Taking the pulse on the global job recruitment market involves a myriad of factors, yet the main change agents powering innovation in the industry are: technology and closer global economic connections. Online job boards are on the front lines of developing talent recruitment strategies, as the online world becomes, nearly, the sole facilitator of hiring. Exploring this topic further, let’s look at 5 innovative methods job boards are using to survive and thrive in a global market.
1. Online Communities
Job boards, like Beyond.com (North America), are creating online communities within their websites; each community is vertically designed for the different industries their candidates and employer clients are interested in. This innovative method allows professionals and employers to connect and learn from each other through unscripted conversations.
Beyond.com has hundreds of industry vertical communities with millions of online users as members; job seekers and employers can connect with like-minded people and become part of the conversation, in order to learn tricks, tips, and gain insights, so they can better reach their recruitment goals. These online communities are appealing to professionals already familiar with popular social sites, thus, giving job boards traction in attracting and retaining talent.
2. Referral Programs
Another innovative method job boards are using is: giving bonus incentives for candidates that refer others (referral programs). For instance, Dafted.us (North America) is a job board that uses this method to attract talent, according to a Job Board Doctor article. While offering a referral incentive program isn’t a new concept, tapping into candidates or employers’ extensive social networks is an effective way to gain traction in a global recruitment market.
3. Social Media
Job boards across the board (pun intended) are using social media campaigns to gain traction in a global recruitment market. LinkedIn, for example, is a leading resume type social site, where employers and candidates connect, share industry ideas, and profile their career achievements and expertise. Other social sites, like: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. – are being used by job boards to connect with an audience and share thought leadership.
Using social media is a main theme in global recruitment strategies for job boards, and is interconnected with other innovative strategies being developed, such as: data aggregation, brand recognition, videos, blogs, eBooks, white papers, and other thought leadership media strategies. For example, job board:Human Predictions, uses data mining automation to identify likely candidates before they even start looking for work.
4. Optimized Websites with Resources
A job board is only as effective as their website, thus, a big emphasis is being placed on optimizing job board websites. For instance, job boards are: making their websites available in multiple languages, developing a blog, adding short educational videos, offering white papers and info-graphics, placing job search insight engines, and more.
Job boards should be user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and developed with optimal UX and UI interface designs; this website optimization is key for job boards to attract clients in an advanced technological world. The resources offered and user-friendly designs are vital for job boards to optimize, in order to: attract and retain top talent and become a thought leader in the recruitment industry. These resources also constitute the content shared through social media and any expanded marketing efforts.
5. Mobile Apps
Last, but not least, is job boards giving their clients mobile accessibility to their services. What better way to appeal to a global market than to give job seekers and employers the ability to facilitate and manage talent recruitment from anywhere, anytime, and with any device? Job boards are tapping into the power of cloud and mobile computing technology, in order to connect and communicate with their clients; push notifications, offline functionality, and expanded accessibility – are all enhancing their talent recruitment efforts on a global market level.
Summary
Technology and growing global economic connections are making global talent recruitment more possible than ever before. Job boards are on the front line of developing and using innovative methods to capitalize on these trends. The 5 innovative methods we’ve discussed highlight how this is being facilitated by successful job boards across the world.
