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What is the ‘candidate experience’ and how do you improve it?

Your candidate experience matters when you are recruiting. A great candidate experience encourages talented people to apply for your jobs. So, what does ‘candidate experience’ mean and how can you improve it?

The candidate experience is simply the series of touchpoints a person has with your organisation during the entire recruitment process. This starts with your advert and ends with onboarding. It includes all systems, communication, media and people in the recruiting process, so it’s time to check:

  • Your employer branding
  • Website
  • Presence on jobsites
  • Any recruitment agents that you use
  • Your job advert
  • Any recruitment technology you use
  • Your application form (either online or offline)
  • All personalised communication
  • Your people

Employer branding and your candidate experience

Employer branding is slightly different from company branding. Company branding speaks to customers and prospects. It may describe your products and services and enthuse buyers. Employer branding speaks to jobseekers. It tells them why your organisation is a great place to work.

Organisations that excel at employer branding include Google, Salesforce and Starbucks. They use a mix of strategies to let jobseekers know how great they are as employers. Each year Google receives approximately 3m applications and it hires approximately 7,000 people. That is almost 430 applications for each person hired.

It pays to improve employer branding. So how do you you start?

  • Try building a page on your website devoted to the benefits of working for you.
    If you don’t tell people, they won’t know.
  • Perhaps create a video that introduces jobseekers to your people, facilities and career opportunities.
    Help people to visualise their own career with you.
  • Think about scheduling some open days to introduce people to your organisation and it culture.
    The more people who talk highly of you, the easier it is to attract talent.
  • Try publishing employee successes stories on Social Media platforms like Facebook.
    Presenting success helps people believe they can be successful too.

The options are endless when it comes to employer branding. The trick is to start somewhere.

Your website

Candidates expect to find your jobs on your website. For some people the candidate experience starts right here. Are your jobs easy to find? Are they up to date? Can they see how long each job has been open? Is there an online application form?

Some simple things to check:

  • Make sure that you have a top level navigation link to the careers section of your website.
    Navigation links like ‘Careers’, ‘Jobs’ or ‘Working for us’ reduces search time for candidates.
  • Check your jobs listing to ensure that job titles, expiry dates, salary & location info is clear.
    People like to apply for jobs that are genuinely open and pay plus location matters to them.
  • Be sure that it’s easy to find the Apply option for each job.
    If you have a jobseeker’s attention, now is the time to capitalise on that.

Tip: An Applicant Tracking System or Recruitment System like CVMinder ATS can post jobs onto your website automatically. Only live jobs are online and it comes with online application forms built in.

Expert tip: Try optimising your careers page(s) to make it more discoverable by search engines like Google. Let’s say that somebody is looking for a new carer job in Cambridge. They generally start by searching for “care jobs in Cambridge” on Google, Bing or another search engine. Using SEO techniques, a local care provider could draw more applicants by optimising its careers page for care jobs in Cambridge.

Job Boards and your candidate experience

Jobseekers often use job boards or jobsites. If you advertise your vacancies on job boards you should review the candidate experience there too.

Some job boards support branding options. That could include your logo and some images for instance. Some jobsites offer video uploads plus other styling options. More branding may come at some cost. It helps, but what you are able to do will depend on your budget.

The candidate experience includes the application process on the jobsites you use. Jobsites such as Indeed support 3 application options:

  1. Apply on the jobsite and deliver their application to you via email.
  2. Apply on the jobsite and deliver their application to your recruitment system.
  3. Redirect the applicant to your own website so that they can apply for the vacancy there.

Options 1 and 2 feel the same for the candidate. However, option 3 redirects candidates to apply for your vacancy elsewhere. That could be a web form on your website or other option on your recruitment system / Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

Redirection helps you take control of the candidate experience. However, jobsites will say that redirection may cause loss of interest, reducing the number of applications. This can be true, but evidence also suggests that redirection deters fewer genuinely interested applicants. Instead, more of the less qualified applicants may drop out.

Tip: If job boards support branding, use the available options to improve the candidate experience.

Expert tip: Find a way to redirect the applicant to the specific job they are interested in, not the careers page of your website. If you redirect to your careers page the candidate may have to search for the job again.

Recruitment Agents

How does an external recruitment company or agent represent you? It may seem like a silly question, but the candidate experience is in another party’s hands. The agent commonly advertises your vacancy and speaks with applicants on your behalf. Have you ever asked a candidate how they rated their experience? Perhaps you could ask applicants the following:

  • How were they contacted by the recruitment agent and was it professional?
  • If responding to an agent advert, did that advert read well and describe the role accurately?
  • What did they learn about your organisation via the agent?
  • Did the agent encourage the applicant to consider roles with other employers?
  • Did the agent meet all of its commitments?
  • Was the applicant coached prior to an interview by the agent and, if so, how?

