What Does the Future Hold for Job Boards?

What Does the Future Hold for Job Boards?

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by Jeff Dickey-Chasins

This article is part of the Quintessential Careers 2010 Annual Job-Hunting Report: How the Real-Time Web Changes Job Search: The Internet as One Giant Job Board.

In my role as a consultant, I am often asked what lies in the future for job boards. Well, I'm not a fortuneteller -- but I am willing to make a few educated guesses about what lies ahead.

Continued expansion of niche and micro-niche job sites: Finding niche sites is easier for job-seekers as search-engine technology grows more sophisticated. At the same time, these niche sites have become more adept in the use of search-engine optimization, social media, and search-engine marketing to increase their visibility. The transformation from a simple search-and-apply site to a full-fledged career hub is how many job sites will remain competitive.

Growth of the freelance sites: Freelance sites such as eLance and Guru have grown significantly since the onset of the recession in 2008. Many professionals previously employed by companies have shifted to self-employment. The freelance sites have benefited by providing the 'go-between' functionality needed by clients and freelancers.

Integration of more social-media features into job sites: Evolution of social-media services and sites threaten established job sites, so expect to see those sites co-opt key social-media features by integrating features into the sites. In particular, I anticipate the integration of social-media information about job-seekers for employer viewing, the integration of "broadcast" social-media services such as Twitter into the job-posting process, and the creation of branded job-site search tools designed to integrate into key platforms such as Facebook.

Growth of employer branding: The onslaught of social media has been a wakeup call for many companies with regard to their "employer brand" -- it's out there, whether they like it or not. Thus, you will see more companies actively engaging job seekers, and managing their brand in the process. Job sites that leverage this trend by offering more opportunities to promote an employer brand will benefit.

The Job Board Doctor is Jeff Dickey-Chasins, a veteran of the job board, publishing, and e-learning industries. Jeff was the original marketing director for Dice.com, growing it from $7 million to $65+ million in three years. He has worked with numerous job boards and HR-related sites over the past 20 years.

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