“All Job Sites Are Becoming One!”
I was falsely accused not long ago of “predicting Monster’s demise at every turn.”
I have never predicted Monster’s demise. Their brand alone will continue to make them a formidable force in the foreseeable future. What I did point out was the vulnerability of the “pay-per-ad” model in general.
It would be hard to argue that job listings are not becoming a commodity on the Internet.
This is not predicting anyone’s “demise.” It is simply saying that Internet recruiting is rapidly changing and new models are quickly emerging. When this evolution is complete, I don’t think it will be possible for “pay-per-ad” sites to continue demanding $300 to $400+ per posting.
Post a job on your corporate web site, or on any commercial site, and follow that job through its Internet journey. Regardless of where you post your job it will end up on many of the same sites.
The power of craigslist, Google Base, and vertical search engines Indeed, SimplyHired and others — often called “aggregators” — are redefining Internet recruiting.
In my opinion, three things are happening. The vertical search engines (or “aggregators”) are taking Internet recruiting in a new and exciting direction, job listings are quickly becoming a commodity, and essentially “all job sites are becoming one.”
This is good for employers because it gives them more traffic to their jobs in addition to more low-cost, measurable advertising options such as pay-for-performance, pay-for-position, pay-per-click and others. It’s good for job seekers because it gives them greater and faster access to jobs. It is good for “pay-per-ad” sites because it drives tons of traffic to their job listings and to their sites.
The traditional “pay-per-ad” sites must develop new and innovative products and services for both employers and job seekers, adjust their business model, and leverage their brands to the max if they hope to maintain their current leadership position.
Some are currently in the process of doing just that.
There is room for everyone and the smart ones are already working hard to figure it out…
Excellent post Bill. I like the positive message … there is room for everyone, although not for every business model; and I agree that job ads are becoming a commodity.
With the proliferation of niche sites, it’s hard to see all job sites becoming one … although they all may be connected via Internet technology.
I would like to comment on two statements made by Bill on the ‘all job sites become one’ dream:
First of all the statement that: “This is good for employers because it gives them more traffic to their jobs…”.
It makes you wonder how many employers will be happy seeing still more candidate applications, or unsolicited mail from staffing companies coming in. Especially since vertical search engines do not erase the job the moment that an employer removes it from his own corporate site.
The second statement of Bill is that: “It’s good for job seekers because it gives them greater and faster access to jobs.” Bill, honestly, did you ever try to find a job on a jobsite, let alone a vertical search engine? You should give it a try. While traditional (no pun intended) jobsites already suffer from poor search strategy, this situation explodes in the vertical search engine. Millions of jobs with only limited means to discriminate between them? Not a good thing for jobseekers either.
So, while on the surface vertical search engines look like a good deal for both employers and jobseekers, the reality is that market transparency suffers. Vertical search engines are actually a step back.
Search filters and other improved search methods have greatly improved the job search experience — with more improvements to come.
Unqualified candidates and unsolicited email from staffing companies are not problems created by the Internet. These problems pre-date the Internet back to newspaper classified ad days. Agreed though, an argument could be made that the Internet does make it easier and therefore more extensive.
When I say ”all job sites are becoming one”, I do not mean it literally. What I probably should have said was, ”with today’s technology all job sites are virtually becoming one.”
Would the Internet be easier to navigate without search engines? No. Verticals are providing essentially the same service for job seekers that Google and other search engines provide for Internet users in general — a fast and easy way for job seekers to search millions of jobs across thousands and thousands of sites very quickly. While not perfect, they provide the next generation of search tools for job seekers.
I’m a big fan of niche sites. They are absolutely great for reaching very targeted ”passive” job candidates and are therefore extremely important to both job seekers and recruiters. Both should use them. However, it’s difficult to argue that it is easier for job seekers to find jobs on many web sites as opposed to using an employment-specific search engine to find jobs through one site. Use of vertical search engines does not preclude use of niche sites.
Check the vertical sites’ traffic. This has been accomplished in a short period of time with relatively little advertising. It is the best feedback you can get — directly from job seekers — and the best available barometer as to whether vertical search engines are a step back or not.
If there ever was an enabler of junk mail (including junk applications and junk job offers) the Internet has clipped it. In the old (dog) days you had to make a real effort to apply to a job, nowadays it is just one click away. Does the Interet makes it easier? Hell yes! Does it makes it better? Not even coming close with current day solutions, vertical or otherwise.
I would love to hear what are the REAL improvements in search methods that have developed in the online recruitment arena over the last couple of years, because I apparently did miss them. But I’m very sure verticals are not the next generation search engines. If I were Google I consider it to be a grave insult. The fact that you spider a specific subset and allow access to it doesn’t mean a next generation search engine. Where did that come from?
Can’t argue with the traffic argument other than to point at Monster. Much more traffic than all verticals combined, but I would be hard pressed to say that this is the best available barometer. Monster as the biggest step forward?
I think in terms of pay per ads becoming a commodity, I believe that the pricing structure for Ads should be reflected by the focus of the site. What I mean by this is that larger generic sites go for high volume traffic, the niche sites normally are unable to compete against their spending power and don’t really want to anyway. Niche sites offer something more focused, more refined, so as a client what you loose in volume you gain in quality. Some of us are not interested in taking over the world, we just want to offer a quality service, if this means trawling through the applicants cv’s one by one and deleting the inappropriate ones from the jobsite database, then so be it! My clients would rather pay £500 for an ad that gives them 5 perfect applicants than pay £100 for an ad that they receive 2000 unrelated cv’s.
I think in terms of verticals, there is some refining to be done. It is a paradox, I want the jobs from my site all over the Internet, but I don’t want to dilute the focus of my site. I feel bad for candidates, its very tiresome going through job boards, especially the big ones as Marc points out.
Personally I find it easier to control the site and where it end up by keeping it relatively small.