The agent’s role in the overall applicant experience is easily overlooked.

Tip: Ask your candidates about their experience with the recruitment agent. Identify any negatives and discuss those with the agent.

Your recruitment technology

You may have an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) already. An ATS is a recruitment system for employers. If you don’t have an ATS, should you buy one? The decision is yours, but your key goal is to ensure that your chosen technology doesn’t degrade the candidate experience.

A good ATS will post your jobs on job boards and website(s) then remove adverts automatically upon expiry. That is important for candidates because consistency between your adverts across different advertising platforms is essential. Differences between jobs on a jobsite and your website can be confusing and deter potential applicants.

Make sure that your recruitment technology is easy to use for all applicants and that you don’t introduce unnecessary technology bias. Your recruitment system should work on any device and any browser, not just the latest tech or some browsers.

The best Applicant Tracking System will ensure:

  • Anybody can use it regardless of technology choice.
  • Applications are technically easy to complete.

Your application form

Employers find themselves in regulated and non regulated industries. Regulated employers must request a lot off candidate information. That is to satisfy safeguarding and other obligations. Others can accept a CV with an optional personal statement or note of introduction.

If you do request a lot of information, you can improve the candidate experience by requesting it in stages. Ask for less information at the early stages and additional information from shortlisted candidates. That can feels less intrusive to candidates, thereby increasing the number of applications an employer receives.

Personalised communication

What is the biggest bugbear for most applicants? Never hearing back from the employer! It’s an answer we all hear across all markets.

If you don’t already, it’s maybe time to communicate with your applicants at each stage of the process. Poor communication can adversely affect the candidate experience and your employer brand.

When you do update candidates they prefer to receive personalised communication. How do you personalise your candidate communication? Rather than having one standard message for progress updates for each stage, have several variations. Think of the reasons that applicants are unsuccessful at each stage of your recruiting cycle and write a template for each of those reasons. Reasons could include:

  • Overseas applicant and you don’t sponsor them.
  • Underqualified for the role.
  • Great candidate, but not for this vacancy.
  • No relevant industry experience.
  • Stronger candidates.

A good Applicant Tracking System or Recruitment System will support as many templates as you require. Templates should automatically populate the applicant name plus other information so each message feels personalised. That saves time but really helps to improve your employer brand. You just never know who your unsuccessful applicants know and who they can influence.

CVMinder ATS and your Candidate experience

What is CVMinder ATS?

It’s an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) / Recruitment System for employers. It helps employers to manage the whole recruiting lifecycle from advertising vacancies to managing applicants. That helps employers recruit for themselves and save lots of time whilst reducing overall costs.

When applying for jobs, CVMinder ATS helps any employer to manage and improve their candidate experience. It supports applications via jobsites, organisation website(s) and other places. The applicant journey is flexible but consistent for each applicant on a job by job basis.

Applicants also gain access to the CVMinder Applicant Console so that they can update their personal information and application details. Employers benefit from controls over what information to collect and at what stage(s) of the recruitment cycle.

What is the CVMinder Candidate Console?

The CVMinder Candidate Console helps candidates to update job applications, review historical applications, accept interview requests, complete self-assessments, apply for new jobs with the employer and more. Candidates can pre-prepare key sections an application to make the process faster and more convenient.

We made some changes to improve the candidate experience

Our candidate console requires universal access. Candidates use lots of different technologies to apply for jobs and manage their applications. Using a specific smart phone, desktop computer or other device should not introduce a hidden bias or discrimination when applying for jobs. Introducing an App could require the latest Operating System. That is an issue we wanted to avoid.

The improved CVMinder Candidate Console works on any browser on any device. General improvements have also made it more mobile friendly. General layout and candidate instructions are now clearer, as is the contact information given for the employer. Eliminating unintended technology bias has helped to improve the candidate experience for everyone.

If you want to know more about improving your candidate experience or how to improve recruiting with with CVMinder ATS then contact us to find out more.

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By Marketing, ago

CVMinder ATS links to Tes Jobs

Tes Jobs is the UK’s premier jobsite for teaching and other education vacancies. For any School, College or University, Tes Jobs is sometimes the best option to attract hard to find teachers, department heads and key support staff.

Posting jobs on Tes Jobs is straightforward, so long as it is the only job board a school uses. For those schools posting vacancies on numerous jobsites, doing this by hand takes time.

Applications from Tes Jobs generally arrive separately from other sources too. Schools must then collate all applications ready for selection by the appropriate people. Sorting and managing applications in this way takes time and it can be insecure. Many print personal details or application forms to make the process simpler for participating staff members.

