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How to Start a Job Board Business

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Are you thinking about starting a job board business? In this article, we'll cover everything you need to know to get your job board up and running.

Online job boards are platforms that allow job seekers to search for open positions and employers to advertise their vacancies. For a more in-depth definition and examples check out our post on what is a job board .

We'll start by discussing the importance of identifying your target audience and niche. Next, we'll explain how to choose a niche for your job board, and we'll discuss the different options to create a niche job board .

Finally, we'll cover some key strategies for launching and promoting your job board, as well as some tips for managing risks and challenges.

By the end of this article, you'll have a solid foundation for launching and growing your job board business.

Identify Your Target Audience and Niche

Identifying your target audience and niche is an essential part of launching a successful job board business.

The Benefits of Choosing a Niche for Your Business

Choosing a niche can be an effective way to reach more people and grow your business. By specializing in a specific area, you can create tailored marketing campaigns that are more relevant to your target audience, which can help to increase brand awareness and attract more qualified leads. Additionally, by focusing on a specific niche, you can become a thought leader in your industry, which can help to boost your credibility and reputation. This can make it easier for you to connect with potential customers, as well as establish partnerships and collaborations with other businesses in your niche. Overall, choosing a niche can help you to reach more people and grow your business by focusing your efforts and resources on a specific group of customers.

By carefully selecting the types of job seekers and employers you want to help, as well as choosing a specific niche or industry for your platform, you can focus your efforts and resources on a specific group of customers, which can help to increase your chances of success.

How to Choose a Niche for Your Job Board

When it comes to choosing a niche for a job board business, there are a few key factors to consider. First and foremost, it’s important to identify the types of job seekers and employers you want to help.

This can include looking at the job market in your local area and identifying areas of high demand, as well as considering your own interests and expertise. For example, if you have a background in healthcare, you may want to focus on helping job seekers and employers in the healthcare industry.

Once you have identified the types of job seekers and employers you want to help, it’s important to conduct market research to assess the potential demand for your job board. This can include surveying potential customers to see if there is interest in your platform, as well as looking at competitors to see how they are positioning themselves in the market. By conducting thorough market research, you can gain valuable insights that can help you to refine your business plan and choose a niche that is well-suited to your target audience.

In addition to considering demand and competition, it’s also important to choose a niche that aligns with your personal interests and expertise. This can help to make your job board more enjoyable to run, as well as give you an edge over competitors who may not have the same level of knowledge and experience in your chosen niche.

Overall, choosing a niche for your job board business requires a combination of market research, strategic planning, and personal alignment. By carefully considering these factors, you can select a niche that is well-suited to your target audience and has the potential to grow and succeed.

By carefully selecting the types of job seekers and employers you want to help, and choosing a specific niche or industry for your platform, you can focus your efforts and resources on a specific group of customers, which can help to increase your chances of success.

Build a Job Board Website

Creating a website for your job board business is an essential step in launching and growing your platform. There are several options for creating a website, including choosing a job board software , using a website builder with a job board plugin, using a job board theme, or hiring a development team. Each option has its own benefits and drawbacks, so it’s important to carefully consider your specific needs and goals before making a decision.

When To Use Job Board Software

If you choose to use job board software, you can take advantage of pre-built features and functionality that are specifically designed for job boards. This can save you time and money, as you won’t have to build everything from scratch.

When To Use a Generic Website Builder

Using a website builder can be a more affordable option, and it allows you to easily create a basic job board website if you have enough technical expertise. Many website builders also offer pre-built templates and features that are specifically designed for job boards, which can save you time and effort. However, website builders can be limited in terms of customization, are troublesome to maintain, and don’t offer as many advanced features as job board software.

When To Hire a Software Development Team

Hiring a development team can be the most expensive option , but it also gives you the most control over the design and functionality of your website. A development team can create a custom website that is tailored to your specific needs and goals, and they can also help you to add advanced features and functionality. However, hiring a development team can be time-consuming and may require a significant investment.

What Makes a Good Job Board Website?

Regardless of the option you choose, it’s important to design a user-friendly and professional-looking website. This can include using clean, modern design elements, as well as making sure that your website is easy to navigate and use.

Additionally, you’ll want to add necessary features that are essential for job boards, such as:

• SEO and Google for Jobs integration : One important feature of a job board is robust search engine optimization (SEO) and integration with Google for Jobs. This means that your job board is designed to be easily discoverable by search engines, which can help to increase its visibility and reach. By optimizing your website for relevant keywords and phrases, you can improve its ranking in search results, which can help more job seekers and employers to find your platform. Additionally, by integrating with Google for Jobs, you can make your job postings more discoverable on the world's largest search engine. This can help to drive more traffic to your website and increase engagement and retention on your platform. Overall, robust SEO and integration with Google for Jobs is an important feature for any job board, as it can help to improve its visibility and reach, and ultimately drive more success for your business.
• Modern, easy to use, and remote-friendly job search experience : A modern, easy to use, and remote-friendly job search experience is a key feature of any job board. This means that job seekers can easily and quickly find relevant job postings that fit their preferences and qualifications, regardless of whether they are looking for in-person or remote positions. By providing a user-friendly and intuitive search experience, you can help job seekers to find the right opportunities more quickly, which can increase engagement and retention on your platform. Additionally, by making it easy for job seekers to find remote positions, you can help to meet the growing demand for flexible and remote work opportunities.
• Talent network : A talent network is a feature that helps employers discover and connect with job seekers. This can include tools and resources that allow employers to search for job seekers with specific skills and experience, as well as tools that help job seekers to showcase their skills and qualifications. By providing a talent network, you can help employers to easily find and connect with potential candidates, and you can provide job seekers with a platform to showcase their abilities and stand out to potential employers. This can help to improve engagement and retention on your job board.
• Employer and job seeker communication : A way for employers and job seekers to communicate within the job board is an important feature that can help to improve engagement and retention on your platform. This can include tools and resources that allow employers and job seekers to easily connect and communicate in real-time, such as messaging and chat functions. By providing a way for employers and job seekers to communicate within your job board, you can make it easier for them to schedule interviews and discuss job opportunities, which can save them time and effort and ultimately improve the overall user experience. Additionally, by facilitating communication between employers and job seekers, you can increase engagement and retention on your job board.
• Customizable applicant tracking system for employers : A customizable applicant tracking system allows employers to easily track and manage the job application process, from posting a job to reviewing and interviewing candidates. By providing a customizable applicant tracking system, you can give employers the ability to tailor the system to their specific needs and preferences making them more efficient and effective. This can help to improve the overall user experience for employers, and make your job board more appealing and useful for them, which can save them time and effort.
• Flexible job taxonomy and filters : This can include options for categorizing jobs by category, location, type, salary, and any other relevant factors you can imagine. By taking advantage of flexible job taxonomy, you can make it easier for job seekers to find jobs that are relevant to their interests and qualifications, and you can make it easier for employers to find candidates who are a good fit for their job postings.
• Customizable fields for company and job seeker profiles : Decide what info employers and job seekers can fill out on their profiles, what's required, what's visible publicly, and what's searchable. This can include things like job seeker skills and experience, company size and industry, and more. By giving employers and job seekers the ability to tailor their profiles, you can make the job search experience on your platform more personal and relevant. It can also make it easier for employers and job seekers to connect and communicate.
• Ability to scrape and aggregate relevant jobs : Automatically collect and populate your job board with job postings from external sources, such as other job boards, company websites, and job search engines. This can save you time and effort, as you won’t have to manually enter job postings onto your job board. Additionally, by scraping and importing relevant jobs from other sources, you can make your job board more comprehensive and up-to-date, which can improve the user experience and make it more appealing to both job seekers and employers. Overall, the ability to scrape and import jobs from other sources is a valuable feature for any job board, as it can help to save time, improve the user experience, and keep job seekers coming back.
• Sophisticated monetization capabilities : Maximize revenue by selling and upselling high-margin recurring revenue products to employers at the right time. This can include offering sponsored job listings, as well as premium features and services that employers can purchase to enhance their job postings and attract more qualified candidates. By taking advantage of sophisticated monetization capabilities, you can give employers the ability to easily and conveniently purchase products and services that are relevant to their needs and goals, which can help to drive more revenue for your business. Additionally, by offering high-margin recurring revenue products, you can create a steady stream of income for your business, which can help to improve its financial stability and growth potential. Be sure to choose a solution that can support your business model.

Creating a website for your job board business requires careful consideration and planning. By choosing the right platform or development team, and designing a user-friendly and professional-looking website, you can create a website that is effective and successful in helping job seekers and employers connect.

Looking for all of the above, plus platform extensibility, customizability, and stellar support at every step of your job board journey? Check out our job board software .

Create a Pricing Model

Creating a pricing model for a job board business can be a complex task, as you need to balance the need to generate revenue with the need to provide value and remain competitive in your industry. One key factor to consider when creating a pricing model is analyzing the competitive landscape in your industry to offer comparable prices. This means researching the prices and pricing models of other job boards in your market and using this information to inform your own pricing decisions.

Once you have a good understanding of the competitive landscape, you can start thinking about how to price and sell your core products and services. This can include pricing and selling individual job posts, as well as pricing and selling job post packages that allow employers to purchase multiple job posts at a discounted rate. You can also consider selling services, such as resume and cover letter building tools, that can help job seekers to improve their job application materials.

