For the past number of years, as we are all aware, many employers and recruitment agencies alike have tended to advertise their vacancies on one or more of the many online jobs boards that exist. Although there has been a lot of press recently on the decline of the Jobs Board, it is not going to disappear altogether. Yes, Social Media and Networking may have a bigger role than before; however the Jobs Board itself is still here to stay for the foreseeable future anyhow.
In fact at the present time, there are apparently over 1000 jobs boards in the UK alone and more being set up all the time. But with such a wide variety to choose from, how can you decide which one is best for you? To help you decide, we have put together some basic Top Tips for Choosing a Jobs Board.

Is it Generalist or Niche?
Some of the biggest Jobs Boards in the UK, such as Reed and Monster tend to be quite generalist in nature, covering virtually all market sectors. Their home pages may profess about the extensive numbers of candidates registered monthly or the growing numbers of vacancies being added, but the thing you must remember is that register with them and you may become just a number too, and get lost in the midst. However, for many general roles in administration or customer service for example, these sites are excellent.
If you are looking for a job in just one specific area, e.g. I.T., Retail, Catering, then you would be much better to look at specialist jobs boards for those areas such as The I.T. Job Board, Retail Choice or Caterer for example. If you want to steer clear of the established corporate world, then sites such as workinstartups should be your preferred choice.

What Areas are Covered?
Whilst most Jobs Boards may say that they cover jobs in locations all across the UK, that may not actually be the case. Have a quick look and see if you can do a geographic search for jobs in your particular area. If you can’t find any, chances are your local area is not one that they concentrate on. There is therefore no point in registering your details with them as you will probably never get contacted about a suitable role.

Does it offer Career Advice ?
Many jobs boards these days go beyond the standard job listings and also offer candidates extensive career advice on everything from creating your CV through to attending interviews and assessment centres. Examples include Jobsite’s Be My Interviewer which through the use of interactive videos, allows you to practice your interview technique with leading industry professionals.

Is it mobile friendly?
Since many of us these days are going online from our mobile devices, many job sites are becoming more mobile friendly too. Check out if the site can be accessed from your phone, if you can have full functionality. Can you apply for jobs ? Can you access advertised roles etc ? Find out if the site has a mobile app, what it allows you to do and what platforms it is available for. Sites such as CV Library and Fish4Jobs for example have multi platform apps available.

Can you Register for Updates?
Rather than having to visit the site all the time, check if you can sign up for email updates of jobs in your preferred sector or location and how frequently these emails are sent. Also, many jobs boards these days have increased their Social Media presence so you should check if they are on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin and if you can access new roles that way.

Do you have a “Jobs Board” CV?
Most companies and agencies use a variety of keyword searches when looking for candidates on these sites. If  for example, you have been in a role which in your company had an entirely different name to the industry norm, then it may be worthwhile to include the more generic job title. Make sure you detail your specific job duties. The candidate searches are unlikely to bring up your details if you simply list your job titles and not your duties and responsibilities. You should create a jobs board-friendly CV to ensure you are fully highlighting all your skills properly. Also, once you have registered your CV, make sure that you update it regularly to highlight or add any new skills, qualifications or experience you have obtained.

Since, the Jobs Board that is best for you of course depends on so many factors, from the market sector you want to work in through to where you are based in the country, we cannot recommend which one(s) specifically you should sign up to. However as with all aspects of the job search, it is certainly worthwhile researching them thoroughly first to determine which is best for you.

We would of course be keen to hear from you about your own thoughts on Jobs Boards, the good, the bad and…..well…. you know the rest!
Feel free to update us in the comment section below.