Post to Tes Jobs and centralise all applications automatically

CVMinder ATS sends all the details of your vacancy to Tes Jobs. Upon receipt they check and post your vacancy within 3 hours. Your Tes advert will be conveniently linked to CVMinder ATS. That means candidates will be automatically redirected to apply on CVMinder ATS. That helps schools because all applications from all sources will be conveniently available for review in one secure system. There’s no need to print and distribute application details because shortlisting can be managed online.

In summary CVMinder ATS posts your vacancy on Tes Jobs at the click of a button and all applicants will be centralised, visible to only the right people and ready for shortlisting.

What is CVMinder ATS?

It’s the best Applicant Tracking System for education because it is designed for the rigorous recruiting requirements of those with safeguarding requirements, like schools and care providers.

Schools can control their applicant journey, receive applications from any source and manage the entire recruiting process easily. Team up with CVMinder ATS to securely share applicant details so you can save time and improve efficiency.

Contact us to find out more.

By Marketing, ago

Control your applicant journey

Manage the applicant information you receive and when you receive it. A recent CVMinder ATS update now makes it even easier to control your applicant journey.

Most of the time you collect the same information from each job applicant, regardless of the role being advertised. The information you need could be just some personal details and a CV. It could be more extensive with criminal conviction declarations, referees and much more. Information you collect is mostly the same, but it can change depending upon the role you are hiring for.

The applicant journey isn’t only about the information you collect, but also when you collect it. You may prefer the applicant to give less detail at the start of the process then more detail over time. With CVMinder ATS, you choose when information is requested and received.

Why collect information in stages? Some believe a lighter start can increase the number of people who apply. Numbers are definitely important, but others believe that making the start too easy increases the number of junk applicants. That can create unnecessary work. Whichever you prefer, CVMinder ATS makes it easy.

CVMinder ATS has always given its customers great control over the applicant journey. Simply publish a vacancy and CVMinder ATS controls what information is requested and when, according t your configuration. That’s all groovy, but now CVMinder ATS brings you another option and it wouldn’t be the best Applicant Tracking System if there weren’t options, right?

Changing the applicant journey

CVMinder ATS now gives you some controls within each advert. That’s right. You can now override the applicant journey on an advert by advert basis.

Why would you want to do this? Take a school with 3 Job Frames; Teaching, Leadership and Support. The school configures a different applicant journey for each of those Job Frames. However, for one or two support vacancies it needs to trim down the applicant journey. It can now do that with CVMinder’s new applicant journey override feature.

Go to Advertisements, select an advert and scroll to the bottom to override the applicant journey. There you can select the information you wish to receive and the stage you wish to receive it. So, if you just want a CV and statement for that vacancy, you can select only that. Set up the override options and publish your advert. It’s that simple!

We’re just a phone call away if you would you would like to discuss your applicant journey settings or anything else.

If you don’t have a recruitment system, now is the time to start making recruitment savings with CVMinder ATS. Contact us to find out how to make recruiting easy.

By Marketing, ago

Easy employment checks

Stay on top of your Pre-Employment Checks with some fabulous new CVMinder ATS features. HR Heads with safeguarding concerns know that employment checks are critical. How do you ensure that employment checks are thorough and completed successfully before new employees start work?

CVMinder ATS now allow you to:

  • Create your own employment checklists
  • Monitor overall check completion by starter
  • Monitor critical checks for those required ahead of start date
  • Identify check completion by category of checks, like disclosures or referencing
  • Quickly spot non-compliance when checks fail
  • Log start and end dates of checks to measure how long they take
  • Audit who completed each check and when
  • Upload any check evidence

Multiple employment checklists

Some employers apply the same checks to every starter. Others use a different checklist for different types of role. In a school, a parent Governor might be required to undergo checks that are lighter than a teacher. That depends upon the setting of course. A Care Provider office worker may never come into contact with vulnerable service users, so safeguarding checks may be considered unnecessary.

Using more than one checklist is therefore important for some employers whilst others may require the same checklist for every starter.

Sharing checks and evidence

Key to successful check management is to enable easy sharing. Easily access and navigate the employment check status for each new starter. HR Administrators and compliance officers need a list of outstanding checks and a quick audit of who completed each check so far. With a distributed workforce or remote working, secure online sharing of evidence for each check is also valuable. That evidence could be passport image or proof of residency for example.

Critical checks

Some checks must be completed before start date and others can, on occasion, be left until after an employee’s start date. Checks to complete before start date are considered to be critical checks and understanding whether they are completed in time is a must.

Pre-employment check categories

Individual checks relate to referencing, others to personal details, others to disclosures / barring and so on. Understanding how individual checks relate to each category helps HR Heads and Officers answer questions like:

  • Which checks categories are incomplete for each starter?
  • Which categories are taking the longest?
  • What does my workload look like today?