Another key aspect of your pricing model is upselling featured listings. This means offering employers the option to purchase additional features and services, such as highlighted job posts or priority placement in search results, that can help their job postings to stand out and attract more qualified candidates. By offering these options as add-ons, you can increase the value of your core products and services, and generate additional revenue for your business.

In addition to selling job posts and featured listings, you can also consider selling access to your talent network. This can include offering employers the ability to search for and connect with job seekers who have specific skills and experience, as well as offering job seekers the ability to showcase their abilities and qualifications to potential employers. By selling access to your talent network, you can provide value to both employers and job seekers, and generate additional revenue for your business.

One way to generate high-margin recurring revenue is by selling any of these products and services as subscriptions. This means offering employers the ability to purchase job posts, featured listings, and talent network access on a recurring basis, such as monthly or annually. By offering subscriptions, you can create a steady stream of revenue for your business, and improve its financial stability and growth potential.

Overall, creating a pricing model for a job board business requires careful consideration of the competitive landscape, the value of your products and services, and the needs and preferences of your target audience. By offering comparable prices, selling core products and services, upselling featured listings, selling access to your talent network, and selling subscriptions, you can create a pricing model that generates revenue and drives success for your business.

Create a Marketing Plan

Creating a marketing plan for a job board business is essential for promoting your platform and attracting job seekers and employers. A comprehensive marketing plan can help you to develop a clear and effective strategy for reaching your target audience, and it can provide a roadmap for implementing and managing your marketing efforts.

One key step in creating a marketing plan is identifying the most effective marketing channels and tactics for reaching your target audience. This can include researching your target audience and understanding their needs, preferences, and behavior, as well as assessing the effectiveness and feasibility of different marketing channels and tactics.

Some popular job board marketing channels, tactics, and strategies include:

Content Marketing

Content marketing is an effective way to promote a job board business, as it allows you to provide valuable and engaging information to job seekers and employers, and establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry. To use content marketing to promote your job board, you can follow these steps:

Develop a content marketing strategy : To effectively use content marketing to promote your job board, you need to develop a content marketing strategy that outlines your goals, target audience, content themes, distribution channels, and measurement methods. By developing a content marketing strategy, you can create a roadmap for your content marketing efforts, and ensure that they are aligned with your business goals and your target audience.

Create and publish content : Once you have developed a content marketing strategy, you can start creating and publishing content that provides value and engages your target audience. This can include blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, podcasts, and other types of content that are relevant to your target audience and your industry. By creating and publishing valuable and engaging content, you can build trust and credibility with your audience, and encourage them to visit your job board and engage with your content.

Promote your content : To maximize the impact of your content marketing efforts, it’s important to promote your content and make it visible to your target audience. This can include sharing your content on social networks, email marketing, and other distribution channels, as well as using search engine optimization and paid advertising to increase its visibility and reach. By promoting your content, you can increase its visibility and engagement, and drive more traffic and engagement to your job board.

Monitor and analyze your content performance : To effectively use content marketing to promote your job board, it’s important to monitor and analyze your performance. This can include tracking metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, and conversion rates, as well as conducting surveys and focus groups to gather feedback from your audience. By monitoring and analyzing your content performance, you can identify what’s working and what’s not, and make adjustments to your content marketing strategy to improve its effectiveness.

Overall, content marketing is a powerful tool for promoting a job board business, as it allows you to provide valuable and engaging information to job seekers and employers, and establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry. By developing a content marketing strategy, creating and publishing content, promoting your content, and monitoring and analyzing your performance, you can use content marketing to increase brand awareness, attract job seekers and employers, and drive traffic and engagement with your job board.

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is an effective way to promote a job board business, as it can help to increase brand awareness, attract job seekers and employers, and drive engagement and traffic to your platform. To use social media marketing to promote your job board, you can follow these steps:

Choose the right social media platforms : There are many different social media platforms to choose from, and it’s important to select the ones that are most relevant to your target audience and your marketing goals. For example, if your job board focuses on a specific industry or location, you might want to focus on platforms that are popular among job seekers and employers in that industry or location.

Develop a social media content strategy : To effectively promote your job board on social media, you need to develop a content strategy that provides value and engages your target audience. This can include sharing job postings, industry news and trends, career advice, and other relevant and interesting content. By providing valuable and engaging content, you can build trust and credibility with your audience, and encourage them to visit your job board and engage with your content.

Use social media advertising : In addition to organic content, you can also use social media advertising to promote your job board and reach a wider audience. This can include running sponsored posts, sponsored stories, and other types of paid advertisements that are targeted to your target audience. By using social media advertising, you can increase the visibility and reach of your job board, and drive more traffic and engagement with your platform.

Monitor and analyze your social media performance: To effectively use social media marketing to promote your job board, it’s important to monitor and analyze your performance on social media. This can include tracking metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and clicks.

Community-led Marketing

Community-led marketing is an effective way to promote a job board business, as it allows you to leverage the power of your community to promote your platform and attract job seekers and employers. To use community-led marketing to promote your job board, you can follow these steps:

Identify and engage with your community : The first step in using community-led marketing to promote your job board is to identify and engage with your community. This can include identifying groups and individuals who are interested in your job board, and engaging with them through social media, forums, events, and other channels. By engaging with your community, you can build relationships, gather feedback and insights, and create a supportive and engaged group of individuals who can help to promote your job board.

Encourage community involvement : To effectively use community-led marketing to promote your job board, you need to encourage community involvement and participation. This can include providing incentives, rewards, and recognition to community members who contribute to your job board and promote it to others, as well as creating opportunities for community members to collaborate, share ideas, and support each other. By encouraging community involvement, you can create a dynamic and engaged community that can help to promote your job board and attract job seekers and employers.

Leverage community content and reviews : Another way to use community-led marketing to promote your job board is to leverage community content and reviews. This can include featuring community-generated content, such as blog posts, videos, and photos, on your website and social media channels, as well as sharing community reviews and testimonials to showcase the value and benefits of your job board. By leveraging community content and reviews, you can increase the credibility and trustworthiness of your job board, and encourage more job seekers and employers to engage with your platform.

Overall, community-led marketing is a powerful tool for promoting a job board business, as it allows you to leverage the power of your community to promote your platform and attract job seekers and employers.

By identifying and engaging with your community, encouraging community involvement, leveraging community content and reviews, and monitoring and engaging with your community, you can use community-led marketing to increase brand awareness, attract job seekers and employers, and drive traffic and engagement with your job board.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is an effective way to promote a job board business, as it allows you to directly target and engage with job seekers and employers who have expressed an interest in your platform. To use email marketing to promote your job board, you can follow these steps:

Build an email list : The first step in using email marketing to promote your job board is to build an email list of job seekers and employers who have expressed an interest in your platform. This can include collecting email addresses through sign-up forms on your website, registration forms at job fairs or networking events, or other methods. By building an email list, you can create a group of individuals who are interested in your job board and are more likely to engage with your emails.

Develop email templates : Once you have built an email list, you can start developing email templates that you can use to promote your job board. This can include templates for newsletters, job alerts, special offers, and other types of emails that are relevant to your target audience. By developing email templates, you can create a consistent and professional look and feel for your emails, and save time and effort when sending them to your email list.

Create and send emails : Once you have developed email templates, you can start creating and sending emails to your email list. This can include sending newsletters that provide updates and news about your job board, job alerts that notify job seekers of new job postings that match their interests and qualifications, special offers that provide discounts or incentives to job seekers and employers, and other types of emails that provide value and engage your audience.

Monitor and analyze your email performance : To effectively use email marketing to promote your job board, it’s important to monitor and analyze your performance. This can include tracking metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, as well as conducting surveys to gather feedback from your audience. By monitoring and analyzing your email performance, you can identify what’s working and what’s not, and make adjustments to your email marketing strategy to improve its effectiveness.

By building an email list, developing email templates, creating and sending emails, and monitoring and analyzing your performance, you can use email marketing to increase brand awareness, attract job seekers and employers, and drive traffic and engagement with your job board. By implementing an effective email marketing strategy, you can create another valuable and engaging marketing channe for your job board businessl.

Paid Advertising

Paid advertising is an effective way to promote a job board business, as it allows you to reach a wider audience and drive more traffic and engagement to your platform. To use paid advertising to promote your job board, you can follow these steps:

Choose the right advertising channels : There are many different advertising channels to choose from, and it’s important to select the ones that are most relevant to your target audience and your marketing goals. For example, if your job board focuses on a specific industry or location, you might want to focus on channels that are popular among job seekers and employers in that industry or location.

Develop an advertising strategy : To effectively use paid advertising to promote your job board, you need to develop an advertising strategy that outlines your goals, target audience, ad formats, budget, and measurement methods. By developing an advertising strategy, you can create a roadmap for your advertising efforts, and ensure that they are aligned with your business goals and your target audience.

Create and run ads : Once you have developed an advertising strategy, you can start creating and running ads that promote your job board and attract job seekers and employers. This can include running display ads, search ads, social media ads, and other types of ads that are targeted to your target audience. By creating and running ads, you can increase the visibility and reach of your job board, and drive more traffic and engagement with your platform.

Monitor and analyze your advertising performance : To effectively use paid advertising to promote your job board, it’s important to monitor and analyze your performance. This can include tracking metrics such as impressions, clicks, and conversions, as well as conducting surveys and focus groups to gather feedback from your audience. By monitoring and analyzing your advertising performance, you can identify what’s working and what’s not, and make adjustments to your advertising strategy to improve its effectiveness.

