Job boards – are they worth signing up to?

There are an overwhelming number of job boards on the web that all play an important part in the job seeking process. But which should you be doing more of; signing up to every job board online or investing your time in a reputable and industry specific recruitment agency?

Job boards are used for the primary purpose of advertising jobs but they also enable job seekers to register their CV to be found by recruiters. The typical job board operates with a few search requirements for the job seeker to play with; i.e. what you are looking for and where but it is up to the job seeker to decipher which vacancies they will apply for. One pitfall that many job seekers fall into when applying is not supplementing their CV with a personalised cover letter which can really help target their CV for the best matched roles.  Wouldn’t it be easier to have a recruiter advise you on what to apply for?

So, whereas the job board might be good for an individual who is testing the waters to see what is out there, signing up to an agency could prove a much more targeted approach for the proactive job seeker that is set on pursuing a particular career path in a specific industry.

Here at Zenopa we recommend choosing a niche agency with knowledge in the industry that you wish to develop your career in. This way, the agency will be able to provide you with the help and advice you need to place you in a position and organisation that best suits you, your needs and longer term career aspirations rather than simply matching you to a job based on sometimes very loose and generalist search criteria. 

Recruitment agencies ultimately act as the middle man and can ease the job searching burden. It’s our job to find you the perfect role and therefore we are the ones who conduct the in-depth searching and sifting. Agencies often have great – and sometimes exclusive – relationships with clients so we can dig deeper into the job role to find out a lot more information than you would be able to find via a job board. We will also be able to advise on factors like ‘culture fit’ for certain companies.

And the benefits go on.

So if you’re seeking new employment and are considering signing up to a job board, stop and think about whether a niche recruitment agency would be more beneficial for you.