Perhaps you have been considering posting a custom job board on your news or trade publication website, but you want to make sure you do it right to avoid wasting time or money. Knowing the types of devices, job sites, and features that people look for in a job board can help you avoid mistakes and position your job board for success.

Jeff Dickey-Chasis of jobboarddoctor.com recently gave a RealMatch webinar about what job seekers want from job boards in 2014, based on a survey he conducted in partnership with job-hunt.org and eharmony.com (who expects to launch its own job board by the end of the year). Here are some of the highlights of the webinar, which is well worth viewing.

SEE ALSO: What Job Seekers Want in 2014 [Infographic]

Which Platforms Do Job Seekers Prefer?

Participants in the survey were divided into ”active job seekers” and ”random” participants, who aren’t actively seeking a new job. Active job seekers use job search engines (like Indeed), and companies’ own career sites. Random users said they preferred general job boards (like Monster), followed by job search engines. Active job seekers were more likely to use mobile devices than random participants, and both groups say they prefer desktop and laptop computers for intensive tasks like creating and uploading resumes.

Mobile devices were primarily used for job searches and researching employers, while laptop and desktop computers were used for other tasks, like uploading resumes and filling out applications. Tablet use was not as prevalent among either group of participants.

What Do Job Seekers Want from Job Boards?

Both active job seekers and random responders want job boards that advertise high quality jobs. They also want to use sites where they have control over who has access to their resumes. They want sites that are easy to use, and that have a positive reputation. Both groups also said that they like job boards that are focused. These ”niche” job boards are perceived as being specific and targeted, and as helping them avoid wasting time browsing jobs that are not suitable for them.

What Do People Find Useful in a Job Board?

The features that survey participants reported as being most useful include:

• Job searching (obviously)
• Job alerts
• Resume posting
• Ability to contact hiring managers

What Frustrates People About Job Boards?

The job board features that most frustrate survey respondents include:

• Lack of response from employers (which they may unfairly blame on the job board rather than the employer itself)
• ”Fake” job postings such as multi-level marketing schemes disguised as job ads
• A requirement for job seekers to register in order to see job listings
• A requirement for job seekers to pay in order to see job listings

Attitudes Toward Various Types of Job Boards

Respondents used different adjectives to describe the different types of job boards, which include general job boards (like Monster), niche job boards, social media recruiting, and aggregator sites (like Indeed), as follows:

• General job boards: Active job seekers described these primarily as ”untargeted,” and equal numbers of active job seekers used the adjectives ”valuable” and ”worthless” as descriptors. Among random respondents, the top adjectives to describe general job boards were ”valuable” and ”overwhelming.”
• Niche job boards: Both active job seekers and random respondents described niche job boards as ”targeted” and ”valuable.”
• Social media recruiting: Active job seekers found social media recruiting to be ”professional” and ”essential,” while random respondents described it as ”professional” and ”valuable.”
• Job aggregator sites: Both active job seekers and random participants described these sites as ”valuable” and ”efficient.”

Important Takeaways

Jeff Dickey-Chasis says that it’s important that you understand users’ attitudes toward your own job board, and if you already have a job board, you should ask users for their feedback. If you’re considering adding a job board, consider asking your site’s audience what they want to see in a job board on your site. He also recommends thoroughly educating people on using your job board and its features, whether it does job matching, and what devices it can be used with.

RealMatch offers recruitment advertising solutions for digital publishers and media companies, and has the tools and features that let you get your customized job board up and running quickly, with mobile-friendliness built in. Understanding your job board users is the first step in giving them the job board they’ll return to repeatedly.

Photo Credits: Ambro / freedigitalphotos.net, imagerymajestic / freedigitalphotos.net