Industry News and Information
Do advertisers measure the value we deliver and how? | Job Board Leaders Roundtable | ep7
February 13, 2025
What started in August 2024 as an informal, Zoom call with a handful of owners of some job boards has evolved into a monthly meeting with dozens. We’re now meeting by Zoom at 11am U.S. Eastern on the 2nd Thursday of each month. To join future calls, email Steven@CollegeRecruiter.com.
Today’s meeting focused on how our employer and other advertiser customers measure the value we deliver. Cheapest postings? Most applications? Effective cost-per-application? Hires? Something else?
A big thanks to Louise Triance and Louise Grant of Job Boards Connect for their support of these monthly calls, and for their fantastic, in-person, semi-annual events.
AI-generated summary of today’s call:
| Quick recap | |
| The team discussed various topics including a Zoom bombing incident, a new drone, and a successful Job Board conference. They also discussed the challenges of customer evaluation, particularly in the context of job boards, and the importance of balancing quality and quantity in recruitment. Lastly, they discussed the challenges of hiring through job boards, the need to improve the value proposition for candidates, and the importance of personal connections and networking. | |
| Next steps | |
| • Steven to continue hosting monthly Job Board Roundtable calls at 11 AM US Eastern time. | |
| • Louise to create a page on the Job Boards Connect site featuring past episodes and contact information for future calls. | |
| • Ethan to promote the Job Board Roundtable to potentially increase attendance. | |
| • Steven to manage invitations and ensure attendees are relevant to the job board and recruitment industry. | |
| • All participants to consider sharing their LinkedIn URLs in the chat for networking purposes. | |
| • Amy to continue educating clients about the value of quality candidates over quantity. | |
| • All participants to explore ways to differentiate their services and provide additional value beyond just candidate delivery. | |
| Summary | |
| Zoom Bombing and Job Board Conferences | |
| In the meeting, Steven, Matt, Louise, Mike, Amy, Nathan, and Steven discussed various topics. Steven shared his experience of a Zoom bombing incident early in the Covid-19 pandemic, where an unauthorized person shared inappropriate content during a Zoom call. Matt mentioned his son’s new drone and the need for caution when flying it. Steven also introduced Louise, who runs a successful Job Board conference with her business partner. Louise confirmed that they host two physical events in London, one in May and another in October, and encouraged everyone to join their Slack group for more information and useful conversations. Steven expressed his positive experience with the Job Board conferences, describing them as collaborative and collegial. | |
| Challenges in Customer Evaluation | |
| The team discussed the challenges of customer evaluation, particularly in the context of job boards. Amy shared her experiences with a job board in the education sector, noting that clients often expect high-quality applications for a low cost, and are unwilling to share data on the effectiveness of their ads. Matt added that while there has been improvement in the use of technology for tracking applications, not all clients are using these tools effectively. Mike suggested that job boards should focus on setting realistic expectations for their clients, while Sylvie highlighted the unique challenges of working with SMB customers who often need quick hires. The team agreed that every customer is unique and that expectations should be clearly communicated. | |
| Balancing Quality and Quantity in Recruitment | |
| Steven, Ethan, and Faith discussed the challenges of balancing quality and quantity in recruitment. Ethan shared his experience at ZipRecruiter, where the focus was on candidate volume rather than quality, despite employers claiming they wanted quality. He also highlighted the issue of corporate recruiters not being compensated on performance, which can lead to them prioritizing quantity over quality. Steven added that the motives of different people within the same employer might vary, and that the evaluation of quality might not always align with the stated preferences. Faith brought up the example of university relations people who were more concerned about the process than the cost of hiring a candidate. The team agreed that there might be a disconnect between what employers say they want and what they actually prioritize. | |
| Challenges in Customer Evaluation and Pricing | |
| The team discussed the challenges of customer evaluation in their industry, particularly in relation to performance-based pricing and the use of metrics such as effective cost per application. Steven highlighted that while programmatic and performance-based pricing can help, it’s not a silver bullet and different clients evaluate them in various ways. Matt and Amy agreed that the evaluation is not always even, with some clients focusing solely on application volume. The team also discussed the issue of clients not fully understanding what they want, which can make it difficult to provide them with the right services. The conversation ended with a discussion on the importance of educating clients about the entire process, not just application volumes. | |
| Recruitment Challenges and Multi-Source Attribution | |
| In the meeting, the team discussed the challenges of hiring through job boards and the effectiveness of various recruitment methods. Mike and Ethan discussed the low percentage of hires through job boards, with Ethan noting that employee referrals have always been the primary driver of hires. Steven shared a report suggesting that 88% of applications for some campaigns run through Appcast were indeed, while Chris pointed out that some employers are not satisfied with the quality of hires from Indeed. The team also discussed the need for multi-source attribution in recruitment and the challenges of handling high volumes of applications. | |
| Improving Value Proposition in Education | |
| The team discussed the challenges of the job market, particularly in the education sector, and the need to improve the value proposition for candidates. They agreed that the market is becoming more data-driven, with employers tracking performance metrics. However, they also noted that some employers may create false objections to avoid admitting to hiring freezes or layoffs. The team also discussed the importance of delivering expertise in niche markets, rather than just focusing on clicks and applications. They concluded that niche job boards have a place in the market, as they can bring specialized knowledge and expertise. | |
| Personal Connections and Monthly Calls | |
| In the meeting, Ethan, Steven, and Mike discussed the importance of personal connections and networking, with Steven encouraging everyone to share their LinkedIn URLs for easy connections. Steven also announced that the monthly calls would continue on the same day and time, US Eastern, and invited anyone interested to email him. Louise confirmed that the meeting details would be posted on the Job Boards Connect site. Ethan suggested that as the number of attendees grows, smaller groups or more curated versions of the calls might be necessary. Steven ended the conversation by wishing everyone a happy Valentine’s Day. |
