job descriptions thanks to custom form fields and screening questions which help postings go live with just a click.
  
• Dashboard for easier management of applicants. Recruiters can manage all the applicants in a central location. They can also add insights and traffic data generated by the reporting/analytics feature to the dashboard.
  
• Integrations with other job boards and tools. Maximize your reach by integrating job board software with existing tools, such as applicant tracking, recruiting and talent management, as well as popular online job boards such as Monster and Indeed. This gives you a wider candidate pool to choose from.
  
• More seamless communication with candidates. Email templates with automated responses make it easier to communicate with candidates.

For candidates:

• Keyword-specific job searches and automatic alerts. Candidates can run keyword-specific searches and set alerts for specific skills or job types.
  
• Mobile job application capabilities. A mobile careers app is a necessity in the digital world and will attract candidates from a younger generation. When mobile is done right, it's a huge boost to the candidate experience and increases trust in the brand.
  
• Job postings on social media. Companies that integrate social media in their job boards are able to spread the word to a wider audience. Candidates are now highly savvy with social media. They follow brands they like and are eager to apply for job opportunities at their favorite companies.