Verification and audit

Only double checking confirms the successful completion of employment checks. HR Heads require a checklist to support senior oversight and verification of all completed checks. They may want verification of each individual check, just a few checks or none at all, depending on each type of starter. There is a balance to strike with safety versus workload, but the option to verify checks by approved verifiers is mandatory.

Identifying outstanding verification is also important. A verifier probably wants to avoid hunting for things to verify. Instead they most likely prefer rapid identification of all outstanding points of verification across all checks for all starters.

Check compliance

Completing a set of employment checks is one thing. Understanding whether they were completed to the employer’s satisfaction is another. What do we mean by that? Take a simple example; checking whether somebody successfully passed a risk assessment. If the prospective employee failed a risk assessment, the check response would be “No”. Expressing “No” completes the check, but it is not what is required and not compliant. Identifying non-compliant checks is essential to avoid on-boarding mistakes.

Checks as part of an ATS

Integrating employment checks into your Applicant Tracing System (ATS) is almost mandatory these days. Most of the information required to support each check can be supplied during the job application process. If it is already available in an ATS, it’s time to make use of it.

CVMinder ATS is one Applicant Tracking System that has a flexible employment check option. Employers can create one or more checklists with many options to support critical checks, categories and so on. It also helps HR Heads set appropriate permissions for check completion and verification.

In some circumstances employment checks may start prior to interview. In others they only commence only after an offer of employment. Embedding employment check management in your ATS should offer the flexibility to track and complete checks as the requirement dictates.

CVMinder ATS updates its Pre Employment Checks (PEC) module

On 1st August 2022 we released the new CVMinder ATS PEC module. To prepare for this development we discussed requirements with a number of our Ambassador customers. They are the key HR representatives of Care and Education providers. Each customer has different work styles and requirements when it comes to employment checking. By taking the best of all of the ideas we hope to satisfy everyone. So, what does our PEC module allow you to do?

  • Create different employment checklists for different types of employee.
  • Specify whether checks are critical.
  • Track overall checklist completion and critical check completion.
  • Attach checks to pre-defined categories or add your own.
  • Track checks completed by category.
  • Identify which checklists have outstanding verification in a new PEC page.
  • Specify compliant responses and indicate non-compliant checklists.
  • Alter permissions for staff so that they can access, edit or verify checks.
  • Upload and share evidence related to checks.
  • Automatically delete evidence after nominated period in line with data protection policies.
  • New reports

We hope that our customers enjoy the changes.

Want to know more about CVMinder? Just select the best ATS for Care or the best ATS for education. For any other industry please give us a call on 01634 202 101 as we would love to hear more about the way you recruit and what you would like to improve. You can ask for a free demonstration as new industries to us benefit from great incentives.

By Marketing, ago

talent.com partners with CVMinder ATS

talent.com is building a head of steam in the UK. It’s a job board with some handy tools for applicants, including:

  • Salary comparison
  • Take home pay calculator

CVMinder ATS is now integrated with talent.com so that employers can advertise jobs for free. That’s great news for CVMinder ATS customers because budgets are always under pressure. Customers can track where applicants in CVMinder AYS and by demonstrating their value to UK employers, talent.com hopes that you may choose to sponsor some adverts to further improve results.

Here’s the talent.com announcement

We just want to say thanks to the talent.com team for making the integration easy to complete. We hope that our customers find it valuable.

Multipost

The CVMinder Multipost module integrates with numerous useful job boards so that you can advertise your vacancies effortlessly. All applications appear in CVMinder ATS ready for shortlisting, interview management and more.

If you would like to find out more about our partnership with talent.com or more about CVMinder ATS, please contact us. We are here to help.

By Marketing, ago

Free Job advertising with CVLibrary

Recruitment budgets are under pressure and many employers are keen to find free job advertising options that really do work. Maybe that’s because many HR heads have told us that paid job advertising hasn’t lived up to its promise.

Job boards are not wholly to blame for the success of any job advert. Employers could often take a little more time to understand How to write adverts that get more job applications.

That said, some employers have a golden touch. They have achieved great hiring results by selective use of free job advertising on job boards that work. The trick is to know when to switch up to a paid option without gambling your recruiting budget.

Indeed got there first

It is common knowledge that Indeed has been the market leader for free job advertising in the UK. You can advertise a job for free and pay to boost your advert if and when required. Successful free job advertising with Indeed takes away the uncertainty when you want to spend some money to improve results.

We do know that some of you have your views when it comes to Indeed. However, we should all be thankful that free job advertising has made Indeed a valuable enabler for the UK jobs market.