By identifying your target audience, choosing the right advertising channels, developing an advertising strategy, creating and running ads, and monitoring and analyzing your performance, you can use paid advertising to increase brand awareness, attract job seekers and employers, and drive traffic and engagement with your job board.

Once you have identified the most effective marketing channels and tactics for your niche, you can start implementing and managing your marketing plan.

By developing a comprehensive marketing plan, identifying the most effective marketing channels and tactics, and implementing and managing your marketing plan, you can drive traffic and engagement with your job board.

Develop Relationships With Employers

Developing relationships and partnerships with employers is an important part of running a successful job board business, as it allows you to build trust and credibility with your clients, and provide value and support to help them achieve their hiring goals. To develop relationships and partnerships with employers, you can follow these steps:

Identify and engage with potential employers : The first step in developing relationships and partnerships with employers is to identify and engage with potential clients. This can include researching employers in your target industries and locations, and reaching out to them through social media, email, phone, and other channels. By engaging with potential employers, you can learn more about their hiring needs and goals, and assess whether your job board can provide value and support to help them achieve their objectives.

Offer value and support : To effectively develop relationships and partnerships with employers, you need to offer value and support to help them achieve their hiring goals. This can include providing job posting and applicant tracking services, offering advice and guidance on hiring and recruiting, and sharing insights and trends to help employers stay up-to-date on the latest developments in their industry. By offering value and support, you can build trust and credibility with employers, and establish yourself as a valuable partner who can help them succeed.

Develop personalized solutions : To build strong relationships and partnerships with employers, you need to develop personalized solutions that are tailored to their specific needs and goals. This can include creating custom job posting packages, offering specialized applicant tracking systems, and providing training and support to help employers use your job board effectively. By developing personalized solutions, you can demonstrate your understanding of employers’ unique needs, and create a tailored and effective offering that can help them achieve their objectives.

Establish a relationship-building process : To effectively develop relationships and partnerships with employers, it’s important to establish a relationship-building process that outlines the steps you will take to connect with potential clients, offer value and support, and develop personalized solutions. By establishing a relationship-building process, you can create a systematic and effective approach that can help you to build strong and sustainable relationships and partnerships with employers. This can include creating a schedule for reaching out to potential employers, setting up regular check-ins to assess their needs and goals, and providing ongoing support and guidance to help them achieve their objectives. By implementing a relationship-building process, you can ensure that you are building relationships and partnerships with employers in a consistent and effective way, and providing value and support to help them succeed.

Create a Customer Service Plan

Developing a customer service plan is an essential part of running a successful job board business. With the right plan in place, you can ensure that your customers – both job seekers and employers – have a positive experience with your platform, which can help to improve customer satisfaction and increase retention.

One key aspect of a customer service plan for a job board business is creating a system for responding to job seeker and employer inquiries. This can include setting up dedicated email addresses or phone lines for customers to contact, as well as establishing clear guidelines for how and when inquiries should be responded to. For example, you may decide to prioritize urgent inquiries from employers who are looking to fill a position quickly, or from job seekers who are seeking assistance with their job search.

Another important aspect of a customer service plan is developing a plan for resolving customer complaints or issues. This can include creating a process for handling complaints, such as documenting the issue and working with the customer to find a resolution. It may also involve training your customer service team on how to handle different types of complaints and issues, as well as how to escalate them to management if necessary.

Finally, implementing a feedback and review system can help to improve the customer experience on your job board. This can include soliciting feedback from customers through surveys or other means, as well as encouraging customers to leave reviews on your platform or on third-party review sites. By regularly reviewing and responding to customer feedback, you can identify areas for improvement and make changes to your platform to better meet the needs of your customers.

Overall, a well-developed customer service plan is crucial for a successful job board business. By creating a system for responding to inquiries, developing a plan for resolving customer complaints, and implementing a feedback and review system, you can improve the customer experience and increase satisfaction with your platform.

Analyze and Improve Your Performance

To effectively analyze and improve the performance of your job board business, you need to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that can help you to measure and assess the success of your platform. Some possible KPIs for a job board business can include:

Average number of applications per job posting : This metric measures the average number of applications received for each job posting on your job board, and can help you to assess the quality and relevance of job seekers to a job posting.

Average time to fill a job posting : This metric measures the average amount of time it takes for a job posting to be successfully filled, and can help you to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of your job board in connecting job seekers with employers.

Candidate retention rate : This metric measures the percentage of candidates who are successfully hired and remain with the company for a defined period of time, and can help you to assess the effectiveness of your job board in helping employers find and retain top talent.

Employer churn rate : This metric measures the percentage of employers who stop using your job board within a defined period of time, and can help you to assess the satisfaction and loyalty of your employer clients.

Job seeker churn rate : This metric measures the percentage of job seekers who stop using your job board within a defined period of time, and can help you to assess the satisfaction and loyalty of your job seeker audience.

Job posting engagement rate : This metric measures the level of engagement of job seekers with a job posting, and can include metrics such as clicks, views, and shares. This can help you to assess the popularity and relevance of a job posting, and identify areas for improvement.

Employer engagement rate : This metric measures the level of engagement of employers with your job board, and can include metrics such as job postings, applicant tracking, and other services and products. This can help you to assess the value and effectiveness of your job board, and identify areas for improvement.

Job seeker engagement rate : This metric measures the level of engagement of job seekers with your job board, and can include metrics such as job searches, applications, and other services and products. This can help you to assess the value and effectiveness of your job board, and identify areas for improvement.

Customer lifetime value : This metric measures the total value of a customer over the course of their relationship with your job board, and can help you to assess the long-term value and potential of your audience. By tracking and analyzing this KPI, you can gain insights into the long-term potential of your job board business, and identify areas for improvement and growth.

Once you have identified your KPIs , you can analyze your metrics to identify areas for improvement, and implement changes and improvements to increase the effectiveness of your job board. This can include improving the user experience of your website, adding new features and services, and implementing a customer feedback and review system to gather feedback from your audience. By analyzing and improving the performance of your job board, you can ensure that your platform is providing value and support to your target audience.

Manage Risks and Challenges

Running a job board business can be a rewarding and challenging experience, and managing the risks and challenges that come with it is an essential part of success. Some common risks and challenges of running a job board business can include:

• Competition : To manage competitive risk you can conduct market research to assess the competitive landscape, identify your unique value proposition, and implement strategies to differentiate your job board from others.
• Technology : Job boards rely on technology to function, and technical issues can disrupt your platform and impact your audience. To manage this risk, you can implement robust technology infrastructure, regularly test and update your systems, and have contingency plans in place for unexpected issues. Job board software providers like Job Board Fire help ease the burden of managing your own technology platform so you can focus on growing your job board business.
• Customer satisfaction : Job seekers and employers are the core of your job board business, and their satisfaction is essential to your success. To manage this risk, you can implement a customer feedback and review system, regularly assess customer satisfaction, and implement strategies to address any issues or concerns.

Overall, managing the risks and challenges of running a job board business requires a proactive and strategic approach, and it’s important to regularly assess and address potential risks and challenges to ensure the success and sustainability of your platform.

Stay up to Date with Industry Trends and Best Practices

Staying up to date with the latest trends and best practices in the job board business is key to staying ahead of the competition.

To do this, you can join industry organizations, attend conferences and events, follow industry publications and blogs, and connect with peers and experts. This will give you access to important news, insights, and analysis, and can help you to stay on top of the latest developments in the field.

It's important to regularly engage with industry resources and networks to gain valuable knowledge and stay up to date.

An easy way to stay up to date on job board related news and trends is to subscribe to the Job Board Academy by Job Board Fire.

Starting a job board business can be a rewarding and lucrative venture. By carefully identifying your target audience and choosing a niche, you can focus your efforts on a specific group of customers and increase your chances of success. Building a user-friendly and professional-looking website, adding necessary features, and creating a comprehensive marketing plan are all key steps in launching and promoting your job board. Additionally, developing relationships and partnerships with employers, analyzing and improving your performance, and staying up to date with industry trends and best practices can help you to manage risks and challenges, and ensure the long-term success of your job board business.

Ready to kick off your job board business? Get a demo of our job board platform .

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How to Start an Online Job Board Business

The search for a job has moved to the internet. A Pew Research Center poll from 2015 found that 79 percent of job seekers had searched online, and that percent has likely only increased since then. When people search for jobs online, they frequently look on job boards.

Online job boards list open positions that employers have. Unlike job search engines , job boards don’t usually compile listings by searching other websites. Instead, listings are entered directly by a manager or employer. This helps ensure that listings are accurate, relevant, and concise (i.e. no duplicates).

According to IBISWorld , the online recruitment sites in the United States bring in $4 billion annually and are growing at an average rate of 14.6 percent. For online job boards that find successful niches, there is plenty of potential available.

Learn how to start your own Online Job Board Business and whether it is the right fit for you.

Ready to form your LLC? Check out the Top LLC Formation Services .

Start an online job board business by following these 10 steps:

• Plan your Online Job Board Business
• Form your Online Job Board Business into a Legal Entity
• Register your Online Job Board Business for Taxes
• Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
• Set up Accounting for your Online Job Board Business
• Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Online Job Board Business
• Get Online Job Board Business Insurance
• Define your Online Job Board Business Brand
• Create your Online Job Board Business Website
• Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your online job board business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas .

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

What will you name your business?

