Blabbing and gabbing: the best of the JobBoardGeek podcast (plus something new!)

As you may have noticed, the JobBoardGeek podcast ended a few weeks back – but never fear, the archive lives on! And in a related development, my co-host Steven Rothberg ran off and found a new partner-in-crime, Peter Zollman – and they started their own podcast, called Inside Job Boards and Recruitment Marketplaces. I encourage you to give it a listen – not only is it about my favorite subject in the whole world, but I think they made a very wise choice in the selection of their first guest!

But what did we manage to cover over the course of the 40 JobBoardGeek episodes? Well, strangely enough – quite a lot! Here’s what you can learn via a selective dive into the archive:

• Common mistakes that job boards make: For instance: job boards often get into the mindset that they ‘sell job postings’. That’s a pretty limiting mindset – and guess what? It costs you money, too. Check out the full list here.
• Is video better than text?: For as long as I’ve been consulting, folks have been trying to use videos on job boards. Well, we actually talk to someone who is making it work – Brian Forrester of Lumina.co. He walks you through how it works – and how it compares to the standard ‘vanilla text job ad’. I think you’ll be surprised. Check it out here.
• So what is this ‘backfill’ of which you speak?: Whether you’re new to the industry, or a seasoned pro, you will encounter the term ‘backfill’ – I guarantee. Steven and I decided to dig into what backfill is, why you might (or might not) want to use it, and what your options are. Whether you want to learn what the heck this thing is, or you just want to see if we actually got it right, this podcast is the one to check out.
• Crowdsourcing jobs for fun and profit: Most job boards rely on job ads from their paying employers and backfill (see above). However, when we talked with Joe Meyer of Executive Thread, he explained that he relies on sourcing jobs from his site’s members and from recruiters – thus exposing positions that aren’t showing up on the ‘regular’ job boards. An interesting model, and an interesting story. Listen here.
• Sometimes touchy is better: In general, most job boards are ‘low touch’ – employers don’t have a lot of direct handholding or contact, unlike with recruiters. However, Noel Andrews of JobRack.eu – who started out with a standard model – found that pivoting to a higher-touch approach made his clients happier, made him more revenue, and still allowed him to scale the business. Listening to what he did will probably give you a few ideas, too! Check it out here.
• Is SEO important? YES IT’S IMPORTANT!!!: Everyone knows (or should know) that SEO is critical for the success of a job board. But knowing is different from knowing what to do, specifically. Luckily, we had the pleasure of chatting with Peter Askew and Nick Leroy of SEOJobs about how SEO can change the fortunes of the average job board. Nick also gives you two specific ways to improve your site’s SEO – and when you do that, you will get free, qualified traffic. Who can argue with that? Listen here.
• Subscriptions are a growth multiplier: If you’ve ever worked with me, you know that I am a big believer in the power of subscriptions. They stabilize and increase revenue, and can move your business from small to large over time. Andy Hibel of HigherEdJobs knows this from first-hand experience – and he tells us how they’ve built a site that leads their niche and is thriving after 20 years. You’ll learn something from this one, I promise. Check it out here.

The above episodes are just a sampling of the kinds of insight you can get in the JobBoardGeek podcast archive. Take a walk around, listen a little, and get some ideas that can help your business grow. You’ll be glad you did. (And don’t forget to check out Steven’s new podcast!).

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[Check out the JobBoardGeek podcast archive!]