Here’s some great news; Now CVLibrary wants to do the same.

Free job advertising with CVLibrary

As one the the nations’s favourite job boards, CVLibrary has finally introduced a free job advertising option of its own. Employers must post their free job adverts via an integrated Applicant Tracking System (ATS). As a recognised CVLibrary partner, CVMinder ATS supports free job advertising on the CVLibrary job board network. That doesn’t include the CVLibrary main site, but does include all of its other job boards.

Why does CVLibrary offer free job advertising?

The CVLibrary team is certain that CVMinder ATS customers will receive high quality job applications from free job adverts. The number of applications will be limited, but should be enough to prove that CVLibrary is a great option for advertising Care, Education and many other types of vacancy.

What is CVLibrary?

CVLibrary is one of the most successful job boards in the UK. It covers most market sectors and owns a number other job boards too. Feedback from customers is pretty consistent. They tell us the CVLibrary team is smart, professional and very helpful.

Is posting free adverts to CVLibrary easy with CVMinder ATS?

The CVMinder MultiPost option makes job posting very easy. It uploads your adverts to CVLibrary with just one click. That means that you can advertise with CVLibrary with no additional cost and no additional effort.

CVMinder supports the CVLibrary Apply mechanism. That partly completes the CVMinder application form on behalf of the applicant. Applicants can then correct any personal information and complete any outstanding sections before submission.

By Marketing, ago
Free job advertising on Monster

Free job advertising on Monster

There’s an old saying that if it’s too good to be true, it’s probably not true. That’s unless we’re talking about free job advertising on Monster. The Monster Jobsite was one of the very first recruitment websites in the UK.  It has been a leader for years and is considered to be one of the pioneers of online recruitment.

Now CVMinder has teamed up with Monster to give you a free job advertising option. It’s true; your jobs can be advertised without paying a penny. 

What you need to have free job advertising on Monster

If you already use CVMinder ATS, contact your Account Manager to make sure your ATS subscription includes MultiPost. CVMinder’s MultiPost module advertises your jobs on select job boards for you. That includes free options like GOV Find a Job or Indeed and your subscription jobs boards like TotalJobs or CareHome.co.uk

If your CVMinder ATS subscription checks out, you’ll be good to go. We’ll set things up so that you can start advertising on Monster for free straight away.

Why will I get free jobs advertising on Monster?

That’s a great question. The job advertising market is changing and Indeed has been the the biggest jobsite for a number of years. Some say it has been so successful because it gives employers free job advertising.

If you ever purchased advertising options from a job board or jobsite, you’ll know that results are never guaranteed. It’s a gamble. However, if you are getting results from free adverts, you’re more likely to invest in that job board when the time is right. Lots of employers have been spending money with Indeed, so free job advertising must be good for business.

So, jobs boards like Monster are fighting back. Free job advertising is the name of the game and that’s great news for you.

Is there a downside to free job advertising on Monster?

No. There’s no downside, but your free job adverts won’t perform quite as well as paid or ‘sponsored’ adverts.

Free adverts are called organic job postings by Monster. Just as with Indeed, your free adverts will decline in search results more quickly than any sponsored adverts. Sponsoring means paying to make sure your job advert stays higher in jobseeker search results.

Your adverts won’t be branded either. Your company name will be visible and the advert looks great, but there will be no logo or other livery.

What happens when someone applies to my free Monster job advert?

So, CVMinder ATS has posted your free job advert on Monster. Somebody finds it and tries to apply for it. What happens next? The applicant will be redirected automatically to your application form on CVMinder.

Using CVMinder ATS you’ll have all the controls you need to collect the right information and process the applicant quickly and efficiently. That’s great for any organisation, but regulated employers like Care Providers and Schools collect lots of information. Don’t worry. We have you covered.

Tell me more about CVMinder MultiPost

There have been two barriers to using free job boards:

  • The time it takes to post your free job advert on each one
  • The quality of applicant you receive

CVMinder MultiPost saves you posting time. It connects your CVMinder system to your job boards and advertises your jobs automatically. The more job boards you use, the more time you save.

CVMinder ATS makes sure that applicant quality remains high. All applicants enter the application process you create. You can make applying super easy or you can increase the workload. We’ll help you find the right balance to encourage just the more motivated, higher quality applicants to apply for your job.

About CVMinder ATS

Customer agree that CVMinder ATS is the best Applicant Tracking System for employers like Care providers, Schools, Colleges, hospitality and other companies that want to recruit for themselves.

CVMinder is quick to set up, easy to use and gives an employer full recruitment control, from advertising and selection to interviews, offers and on-boarding.

Contact us for more information.