• What are the startup and ongoing costs?
• Who is your target market?

How much can you charge customers?

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Online Job Board Business Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship , you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name , we recommend researching your business name by checking:

• Your state's business records
• Federal and state trademark records
• Social media platforms
• Web domain availability .

It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

Want some help naming your online job board business?

Business name generator, what are the costs involved in opening an online job board business.

The startup expenses for an online job board business are minimal. They primarily consist of domain registration, web hosting, website design and software expenses. While businesses can build their own software, there’s little reason to because many good options are already available.

Most business owners end up selecting an existing software-as-a-solution (SaaS) option that bundles software expenses with the other website startup costs. These solutions have multiple benefits:

• Business owners don’t need coding knowledge to use the available templates
• Business owners save time because they don’t need to code and debug
• Initial expenses are kept minimal because SaaS providers charge monthly fees instead of large one-time payments

The Job Board Software Buyers Guide details the many different SaaS options that are available.

What are the ongoing expenses for an online job board business?

Since most business owners sign up for an SaaS solution, the main ongoing expense is normally the SaaS provider’s monthly subscription fee. SmartJobBoard’s rates of $79, $179 and $299 per month are similar to what other SaaS providers charge.

Who is the target market?

An online job board needs between 5,000 and 10,000 monthly visitors who are searching for jobs to begin charging employers for listings. With this amount of traffic, employers will begin asking about placing listings because their listings will provide applicants. With fewer job seekers visiting each month, listings may not get any applications.

How does an online job board business make money?

The majority of an online job board’s revenue comes from selling job listings. Employers pay to post their open positions, purchasing listings either individually or in bulk packages.

SmartJobBoard reports that many job boards supplement this primary revenue with several additional sources of revenue: traditional ads (10 to 20 percent of revenue), resume access for employers (5 to 8 percent once established) and commissions from job search sites (less than 5 percent).

Online job board businesses frequently charge between $50 and $500 for a 30-day listing. Where within this range a job board falls depends on the size of the job board, the industry it’s in, and other factors.

How much profit can an online job board business make?

Even a small online job board business can make a nice profit. ProBlogger charges $70 per listings and had 16 listings in March 2017. That equated to a revenue of $1,120 for the month.

For a job board that’s a side business, ProBlogger’s brings in a decent supplemental revenue. Larger boards that have a few dozen or hundred monthly listings can make much more.

How can you make your business more profitable?

Established online job board businesses can slowly grow their revenue by expanding into related fields. A job board that listed openings for coffee baristas might add a coffee roaster section, for instance.

Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC's free Small Business Startup Guide - a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

The most common business structure types are the sole proprietorship , partnership , limited liability company (LLC) , and corporation .

Establishing a legal business entity such as an LLC or corporation protects you from being held personally liable if your online job board business is sued.

Form Your LLC

Read our Guide to Form Your Own LLC

Have a Professional Service Form your LLC for You

Two such reliable services:

You can form an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or hire one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.

Recommended: You will need to elect a registered agent for your LLC. LLC formation packages usually include a free year of registered agent services . You can choose to hire a registered agent or act as your own.

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website . If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil .

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

• Separates your personal assets from your company's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
• Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

• Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in one place.
• Build your company's credit history , which can be useful to raise money later on.

Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate an online job board business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits .

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses .

Services Contract

Online job board businesses should consider requiring clients to sign a services agreement before starting a new project. This agreement should clarify client expectations and minimize risk of legal disputes by setting out payment terms and conditions, service level expectations, and so on.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance . This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance . If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.

FInd out what types of insurance your Online Job Board Business needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Online Job Board Business.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you aren't feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners , we'll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.

Recommended : Get a logo using Truic's free logo Generator no email or sign up required, or use a Premium Logo Maker .

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator . Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market an online job board business

Business owners can employ several strategies to attract job-seeking visitors. Search engine optimization, pay-per-click ad campaigns, and social media feeds can all be useful.

How to keep customers coming back

Focusing on a specific niche will help keep job seekers visiting an online job board. The board will be distinct from small boards in other niches, and it’ll be able to provide a level of relevancy and precision that generic boards can’t attain.

Some of the most successful small job boards have chosen very specific, and even obscure, niches. For example, ProBlogger lists jobs specifically for online bloggers.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business .

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

• All legitimate businesses have websites - full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
• Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
• Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Recommended : Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders .

Other popular website builders are: WordPress , WIX , Weebly , Squarespace , and Shopify .

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2023 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it's fair pricing.

Is this Business Right For You?

Anyone who is interested in running a web-based business might like owning an online job board that’s related to a subject they’re interested in. Little technical knowledge is required, but it helps to be interested in a board’s field because part of the work involves building a community around the industry (see How to Keep Customers Coming Back).

Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!

Entrepreneurship Quiz

What happens during a typical day at an online job board business?

A typical day running an online job board business includes confirming new listings, collecting new listing payments and responding to inquiries. Business owners may also need to review marketing campaigns. Confirming a listing takes 2 to 3 minutes . Finding businesses to post ads and running marketing campaigns can be time-consuming when a job board is new, though.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful online job board business?

While running an online job board business doesn’t require much advanced knowledge in a particular area, but business owners should familiarize themselves with all aspects of online job boards. Job Board Secrets and Job Board Doctor both have ebooks that discuss relevant topics.

What is the growth potential for an online job board business?

An online job board business might remain a small site or it can grow to be a large site that has millions of visitors each month. Monster.com and CareerBuilder are two lager job boards. A couple of smaller boards are JournalismJobs.com and Problogger’s Jobs .

TRUiC's YouTube Channel

For fun informative videos about starting a business visit the TRUiC YouTube Channel or subscribe to view later.

Take the Next Step

Find a business mentor.

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

Learn from other business owners

Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.

Resources to Help Women in Business

There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:

If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.

What are some insider tips for jump starting an online job board business?

Employers usually won’t submit or pay for listings until an online job board is established, so business owners must find and create listings themselves when starting out. Business owners can find position openings on relevant employers’ websites and link to those sites directly at first. If more listings are needed, they can be sourced from a job search engine like Indeed .

Once an online job board is established, these free and self-sourced listings can be replaced with employer-submitted, paid ones.

How and when to build a team

Online job board business owners can start out running their job boards themselves. As the workload becomes too time-consuming, an employee can be hired to help check and manage listings.

Useful Links

Industry opportunities.

• Discover more Unique Business Ideas

Real World Examples

• Zip Recruiter
• Monster Jobs

Further Reading

• How to Create a Job Board Website Like Glassdoor
• Steps to Launch a Successful Niche Job Board in Your Community

Have a Question? Leave a Comment!

• Website Planet

10 Best Job Posting Sites for Employers in 2024

Short on Time? These Are the Best Job Posting Sites for Employers in 2024

• Upwork – Build long-term business relationships using built-in management and collaboration tools.
• Bark – Find local agencies and small businesses for one-off, long-term, and online services.
• Fiverr – Utilize advanced filters to pinpoint experts and fill open positions in under 24 hours.

See 7 More Great Options | Comparison Table

• What We Look for in the Best Job Posting Sites for Employers
• Number of high-quality candidates. Most platforms listed provide access to industry experts, eliminating the need to wade through hundreds of unfit applications.
• Advanced filters. All the job posting sites offer robust filters, enabling precise searches for candidates by skill, location, and more.
• Free to post. Most of the services mentioned enable free job posting, ensuring you can address your hiring needs without upfront investment or additional fees.
• Secure payments and protection. Most job posting sites here safeguard your funds until you’re satisfied with the project outcome, reducing the risk of financial loss.
• Management and collaboration tools. Many of the listed platforms facilitate direct communication with candidates and offer tools like time tracking, ensuring you can manage your hires effectively and complete projects on time.
• 1. Upwork: Best for Long-Term Contracts and Projects

• Virtual talent bench. Upwork allows you to organize and rehire freelancers based on their past performance. You can curate lists by skills, note their familiarity with your business, and discover freelancers recommended for your specific needs.
• Live chat. The platform’s AI chatbot draws from an extensive knowledge base to address your queries. If your questions remain unanswered, it redirects you to a representative to help solve the problem.
• Detailed freelancer profiles. Each profile serves as a comprehensive resume that you can use to determine a freelancer’s suitability for your job post. Details include work history, education, job success score, earnings, hours worked, and recommendations.
• Bids. Freelancers applying to your job posts must use bids to win the spot. This system helps gauge a freelancer’s commitment to the job, reducing the chances of low-quality applications.
• 2. Bark: Best for Hiring Local Agencies and SMEs

• Communicate by phone. Once an agency or SME has applied to your job, they’ll automatically receive your phone number and can organize a callback. This way, you can discuss the role and your expectations faster than chat or email.
• Multiple requests. Bark allows you to post multiple jobs simultaneously, increasing the chances of finding an appropriate applicant quickly.
• 24/7 support. In addition to phone support in 11 countries, Bark allows you to contact its support team 24/7. I was impressed with the response time, as I sent an email outside of regular working hours and received a reply in under 10 minutes.
• Urgent requests. If you’re on a time limit and don’t have the resources available to wait for a response, you can click a small button to post an urgent request. However, as it’s a free feature, it’s hard to determine whether this noticeably improves response times.

