What is a niche job board?

Niche job boards, also known as specialist job boards or vertical job boards, can offer recruiters a more targeted online recruitment advertising option.

But what are exactly are they? What is the difference between them and other job boards. And how do you choose the right niche job board for your vacancy?

Niche job boards

Niche job boards are job boards that specialise in a particular niche in employment. Typically, niche job boards specialise in a job function (e.g. sales jobs, administration jobs, engineering jobs etc.); or in an industry sector (e.g. jobs in retail, jobs in hospitality, jobs in printing etc.); or in a job contract type (e.g. permanent, temporary, flexible-working etc.); or in a salary level (e.g. jobs with salaries over £60K); or in a location (jobs in London, jobs in Scotland, jobs in Manchester etc.).

That’s not the end of the story either. A job board could combine different specialisms to create a sub niche. For example, a job board may specialise in a particular job function in a particular industry sector (e.g. sales jobs in FMCG); or in a particular job function in a particular sector in a particular location (e.g. finance jobs in banking in London). Niche job boards come in many shapes, sizes and nuances.

Choosing a niche job board

Obviously, the objective of all these different niche job boards is to serve their particular audience and help employers recruit staff. But choosing the right niche job board to advertise your job takes some thought. As a recruiter you are going to have to decide what is the best niche job board for your job. And to do that you have to understand, truly understand, what job you are trying to fill.

One of the best ways to get a handle on what job you are trying to fill is to take the time to create a job specification. (Check out our article: ‘First things first: write a job spec‘ for help and advice on doing this.) A job specification is a document which outlines the full range of duties, responsibilities, essential skills etc. that goes to make up that role. By taking the time to go through this specification process, you will get a clear idea of what job you are trying to fill.

Once you have created your job specification, it will become apparent both what are the really essential skills you are looking for and what places would be good to advertise for them. What job boards are niche in those essential skills you are looking for?

For example, if you are looking for a Business Development Executive, the best place to consider is a niche sales job board. But what if, having looked at your job specification you realise that, as well as looking for a Business Development Executive, you are looking for that person to have a very specific skill set or experience? What if, for example, you were looking for a Business Development Executive with experience in the printing sector. In this case, it might be worth considering a niche printing sector job board over than the niche sales job board.

The next task as a recruiter is to create a shortlist of suitable niche job boards and check what ones are carrying jobs like yours. Do a search for the job you are hiring for. Are there lots of jobs from other employers? Is one niche job board better than another?

However, don’t stop there. Ring up the job boards and find out more about them. Talking to the account managers and asking pertinent questions (Check out our article: ‘10 questions every employer should ask a job board‘) will help you find the right niche job board to advertise your vacancy.

Know your vacancy

It will be clear that the key to finding success with a niche job board is less about the choice of niche job board but rather understanding precisely what you are looking for in your hire and finding the niche job board that best fits it. Too often, employers rush into advertising their jobs without due consideration. Once the job is advertised it’s too late. You’ll have spent your money, you’ll have lots of unsuitable applicants applying for your job and it is very unlikely that you’ll have found the best candidate out there. The key to choosing the right job niche job board, therefore, is knowing your vacancy.

Next step? Check out these articles

• When is a job board not a job board?
• What are Job Search Engines and Job Board Aggregators?
• Job board advertising for employers
• An Introduction to Job Sites and Job Boards