By Marketing, ago
National Minimum Salary 2020

National Minimum Wage 2020

It is important for all employers to implement changes to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage from April 2020. Easily forgotten though, there is something else to do. It’s time to check the salaries on your advertised vacancies and make any necessary changes.

Among other job boards, our customers post adverts to GOV Find a Job via CVMinder ATS. It is very important to update these adverts in line with changes to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage. Some job boards may exclude your adverts from their search results if you don’t. Thankfully, CVMinder ATS customers can update their adverts in just one system. CVMinder ATS will update each external advert for you with its one-click MultiPost feature.

When checking and changing salaries try to review 3 areas of your CVMinder ATS advert:

  1. Salary range, expressed as the ‘from’ and ‘to’ fields
  2. Salary description field
  3. Advert body (all 3 sections)

Some employers like to state the salary and benefits within the main body of their adverts. We mention it because it’s easy to overlook this area when making changes.

Rates

The rates for the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage are as follows:



Year25 +21 to 2418 to 20< 18Apprentice
Apr 2019£8.21£7.70£6.15£4.35£3.90
Apr 2020£8.72£8.20£6.45£4.55£4.15


National Minimum Wage & National Living Wage Eligibility

Across the UK, workers must be at least 16  to qualify for the National Minimum Wage. Actually, 16 is a simplification of the school leaving age. This changes by UK region and month of birth. Check out more details on the GOV website; school leaving age.

A worker must be 25 or over to qualify for the National Living Wage.

‘Worker’ is a broad term and doesn’t cover areas like volunteering or the armed services. You should be aware that workers are entitled to the correct minimum wage, even if they are:

  • workers or homeworkers paid by the number of items they make
  • trainees or workers on probation
  • foreign workers
More about the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage

Find out more about the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage at the GOV website.

Want to know about us?

CVMinder ATS makes recruiting easy for employers. Shed up to 90% of your recruitment administration and share everything securely in one system. CVMinder ATS takes you from vacancy advertising through candidate shortlisting and all the way through to on-boarding. It’s perfect for Care Providers and Education customers with great features to support compliant, fair recruiting practices.

By Marketing, ago
Free Job Posting Sites for Employers

Free job posting sites for Employers

Welcome to our series on making recruiting easy. We try to answer the most common questions from HR and internal recruiters. The series covers recruitment process, technology and regulation. Up next: free job posting sites for employers.

The great news is that free job posting sites / free job boards do exist. Employers can use them today, but the big question is whether free job advertising works. We take a look at which free job boards and job sites are best by comparing them.

We’ll be taking a look at the following free job posting sites and options:

How we compare free job boards

Free job adverts are a great way to save money, just so long as jobseekers can find them and apply for your jobs. To compare free job advertising options fairly, we used the same criteria for each one:

CriteriaMeasured As
DiscoveryAppearance in job search results
Job typesSupport for job types such as permanent, contract, etc.
VacanciesThe number of jobs advertised across the UK
Ease of usePosting and application process
Unique featuresAny that have merit

Discovery – finding a free job board in search results

Most jobseekers start with an in internet search, so that’s where we started. We tested whether each job board appeared in our search results.by using the same search terms on two popular search engines; Google and Bing. We checked the results to find out where each free job board appeared in the results. Our search terms included:

  • “Jobs”
  • “Recruiter jobs in London”
  • “HR Jobs”
  • “Care jobs”

During our tests, some job boards appeared only occasionally on page one of the results. That is because some were paying for visibility and clicks. For fairness we measured only natural search results and eliminated all paid results from our tests. That is because individual job board adverts may be short-lived or outcompeted over time.

GOV Find a Job

Universal JobMatch was updated in 2018 to become GOV Find a Job. It is one of the most widely used free job posting sites and it is used by employers and agents alike. GOV Find a Job is owned by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

A great feature of Find a Job is that every employer is approved by the DWP before their jobs can be made available in search results. That’s good news for an industry that suffers from a good deal of spam advertising.

GOV Find a Job is easy to use, well governed and allows employers to redirect applicants to their own application forms. It also supports automatic upload from a supporting Applicant Tracking System. It fares quit well in search results and has a significant number of job postings.

CriteriaResult
Google SearchFair
Bing Search Excellent
Job TypesFair
VacanciesGood (200,000 +)
Ease of UseGood
UniquesDisability Confident employers get kitemark

Indeed

Indeed has remained one of the best free job posting sites for employers since it first came to market. It supports 2 types of job listing; organic and sponsored. The organic job postings are Indeed’s free option.

A free job posting on Indeed declines in search results more quickly than sponsored jobs postings. However, optimising adverts is a good way to gain quick wins from any free job posting. Employers get some great results and most have successfully recruited new employees using free adverts alone.