• 3. Fiverr: Best for Hiring Expert Freelancers in Under 24 Hours

• Pro-verified freelancers. Fiverr’s Pro-verified freelancers are rigorously vetted, giving you access to experts with notable education, work experience, and service quality. To identify pro freelancers, toggle the Pro Services filter during your search. 
• Resolution center. If you encounter unresponsive sellers who have not responded for over 24 hours, Fiverr offers cancellations, refunds, and a resolution center to help you resolve the issue.
• Superfast turnaround time. Most Fiverr freelancers can start or finish your project in under 48 hours. Expedited services may require an additional fee, but it’s worth it if you don’t have the time to spare.
• Ease of use. In addition to simplifying the process of finding and hiring experts, Fiverr offers traditional job posting features. All you have to do is visit your profile, click Post a Request , and review the freelancers who apply for your job.
• 4. OnlineJobs.ph: Best for Finding F/T or P/T Filipinos

• 30-day money-back guarantee. Regardless of your chosen plan, you can get your money back if you aren’t satisfied with its service. However, remember that this guarantee only covers the subscription cost, not money paid to an applicant.
• Keyword search and filters. Like most job posting sites, OnlineJobs.ph lets you use keywords and filters to find high-quality candidates. These filters also help ensure that only qualified individuals can see and apply for your job post.
• Background checks. If you open up a premium account, you get access to background data reports. OnlineJobs.ph uses clever algorithms to monitor users’ behavior, work history, reviews, and social media profiles to help you hire the best candidate for the job.
• EasyPay. A useful feature for managing payments, EasyPay is a free feature that lists successful job offers and provides links to your preferred payment processor.
• 5. FlexJobs: Best for Recruiting Under-Represented Talent

• Activity and data reporting. Showing your business’s page views, applicant volume, and trends, FlexJobs allows you to review your profile and determine how you can improve it to increase the number of applications you receive per job post.
• Unlimited resume searches. FlexJobs gives you direct access to every resume uploaded to its site, allowing you to sift through users, identify matches, and hire the best person for your job.
• Average support. Despite not offering a 24/7 live chat or phone line, you can contact FlexJobs’ support team from 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. (Mountain Time), Monday-Friday.
• Pause your membership. If there are no positions, you don’t have to worry about canceling your subscription – you can pause your membership for 60 days.
• 6. LinkedIn: Best for Permanent Jobs and Highly-Skilled Applicants

• Landing pages. Tailor personalized landing pages to your target audience and get their attention with one-click “I’m Interested” buttons.
• Prepaid slots. If you have roles frequently advertised throughout the year, you can pay to rotate your listings automatically – no time or effort required. 
• Advanced filters. LinkedIn gives you access to over 40 filters and keywords, allowing you to identify candidates based on their specific skills, experience, and more.
• InMails. If you find a profile matching one of your job descriptions, you can send them a message and request a chat – even if you aren’t part of their network.
• Other Notable Job Posting Sites for Employers

8. DesignCrowd

9. Google Jobs

10. Handshake

These Are the Best Job Posting Sites for Employers in 2024

How do i find the best job posting site for my business, which is better: fiverr or indeed, where can you post job openings for free, what is the best job posting site for employers.

• These Are the Best Job Posting Sites for Employers in

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The Ultimate Job Search Plan Guide: Tips and Strategy

There are so many steps to a job search and so many things that you can go wrong. If you’re looking for a new job and want to avoid making mistakes, we highly recommend that you create a job search plan. 

A good plan will help you stay organized, focus on the right opportunities , and give yourself the best chance of success in your search.

In this post we’ll explain everything from why creating a job hunting plan is important all the way down to how to plan a job search for yourself step by step.  And as creating an effective resume is a key step on this plan, we recommend you use our free online resume builder to make the process easier!

What Is a Job Hunting Plan?

A job hunting plan is a detailed strategy for how to find a job and build your career . It includes everything from the types of jobs you’ll apply for, to what you should send in an application to land an interview.  You could make a flow diagram, a list, a calendar, whatever format works for you.

A good job hunting strategy helps you avoid making mistakes, or missing things out that could cost you the chance at landing a dream position. And if the perfect job does come along and all goes according to plan? Well then, all the work was worth it!

Why Create a Job Search Action Plan?

Creating a job search action plan will help you stay focused and on track. It will give you a clear list of things to do that will hopefully get your foot in the door at your dream job.

A successful job search action plan keeps you from wasting time on unnecessary actions, like sending out hundreds or even thousands of resumes with no results.

If you’re having trouble finding a job , want to get a new position fast , and make sure it’s the right one for you, then making a plan is key. If you need to know what does an effective job search plan include, follow the next steps.

How to Create a Job Search Plan Step by Step

There are a few steps to follow when creating your job search strategy :

• Make a list or spider diagram of career goals, and determine the skills you need to get them
• Create a schedule that works for you, including how long you’ll spend on each task
• Review your strengths and skills
• Research those companies or positions that interest you most
• Block out time for networking
• Send out applications and resumes tailored to each position that interests you

Now, let’s take a closer look at each of these steps.

Step 1: Determine your career goals

The first step to creating a job search strategy is to determine your career goals. Write down the following:

• What do you want from your career?
• Why have you chosen this specific goal?
• How will achieving this goal make your life better? Will your work be better? Can it make your community/world better?

Your answers to these questions are the foundation for making smart choices about where and what kind of job you look for. You want to make sure your goals are clear, measurable, and achievable.

Step 2: Define your Strengths and Skills

Now that you’ve got a good idea of what jobs are available, it’s time to figure out what skills and strengths you can bring to the table. It’s important to take your past employment and skills gained to date into account.

Most employers will want to see that you have certain skills and abilities before they’ll consider hiring you. So how do they know if your skills are relevant?

Well, they check your resume!

And what do they look for? Well…you guessed it: Your experience! They want to see that you have a history of success in similar situations. Recruitment professionals recommend resources like O*NET online to research specific types of work and the skills/abilities associated with them. So now is a great time to think about all those experiences where you demonstrated these.

Employers might be able to tell right away whether or not someone has what it takes based on their past work history alone. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your resume is up to date at the start of the search – although you should also tweak and tailor it to each position you apply to later on. 

Step 3: Set a Schedule

It’s no secret that time management is a skill coveted by most employers, and it’s also an essential ability if you want to be successful in your job search.

It’s crucial that you set aside time each week to work the steps of your plan and stay on track with your goals. It’s estimated that you should try to spend at least 15 hours a week on the activities that make up your job search in order to ensure success. 

However, this may not always be do-able, so just spend as much time as possible each week, and don’t beat yourself up if you don’t always meet your goals!

You’ll also want to set some goals or milestones so that your job search strategy doesn’t stretch on into infinity and beyond. You might want to decide on a goal of landing employment within 90 days.  You can then set benchmarks for achievements you want to reach before this time.

Step 4: Identify Employers and the Position You’d Like to Work in

Now you know what industries you want to work in, so it’s time to identify employers that interest you. You may have a particular company in mind or there may be several companies that are looking for people with your skills and experience.

If there’s a specific job title that interests you then use sites like LinkedIn or Glassdoor to research the role. You should also look into the company and what their corporate culture looks like.

Look at the job description, pay rate and expectations of the position as well as how many people apply for each role. If there is no formal job description available then ask yourself questions such as: 

• What does this company do? 
• Who are their clients? 
• What values do they promote? 
• Why would I want to work here? 
• What type of person do they hire (e.g., personality type)?

You can also go straight to the source and read reviews from employees who have worked there . If there’s someone who works at one of those companies whose profile really stands out then reach out directly via email or LinkedIn. 

Step 5: Reach out and Network

If you don’t feel comfortable reaching out to someone out of the blue to enquire about work, try to build your network up first. You could do this by making new contacts on sites like LinkedIn, or attending career fairs in person. 

If you’ve done your research and you’re applying for a job in your industry , it’s likely that you know who can help give you advice. This can be helpful as well as encouraging.

If this is not an option at this point in time, it might still be worth reaching out to other current employees anyway – just don’t ask them “for a job.” Instead ask them what they think the best way would be for you to get into the field/business. You could also ask them how long their own career path took them and what mistakes they made along the way . Or about some of their favorite aspects about working where they do now vs. other jobs they held previously.

Step 6: Tailor your Resume to Each Application

Aside from the standard requirements of a resume, you should be sure to tailor your resume to each application. Make sure it is clear and concise, using keywords that are relevant to the job in question. 

Keep it consistent—think about what information you want potential employers to know about you, and then organize it in a way that makes sense for each position .

Use our free Resume Builder

Tailor your resume for each application and with our help. Start and customize as many resumes as you need with our free resume builder .

Step 7: Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help!

You’re not the only one going through a job search. There are lots of people who can help you and your future employers understand what you bring to the table. 

You might be surprised to learn that many people have been in your shoes before, even if it may be hard to imagine!

If you’re stuck on perfecting your resume or cover letter, Resume Giants can help too! You can take a look at our wide library of resume examples and make use of our resume builder to get you started!

Best Practices when Creating a Job Search Plan

In conclusion, when it comes to job searching, having a plan is crucial. Without one, you’re likely to waste time and energy on fruitless activities. 

Having said that, you should also be flexible enough to adjust your strategy according to what works best for you.

A couple of key rules of thumb to keep in mind:

• Make sure your plan is realistic and achievable—but still ambitious.
• Set milestones along the way so that when you reach them you know whether or not it’s time for another round of networking or research into new companies / positions / industries before moving on again.
• Don’t forget to reward yourself for your hard work – even if you don’t land your dream job straight away, every new contact or reply from a recruiter is a win!

