Why Choose YOU? Aligning Job Seeker Needs to Grow Your Job Board Business.

So here’s the scoop—I’m feeling pretty heavy-hearted. Just got wind of iCIMS slashing jobs in the US, with Europe next on the chopping block come September. And Qualifi’s layoffs last month? A real gut punch— to some truly stellar talent.

I’ve been in those dreaded layoff shoes, teetering on the edge, wondering if it’s me or my colleagues hitting the job market next. We might soon be crowding your job boards, flooding your inboxes, and overloading your voicemails, scrambling for a lifeline.

And it made me think – our job boards are more than a business. They are a lifeline.

It’s time we acknowledge the clout our job boards could/should/would hold within our niche markets. Yes, we are businesses, and profit matters, but my rounds at talent acquisition conferences show a glaring gap—a beating heart and a fierce mission – that focuses on bringing to our employers what they truly need – engaged, interested and qualified jobseekers.

What does job seeker alignment look like? Glad you asked.

Stop trying to be Indeed. You’re not, and that’s a good thing—your job seekers don’t want that either. Constant chatter about job board consolidation and Indeed draining the market? That’s just a quick cash grab. To really grow and thrive, niche boards need to fiercely protect and covet their job seeker community as much as they do their employer relationships.

Cut the red tape but keep the integrity of the application process. Make your site accessible, application steps transparent, and reduce the hoops job seekers have to jump through when you can. Pinpoint exactly what stops your job seekers from getting jobs and smash those barriers.

Forge a brand that’s a beacon of trust. This means being transparent about the roles you advertise, offering genuine opportunities for growth and connection, and creating an engagement level that makes you the go-to source in your niche.

Oh, and don’t fall for the end-of-days talk from the likes of naysayers like Cheesman. Markets and job counts fluctuate – play the long game.

What are your secret sauce strategies for genuinely engaging your job seeker audience?

In the News- 

New York Cannabis Workforce Initiative Launches a Job Site  –  A niche market (albeit a state workforce initiative) job board providing free training, education and access to apply for jobs in the in demand cannabis market. To thine own market be true.

Read more from the Niagara Gazette or visit the NY Cannabis Workforce Initiative

Indeed Charges for API Calls Beginning October 1 –  Jim Durbin, writing for the AimGroup, “After years of pushing integration using API calls, Indeed has informed its partners that it plans to start charging for access. What is free will now cost $3 a call”.  Read the full article from Jim (paywall).

Chad and Cheese weigh in, too. Check out their rating of Big Mac or Nothing Burger on last week’s episode.

US July Jobs Numbers Throw Global Markets into a Tailspin – The US Bureau Of Labor Statistics (BOL) released July Jobs and Employment numbers on August 2^nd.  US and subsequently global markets overreact to worries of a cooling of the economy and the Federal Reserve Board’s cautious approach to lowering interest rates.  Next Fed meeting is in September and the group had already signaled the likelihood of a rate cut.

Read Reuters’ recap of the jobs report from Friday.

AI CapEx Spending is Exploding with No Signs of Slowing Down – Big Tech earnings season kicked off last week with the biggies continuing to pour money into AI CapEx. Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta spent a combined $33 Billion on AI CapEx in last quarter alone. The big three signaled this is not a one-time spend, but will be ongoing and likely to increase over the coming quarters. Read a quick spending and earnings recap from Axios.

Check out Scott Galloway’s thoughts on the AI splurge on Monday’s Prof G Markets podcast.

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