Indeed may be successful because it performs well in internet search results. Most jobseekers have heard of Indeed and many have used it for job searches.

CriteriaResult
Google SearchExcellent
Bing SearchExcellent
Job TypesExcellent
VacanciesExcellent (700,000 +)
Ease of UseGood
UniquesNone

Google for Jobs

Google for Jobs is the newer kid on the block. We have included it in this review even though it isn’t a traditional job board. Other job boards allow employers to post and manage their adverts, but Google for Jobs is different.

Google collects jobs from lots of websites and aggregates them all in one, convenient online space for jobseekers. Each job on Google for Jobs must therefore exist elsewhere and it must conform to a set of rules. Those rules include the addition of structured data to the job and the inclusion of an application form.

The best Applicant Tracking Systems notify Google when a new job is advertised. That shortens the time it takes to place a free advert on Google for Jobs.

Google for Jobs is an increasingly important option for employers. It remains high on search results for jobseekers and it is mobile friendly. Whilst Bing users may not find Google for jobs easily, there are more Googlers than Bingers.

CriteriaResult
Google Search Excellent
Bing Search Poor
Job TypesGood
VacanciesUnknown
Ease of UseDetermined by destination URL
UniquesOwned by Google

Adzuna

Adzuna lets you post job adverts and receive applications for free. It also supports sponsored advertising. If you do sponsor your job adverts, Adzuna claims to publish them to over 100 job sites.

In our experience, Adzuna is a useful free advertising option, but applicant numbers can be low if you don’t pay to sponsor them. To their credit, Adzuna doesn’t try to hide this in any way. The benefit of posting might be small, but a suitable Applicant Tracking System (ATS) should post your vacancies to Adzuna automatically. If you have an ATS that posts to Adzuna you should use it. It takes no effort with an ATS and your next great hire could potentially come from Adzuna.

One point to note with Adzuna is that it may choose to upload your vacancies to LinkedIn. Depending upon the type of vacancy, this can prove valuable in attracting more applicants.

CriteriaResult
Google Search Fair
Bing Search Fair
Job TypesGood
VacanciesUnknown
Ease of UseEasy
UniquesPotential LinkedIn repost

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft. Keep that in mind as you review the search results for Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, versus Google.

The LinkedIn job posting section operates on a pay per click (PPC) basis. Post your job for free then set a budget to stay in control of overall spend. However, you can post a direct link to your job in company pages or discussion forums. Posting in this way might not achieve the visibility of a formal LinkedIn job, but it’s free.

Our measure of Bing and Google search results reflect the formal job postings on LinkedIn. Search results don’t recognise posts on discussion forums.

CriteriaResult
Google Search Fair
Bing Search Excellent
Job TypesExcellent
VacanciesExcellent (700,000+)
Ease of UseEasy
UniquesNone

talent.com

talent.com is a useful and increasingly popular free job board option for employers. With millions of unique monthly visitors and options for sponsored and free job postings, it’s one to watch.

CriteriaResult
Google Search Poor
Bing Search Poor
Job TypesFair
VacanciesUnknown
Ease of UseGood
UniquesNone

Your Website

Our website is our shop window. Using Google Console and Bing Webmaster helps to identify who visits, how long they stay, the pages they read and so on. With most of our focus on selling our products and services, it’s easy to forget that our website is a key resource for attracting new candidates too.

We should all have a careers section on our website that is easy to identify and access. Try to make sure that every job is current and that each one reflects just a single vacancy. The advert title “Carers required” is less trusted than “Carer” among jobseekers. Allow people to apply for your vacancies online and with any device. All of this is easily achieved with an Applicant Tracking System.

Social Media

Using Social Media is free and can be effective if you have active followers. Try to make sure that new vacancies are published with #job, #jobs, #hiring or similar. Offer a few lines about your vacancy and a link to a page with the full advert and an application form. Again, a good Applicant Tracking System should help you with this.

Conclusion

Each of the free job boards we reviewed has genuine merit. The consistent top pick is Indeed. It is prominent in search results when looking for jobs and Indeed’s free job posting option delivers results.

Posting your job adverts to all of the available free job boards is a worthwhile strategy. The issue for most employers is time.

You should also include Google for Jobs. However, free job advertising here is most easily accessed via an ATS. That is because Google for Jobs does not support posting free job adverts by hand.

It is easy and fast to Post your jobs everywhere with a multipost solution. MultiPost allows you to write an advert once then automatically post it to a number of sites, including free job boards. After all, your next great employee could come from a free job posting on any site that can be discovered by applicants. You won’t want to miss out.

Want to know more?

Customers agree that CVMinder ATS is the best Applicant Tracking System for saving time and reducing recruiting fees. With multipost included, you can reach further to recruit faster and smarter than your competitors. If you want to know more about CVMinder ATS or any of the free advertising options in this article, contact us now.