We hope this guide has been useful to you. Remember, a job search plan doesn’t need to be set in stone from the start.   You should always be looking for ways to improve your plan. 

This may mean learning how to write a resume effectively or getting feedback on your resume from friends and family members! Creating a plan is just the first step of what will hopefully be many successes in your career journey.

Related Posts

The Reasons Why You Can’t Find a Job You’ve tried and tried, but you’ve still not got that dream job. What are the reasons why? Here’s some possible explanations…and solutions! Updated on May 3, 2024 The Reasons Why You Can’t Find a Job

The Ultimate Guide for Virtual Job Fairs Want the top tips to succeed at a virtual hiring event? Check out our expert advice to prepare and guarantee that you stand out at a virtual job fair. Updated on March 30, 2023 The Ultimate Guide for Virtual Job Fairs

When and How to Follow Up on for a Job Application Reasons, risks, and top tips on how to follow up on a job application and use our free resume follow-up email sample after applying. Updated on March 30, 2023 When and How to Follow Up on for a Job Application

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How to Create a Strategic Job Search Plan in 2024

3 Key takeaways

• What a job search plan is
• Why it's important to have a plan before you start your job search
• How you can integrate tools like Teal into your strategic job search plan

A strategic job search plan is a crucial tool for any job seeker who wants to stand out in today's highly competitive job market. By taking a thoughtful and proactive approach to find suitable employment opportunities, job seekers can increase their chances of securing a job that aligns with their career goals and aspirations.

A well-crafted job search plan is a powerful tool for job seekers who want to take control of their careers and achieve their professional goals. In this article, we’ll dive into the steps you need to take to create a strategic job search plan that will help you land your dream job.

What is a job search plan? 

Simply put, a job search plan is a roadmap or a strategy that you create to help you find a job while employed or unemployed. It typically involves steps and actions to identify and apply for job opportunities that match your skills, experience, and career goals.

A job search plan can include a variety of activities, such as networking, searching job boards, being active on social media, and following up with hiring managers. It can also include specific timelines and goals for each activity. 

The goal of having a one? To stay organized and focused, increase your chances of finding a job that's a good fit for you and ultimately land the job of your dreams.

Why is it important to create a job search plan?

Without a strategic job search plan, job searching is like throwing a dart at a board without aiming for a target. You're just hoping it goes in the right direction. Sure, you may luck out and strike a bullseye, but the throw itself lacks intention and focus.

Teal data from 2023 on how to job search highlights those who successfully job searched saved around 50 jobs and applied to a smaller subset of 26 jobs. This implies a more deliberate approach.

Ultimately, this more intentional plan meant in 2023, it took 7 strategic, targeted applications to land an interview.

Here are three additional reasons every job seeker should have a job search plan in place:

It helps you set clear goals.

Having a job search plan empowers you to approach your job search with confidence and clarity so you're better set up for success in the long run. By identifying your strengths, interests , skills , and values , you'll better understand what jobs are worth your time applying to and which you can skip. 

Instead of submitting applications to every job that matches your LinkedIn profile, you can run a more targeted search and be intentional about the roles you apply for and the applications you submit. 

It keeps you on schedule.

Setting goals and breaking those goals down into manageable chunks is key.

Saying, "I need to find a new job"—while relatable—is vague and doesn't help you work toward your ultimate goal.

Saying, "I'm going to reach out to two former classmates at Acme Company this week and see if they're open to a coffee chat," instead, is a tangible, proactive step you can take toward your career change.

Review your progress weekly to ensure you're moving in the right direction and meeting the job search goals you've set for yourself; if not, you can adjust as you go.

It enables you to track your job search activities

Tracking is another benefit of creating a job search plan: doing so allows you to keep tabs on and manage all your job search activities in one place, staying organized through every step of the job search process. 

With free resources like Teal , you can track:

• All of the jobs you're interested in, whether it's a part-time or full-time job (saved from all the job boards you use: LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and 40+ more job boards ).
• The job description for each job posting, with keywords highlighted to identify the most important hard and soft skills to include on your resume.
• All of your professional achievements, accomplishments , professional summaries, and target titles. By keeping track of your career milestones in one place, you can quickly and easily tailor your resume to the specific job you're interested in.
• Multiple versions of your resume, named and organized based on the jobs you're applying for. We've hand-picked some fantastic resume samples for inspiration.
• Any company you're interested in learning more about.
• People you'd like to network with, talk to informally, or schedule an informational interview or job interview with.
• Follow-up reminders for each step of the job search process, from checking in on the status of an application to reaching out to the hiring manager to thank them for an interview.
• Notes from each job interview, including research about the company and hiring manager and any work you've done to prepare answers to the most common interview questions ahead of time.

How to develop a strategic job search plan

Determine your target job title.

First, list out five roles, job titles, and/or functions you're interested in, along with five industries you’re interested in pursuing.

Maybe it looks something like this:

Make a list of companies you are interested in working for

Brainstorm a list of 20 companies you might want to work for or companies that interest you.

Consider their size, industry, location, remote-work policies, and company culture. (You can jot down the details in Teal's Company Tracker.)

Next, see if you can spot any common themes:

• Do they align with your personal interests?
• Do they have a robust careers page on their website with information about benefits, company culture, open job postings, and who the point person is to reach out to when you submit your application?

Set a realistic timeline for your job search goals

Let's work backward here. Finding a new job takes time—up to 89 days, according to research by Teal—but having a concrete target start date in mind can help you stay motivated.

You can set a target date in your Teal dashboard . Then, decide how much time you want to spend each week (on average) applying for jobs.

While there's no hard and fast rule about how many jobs you should apply to, having a to-do list of sorts can lend structure to an often structureless process.

Update your job search assets

Before you start applying to new roles, you'll need to update your resume and cover letter. The ideal resume should be one page and contains:

• Your city and state
• Contact information (email, phone, or both)
• A target title
• A professional summary
• Work history (with bullet points summarizing your main achievements and responsibilities at each role) 
• Educational background 
• Relevant keywords in your bullet points and skill sections

Including each element above will increase the odds of your resume being prioritized in the applicant tracking systems (ATS) and give hiring managers a better idea of how you'd be a great fit.

You can update your resume using basic word processors like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Or, you can employ AI tools like ChatGPT to write a new resume or cover letter for you.

To save even more time, Teal's Resume Builder helps you design, format, and create custom resumes for each job you apply to in one place. The Resume Builder automatically gives you pointers on how to improve your resume to give you a competitive edge over most job seekers.

It even has AI technology built into the tool to create customized resume bullet points, professional summaries, and even cover letters using your work history and the job requisite you’re applying for.

Develop a job application strategy

Once you've pinpointed your timeline, target companies, and titles and updated your materials, it's time to develop your job application strategy. How and where are you going to find jobs to apply to?

Some avenues to explore include but are not limited to:

• Referrals. If you have a friend or former colleague who works at a company you're interested in, you can kindly ask them for a referral. Referrals are bumped up in the hiring process and are a great way to get in the door faster than you would if you applied online.
• Contacting internal recruiters. Internal recruiters are salaried employees of a specific company. They're usually very active on sites like LinkedIn and Indeed.
• Contacting external recruiters. External recruiters, also known as headhunters, work for outside agencies. External recruiters typically work for more than one company and are usually looking for available talent to call upon when they receive open roles.
• Cold emailing. Reaching out to someone you don't know might feel daunting, but if done politely, it can help you build valuable connections. Use a free tool to find the email addresses of people you'd like to speak to, whether they're a recruiter, founder, or someone who is currently in your dream role.
• Applying online. If you're unable to get a referral or connect with a recruiter, you can apply directly to an online job listing. No matter the company's size, online applicants are still screened by a human. 
• Networking. Great places to network include professional organizations, Facebook and LinkedIn groups, job fairs, and social clubs.

Communication templates for different situations throughout the entire hiring process are located within Teal's Job Tracker . You'll find templates for referrals, contacting recruiters, cold outreach, networking, and more. Use these templates as a starting point, and tweak them to match your tone and demonstrate your professional brand .

Within Teal’s Job Tracker, use templates to stay professional and timely in all of your communications.

After you understand where you will look for roles, circle back to your timeline goal and determine how many roles you want to apply for per day, week, etc.

For example, set SMART goals for yourself like:

• Text Robert, a former colleague who now works at Acme Corp, to ask for a referral on Monday
• Send three cold emails to startup founders on Tuesday
• Send connection requests to at least five internal recruiters on LinkedIn by the end of the week
• Reach out to two industry professionals in your field of interest requesting informational interviews by the end of the week
• Optimize my LinkedIn profile using Teal’s LinkedIn Review Tool as my guide by the end of the day

Tailor your job search assets to each role you apply to

Each job you apply to will have a unique description with certain soft skills, hard skills, and keywords listed throughout. Your resume and short cover letter should be tailored to address all of the above. 

To give an example, if a job listing states that the company wants a candidate who "is comfortable using VLOOKUP and creating pivot tables in Microsoft Excel," your materials should mention "VLOOKUP," "pivot tables," and "Microsoft Excel." (So long as you truly have that experience.)

Teal's AI Resume Builder will let you do this quickly, easily, and accurately. You can save and import any job listing you find on the web directly into your Teal account and check your resume against its keywords to ensure you speak to what's being looked for.

Keep track of the jobs you apply for 

As you apply for jobs, keeping track of which applications you’ve sent in and where you are in each interview process is essential.