By Marketing, ago
regulated employer ATS

3 ATS essentials for regulated employers

To recruit more efficiently we must reduce recruiting costs and improve hiring results at the same time. To spend less and achieve more is difficult without some level of automation and an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) could be the perfect solution. However, a bewildering set of features can lead any regulated employer such as a Care Provider, School or College to easily overlook some of the options that matter the most. Here, we cover 3 ATS essentials that regulated employers are advised to consider before purchasing an Applicant Tracking System.

Find an ATS for employers

An Applicant Tracking System can be an great recruitment aid. It does lots of heavy lifting for you, but not every ATS is made to meet employer requirements. Most are built with recruitment companies in mind and very few are made for regulated employers.

A recruiter’s ATS helps to attract and deliver applicants to their customers for their consideration. However, employers distribute the correct details to the right staff members for shortlisting and manage the rest of the recruitment process through to start date.

  • Regulated employers disassemble then share only certain information with line managers. HR officers may try to implement fair and consistent shortlisting by removing disability, criminal conviction, ethnicity, age, name and other personal information, for instance.
  • Some employers like Care providers and Schools use application forms. Using a comprehensive application form can help employers avoid CV submissions altogether and stick to the details they need.
  • Some employers have gone further; they score applicants to protect against accidental prejudice or favouritism.

Comparing an ATS for recruitment companies with an ATS for employers reveals quite a few differences. So, let’s get into the 3 ATS essentials for regulated employers. They should help you to avoid purchasing the wrong type of Applicant Tracking System.

ATS Essentials 1: Application Forms

Application forms help regulated employers to request and receive all of the information they need to support a job application. That information can include:

  • Personal details
  • Working history with any gap explanations
  • Education history, including professional qualifications
  • Personal statement
  • Disability information to prepare any necessary adjustments
  • Declaration of any personal relationship with a staff member
  • Criminal conviction information
  • Referee contact details
  • Any questions that are specific to the advertised vacancy
  • Declarations and Consents for GDPR purposes

Receiving consistent information from all applicants makes recruitment fairer and safer. It is well known that CVs can highlight good points and omit the not so good. Regulators like Ofsted advise that application forms help to avoid selective omissions by the applicant.

ATS Buying Advice: Look out for an ATS that gives you electronic application forms to suit your recruitment model. Truly flexible systems will give you the option of using electronic application forms because they can be completed online using a PC, Apple Mac, tablet or smartphone, all without additional technology. Some Applicant Tracking Systems will also allow you to deliver Microsoft Word documents to applicants so that they can complete and return them online. A few support both approaches in combination.

ATS Essentials 2: Information Sharing

During candidate shortlisting, some personal details should remain unavailable to people who are taking hiring decisions. Some of that information may be sensitive or could lead to unconscious bias during the selection process. Such information may include:

  • Name
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Contact information, should HR feel that it is open to abuse
  • Criminal convictions
  • Disability

ATS Buying Advice: Look out for an employer ATS that gives you control over the information that remains visible to hiring managers during shortlisting.

ATS Essential 3: Shortlisting Approach

The NSPCC advises that shortlisting should be carried out by at least 2 people. Following this guidance helps employers to confidently comply with fair recruitment practices. More and more employers are trying to remove unconscious bias from their recruitment process. It seems that two people are less likely to demonstrate equal bias when shortlisting. Further, safeguarding is always a concern for employers like Schools and Care Providers. All applicants must be properly scrutinised and two sets of eyes are better than one. Check out the safer recruitment guidance from the NSPCC to find out more.

ATS Buying Advice: Look out for an employer ATS that supports shortlisting with one or more managers. It’s a good idea to consider the following:

  • Flexible shortlist criteria: So that the scheme or criteria can change from job to to job.
  • Scoring scheme: to show which candidates are more suitable.
  • Audit: So that completion and scores can be reviewed centrally to defend the final selection.
ATS Essentials: Summary

There are differences in the way recruitment companies and employers manage recruitment. Recruiters find jobseekers to present to employers. Employers must manage a robust selection process and that process must consider:

  • fair recruitment practices and selection
  • safer recruitment

Applicant Tracking Systems are purpose built for recruiters or for employers. Very few Applicant Tracking Systems are made for regulated employers.

Try to think about the way you recruit and consider which type of ATS you should be looking for. Check out our ATS Buyer’s Guide if you are considering purchasing an Applicant Tracking System

Want to now more?

CVMinder ATS is an Applicant Tracking System for employers. It has lots of features to support regulated organisations so it’s a great choice for Schools and Care Providers for instance.

By Marketing, ago