You can build your own job tracking spreadsheet in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel with columns that track:

• The jobs themselves (with links to the original job descriptions)
• Whether they're remote, in-office, or hybrid
• Hiring manager contact information
• The date you sent in your initial application
• Which stage you are at in the process (application sent, actively interviewing, negotiating, rejected, etc.)
• Salary ranges
• Notes on your impressions and feelings throughout the process

You'll need to update your job tracking spreadsheet accordingly throughout your job hunt. We recommend allotting time to update it each day, either first thing in the morning or at the end of the day.

A more dynamic way to keep track of your jobs, however, is through a job tracker. 

Teal's Job Application Tracker helps you import job listings with a single click so you can save and monitor their progress. It even suggests how best to handle each phase of your job search process.

The Job Tracker also lets you generate follow-up emails so you can be proactive and stand out to the hiring team. More on that next!

Follow up with each hiring manager throughout the process

Sending follow-ups throughout the hiring process shows you're diligent, motivated, and highly interested in working for the company. They also help you gain more transparency into how you're progressing through each stage.

The best way to follow up with the hiring manager after an interview is through email. After your interview ends, send an initial thank you to the person you spoke to within 24 hours.

Then, if you do not hear from anyone at the company after a week (or earlier, if, say, the recruiter said you would expect to hear back in three days), send a follow-up email to kindly remind the team that you're still interested in the role. 

And remember—just because you didn’t hear back when sending a follow-up doesn’t mean the team is not interested in you—if anything, it means the hiring team is likely very busy. 

Here's a sample follow-up email that you could send to your interviewer:

Dear [Interviewer's Name], I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to speak with me during the first round of interviews for the [Position] role at [Company Name]. It was a pleasure to learn more about the company and the responsibilities of the role. After our conversation, I remain enthusiastic about the opportunity to join the team at [Company Name]. I am particularly excited about [specific aspects of the job or company culture discussed in the interview]. I would like to reiterate my interest in the position and my qualifications for it. Please let me know if there is any additional information I can provide or if there are any next steps in the hiring process that I should be aware of. Thank you again for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Best regards, [Your Name]

Final thoughts on creating a strategic plan for your job search

Planning for your job hunt is hard work—no doubt about it. But taking the time to identify and write down your job search goals, do some soul-searching, and break down the job search process into more manageable chunks will help speed up the process and help you land a job you love faster.

Create an account here to track your job search using Teal's free resources and tools.

Here's to landing a job you love in 2024!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key components of a job search plan template for 2024, how can i adapt my job search strategy template to the changing job market in 2024, what are some effective ways to network during my job search in 2024.

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How to Create an Effective Job-Search Plan

17 min read · Updated on December 16, 2021

TopResume's career advice expert explains how to create an effective job-search plan — and stick to it.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our latest edition of #OfficeHours, presented by TopResume! You asked some great job-search questions, and it was a privilege to share my job tips and career advice.

Below is a link to the video of our Live Chat, a summary of my tips on how to create an effective job-search plan, and my responses to your job-search questions. For more career advice and information about upcoming events, please like us on Facebook and sign up for our free weekly newsletter .

#OfficeHours Live Chat: How to Create a Job-Search Plan

5 steps to make your job-search goals a reality

Below are five steps to keep your job search on track and make your resolution to land a new job a reality.

1. Clarify your job goals — and write them down

A clear set of job goals is the foundation of a solid job-search strategy. All your job-search efforts — from how you position your resume and online presence to how you prioritize your networking contacts — will depend on the goals you establish. Simply stating “I want a new job” is too vague. Evaluate your work history to identify the underlying skills, core values, and work environment that are best for you. The more targeted your goals, the easier it will be to develop the right plan. Click on the following link for more tips on defining your job goals .

Once you know what type of job you want to pursue, write it down. You are 10 times more likely to accomplish your goals when you do this. Think beyond the job title and write down what your role would look like and the skills you'd get to leverage in your next job position. Document the industry or industries you're interested in and for which you are a good fit. Also, consider what you're looking for in your next employer and the company culture. For example, are you hoping to work for a small startup in a collaborative work environment or would you be more comfortable working at a large, established organization that's known for its employee perks? Ask yourself how far are you willing to commute to your job. This information will help you focus your job-search plan and create a list of top employers to target .

Download your free job-search action plan today!

2. Set a schedule to keep your job-search plan on track

Searching for a new job is a full-time job in itself. In fact, experts estimate that employed job seekers should spend at least 15 hours a week on their job-search activities and unemployed job searchers should dedicate double that amount of time. While these guidelines may sound great on paper, I'll be the first to admit that they are not necessarily realistic for everyone. To make the most of the time you have available for your job search, I recommend setting up a schedule. Block time on your calendar every day and dedicate it to a particular job-search activity.

I find that most job seekers are more efficient when they focus on one type of task at a time, rather than trying to multitask. For instance, you may use Sunday nights to go through recent job listings, weed out the ones worth applying for, and customize your resume for each of those applications . Then, you may use early Monday mornings, particularly between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. in the employers' time zone, to submit your online job applications. Studies have shown this early-morning job application window (in the employer's time zone) increases your odds of getting an interview by 5x! Tuesday mornings may be dedicated to following up on your applications from the previous week, and Wednesdays may be reserved for networking activities, such as reaching out to valuable connections in your existing network to set up informational interviews and vetting upcoming events.

Related: The Best Questions to Ask in an Informational Interview

3. Define your workspace

When you treat your job search like a job, you're more likely to stick to your plan and be successful. Find a place that you'd like to dedicate to your job hunt. It may be a certain table at your local coffee shop, a WeWork space, a study room at the local library, or a particular room in your home. If you're using a space in your home to conduct your job search, be sure to share your “work” schedule with your family or roommates so they know when you'll be unavailable.

4. Establish milestones in your job search  — and reward yourself

We all know the job search can be quite a long journey, chock full of ups and down. To keep yourself motivated and your job search on track, break down your job goal into smaller, more digestible milestones. Make a list of the activities, tasks, and deadlines associated with each milestone.

For instance, you may give yourself the goal of updating your resume and LinkedIn profile to support your new job goal before you begin applying for jobs. Once you achieve a goal or reach a milestone, reward yourself. The rewards don't have to be extravagant  — it could be as simple as a luxurious bubble bath, a nice glass of scotch or wine at your favorite bar, or a night out with friends.

By dividing your goal into more manageable chunks of work — and rewarding yourself once you complete the work — you're less likely to get overwhelmed and discouraged. This can be the difference between giving up and remaining committed to your job-search plan.

5. Ask for help

The job search can be very lonely. However, it's important to remember that you're not alone. If you're feeling stuck, don't be afraid to ask for help. There are plenty of services out there that can help. For example, TopResume offers a variety of free resources from our free resume critique to our free, downloadable job-search plan and personal branding checklist .

Related: Free Job-Search Tools Every Job Seeker Needs

Q1: What can I do to make my resume more impactful for my job search?

“I've sent out HUNDREDS of resumes and have never gotten a call back . How do I shape my resume to make it more impactful?” — Walter

If your resume isn't working for you, one of your first actions should be to take a step back and clarify your job goals. When we aren't getting responses, there is a tendency to cast a wider net and start applying to things that don't actually fit your goals and skills. Check in with your job goals and make sure your resume is written with those in mind.

Widening your job-search net isn't always a bad thing, though — oftentimes skills are transferable and can apply to a variety of jobs. Consider opening up to new fields that your skills and experience may have prepared you for. If you need some guidance, there may be people in your network who can help you. Do you know anyone with a skill set similar to yours who went on to do something completely different? How did they do that? While it's important to keep your job search specific to your goals and skills, keep in mind that you may be qualified for more than you think.

Still, even if you are applying for all the right jobs, there is another hurdle to get over: the ATS. If your resume is not optimized with important keywords and correct formatting, it will never even reach a recruiter's desk. TopResume offers a free resume critique that will tell you how your resume stacks up against the ATS. Click on the following link to submit your resume for a free review .

Related: How Can I Make My Resume Beat the ATS?

Q2: How do I handle employment gaps on my resume?

“I stopped working for a while to care for a sick parent. How do I explain this on my resume?” — Christopher

While taking a work hiatus is not necessarily a bad thing, it's not something you want to draw too much attention to on your resume — leave that explanation for your cover letter. As for your resume, you can put this role in your work experience just as if it was another job. Something like “Caregiver” and the time period, along with a short explanation that you took a work sabbatical to care for an ailing parent, will explain your employment gap without drawing negative attention. If you did any freelance work during that time, list yourself as a freelancer as well and show the projects that you completed. Click on the following link for more information about handling employment gaps during your job search .

Q3: How do I know when it's the right time to change careers?

“I have over 15 years of experience in one field but want to change careers. How do I know when it's the right time to make that full-time leap? — Amanda

Changing careers can be a scary thing, especially if you're considering leaving a secure job behind. Before you take the big leap into a new industry or profession, test it out to make sure it's right for you. Maybe there are small freelance projects you can get involved in so you can get a feel for what this type of work will be like.

Seeking a mentor who works in the field in which you're interested can also be extremely helpful. A mentor can help guide you into your new career by telling you what steps you need to take and what skills you'll need to be successful. Click here to see more of advice about mentoring .

Unfortunately, one of the biggest things to consider when looking to a career change is your financial situation, because there is no guarantee that you'll have a consistent paycheck as you transition. Can you do freelance work in the interim to sustain yourself? Do you have a way to stay secure? Make sure that you're prepared for whatever the career-change process may bring before you take that big leap.

We tackled this topic during another #OfficeHours Live Chat awhile back. Click on the following links to check out our #OfficeHours on how to make a successful career and our blog for additional advice on changing careers .

Q4: Should I water down my resume during my job search if I'm overqualified for a job?

“I've been turned down from jobs due to being overqualified. Should I weaken my resume to find that in-between job?” — David

If employers are turning you down for being overqualified, it usually means one of two things. First, they expect your desired salary to be more than what they've budgeted for the role. Second, they may fear that, because the role is too junior for you, you'll get bored quickly and leave. There's a great article on Quora by my friend and fellow career expert Vicki Salemi that talks a lot about what it means to be overqualified in the job search .

Before you apply for another job, take a closer look at the requirements listed for the job post. If the employer is asking for 5-7 years of experience and you have 10 or more years of relevant experience, you can expect the recruiter to consider you overqualified for the role.

Look at the job description for the position you're applying for and craft your resume based on the qualifications stated. If the company wants six years of experience, focus your resume on the six most recent years of your career. Avoid adding numbers and dates, especially in your professional summary — stick to relevant information and skills without pushing experience. If you make it to the interview, address upfront that you are changing the way you want to go about your career. Emphasize that for this role, because of all your experience, you're actually a steal!

Q5: What can I do to prepare for an internal interview?

“I've been in my position for nine years and am looking to change roles within my company. What can I do to prepare?” — LaSheia

It's been a while since your last job interview, so it's a good idea to brush up on your interview skills. TopResume's sister brand, TopInterview , can help you by providing professional interview-coaching services that will help you walk into any job interview with confidence. We also did another #OfficeHours on how to ace your next job interview , so check it out to find lots of links, articles, and more helpful interview tips.

There is an advantage to interviewing with the company you work for because you already have the inside scoop. Use your resources within the company to find out as much as you can about the position and the people who will be conducting the interview. If you weren't given a formal job description, ask for one — it will help you figure out which of your skills are transferable. You should highlight these the most.

Ask yourself how the work you've been doing has prepared you for this new role. Whenever possible, draw parallels between what you already do and what you will be doing to show your interviewer that you are qualified for the position. Also, be prepared to share how your work has provided value for the company. This is where keeping a career brag book of your professional highlights comes in handy. By showing them how you have positively affected the company's bottom line, they will understand what a valuable asset you could be.

Finally, it is important to approach this internal interview the same way you would treat an interview at another organization. Just because you already work for the company does not mean this interview will be casual, so be prepared to tackle the difficult interview questions you'd expect from any other interview.

Q6: How can I expand my network beyond my current company?

“I work at a privately-owned company so most of my contacts are connected to my current employer. How do I expand my network to different companies? — Juliane

Your No. 1 task here is to network like crazy. Use LinkedIn to connect with childhood friends, former classmates, and family to start growing your personal network. Then expand to other people you deal with in a professional environment like vendors and clients.

There are also many resources you can use to find like-minded people in both your professional industry and for personal interests. Check out the Directory of Associations to find groups that you can join and sites like Meetup and 10times for events to attend. Even informal events found on Facebook and Eventbrite can be great ways to meet new people.

As always, have a set of business cards with you to hand out to the people you meet at these events or group meetings. If you don't want to be automatically associated with your company, get a second set of business cards that don't have your company information on them (that includes a personal email address, not a company one).

If you don't want your current employer to know about your new networking endeavor, there are privacy settings on LinkedIn you can change so that people cannot see who you are connected to. That way, someone in your company won't notice when your number of connections suddenly skyrockets.

Related: Networking Tips to Help You Thrive at Your Next Event

Q7: I'm making a career change from independent contractor to full-time employee. How should I prepare for the interview?

“I am an independent contractor in construction, but I have an interview tomorrow for a forklift operator position. What are some tips to help me feel comfortable?” — Blake

What's great about your situation is that this is your industry, so you have a good idea of what to expect in your interview. That's comforting!

When making the transition from working as an independent contractor to working as a full-time employee at a company, the main concern on an employer's mind is often whether or not you can be a team player. After all, you've been working for yourself for so long, so how can someone be sure that you'll work well with others? Because of this, you'll want to use your interview as a chance to emphasize how excited you are by the prospect of being part of a team. Of course, you'll need to highlight your technical knowledge and experience in the field as well. However, to ease the interviewer's mind, the main sentiment you want to get across is that you will be a positive addition to a team.

Q8: How can I overcome age barriers in the job search?

“I have 32 years of customer service experience and am looking for a job. I am 58 years old. Do you have any tips to help overcome age barriers?” — Diane

When writing your resume, focus on the last 10–15 years of experience. You can include a small section of “Earlier Career History” that lists other earlier positions that fall outside the 15-year timeframe -- just list the job title, company name, and location (no dates). Alternatively, you can include a "Career Note" at the end of your work experience section that says, "Earlier experience includes work in [type of roles] for companies such as [Company Name 1] and [Company Name 2]. Additional details available upon request." Also, remove dates for degrees or certifications that are older than 15 years. You don't want to highlight your age with numbers, but you still want to showcase your experience.

Your cover letter is a great opportunity to emphasize your passion for and proficiency at your job. While you don't want to dwell on your years of experience, you can say that you've been in this industry for most of your career and emphasize the reasons why you are committed to working in such a position. Play up your customer focus and the other skills you know the employer cares about.

It may sound silly, but also make sure your email service provider is modern: Gmail is your safest bet. By keeping your email up to date, you avoid giving the impression that you aren't tech savvy.

Finally, you've probably developed a large network over your years in the workforce. Use it during your job search!

Q9: What are some things that recruiters hate in a resume?

“What do you think are the top things to avoid when writing a resume?” — Levan

One resume mistake that always turns off recruiters and hiring managers are those fluffy, overused phrases like “team player,” “motivated,” and “thrives in a fast-paced environment.” These statements may sound great, but when it comes down to it, they aren't actually saying anything — they're pretty empty. Instead of saying on your resume that you have these qualities, show that you have them with evidence from your career history. Back up your claims with the things you've accomplished throughout your career, and a recruiter will be much more impressed. Click on the following link for more resume tips on how to sell yourself without sounding arrogant .

Also, join us for next month's #OfficeHours Live Chat, where I will be joined by recruiting expert David Gaspin to share our latest survey results on the top resume mistakes that make recruiters cringe, and what you can do to avoid these resume deal-breakers. Click on the following link to learn more and RSVP .

Need more help setting your job search up for success? Download our free job-search plan today.

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Welcome to the white-collar recession

The more you earn, the harder it is to find a job right now

Over the past year or so, pretty much everyone who's looked for a job has told me the same thing: The job market is brutal right now . They've applied to dozens if not hundreds of openings, only to get one or two callbacks. No one's hiring , they tell me. I've never seen it this bad.

Listening to them, you'd think we were in the middle of a recession. But the confusing thing is we're nowhere close to one. Unemployment is near a five-decade low. The economy is adding hundreds of thousands of jobs each month. Wages are growing faster than inflation. By all the standard measures, the job market is doing just fine. So why am I hearing such a different story from people on the ground?

The dissonance finally started to make sense to me when Vanguard, the investment-management company, released its latest report on hiring. By looking at the enrollment and contribution rates of its 401(k) retirement plans, Vanguard is able to calculate a national hiring rate broken down by income level. And what the numbers show is a two-tier job market — one divided between a blue-collar boom and a white-collar recession.

Among Vanguard's lowest earners — those who make less than $55,000 — the hiring rate has held up well. At 1.5%, it's still above pre-pandemic levels. But among those who make more than $96,000? It's pretty depressing. Hiring has slowed to a dismal 0.5%, less than half the peak it reached in mid-2022. Excluding the dip in the early months of the pandemic, that's the worst it's been since 2014. If you make a six-figure salary, it really is a bad time to be looking for a job.

The question here is why . Why are companies hiring so few white-collar workers right now? Several possible explanations come to mind. It might be that fewer people in corporate jobs are quitting right now, which would mean companies have fewer openings they need to fill. It might be that the industries that are struggling the most — tech and finance — are the ones that employ a lot of high-earning professionals. Or it might be that CEOs are making good on their threats to cut back on what they see as corporate bloat — what Mark Zuckerberg has called "managers managing managers, managing managers, managing managers, managing the people who are doing the work."

But there could be a bigger, more worrisome explanation for the downturn in white-collar hiring. Maybe companies are anticipating tough times ahead and trimming their budgets accordingly. "If you need to pull back on costs," says Fiona Greig, the global head of investor research and policy at Vanguard, "pulling back on expensive workers will reduce costs to a greater extent than pulling back on your lower-income workers." Translation: The more you earn when budgets are tight, the less an employer wants to hire you.

Now, you could argue that a slowdown in white-collar hiring doesn't really matter in the current economy, even for white-collar workers. Sure, Vanguard's data show that things are tough for professionals who are looking for a job. But there aren't that many people who actually need a new job right now: The unemployment rate for people with a college degree is 2.1%, and the national layoff rate is below what it was pre-pandemic. When the vast majority of professionals already have a job — and are able to keep their jobs — maybe it's OK that companies aren't hiring.

But that argument doesn't take into account one important factor: What if the job you have is one you hate? I have several friends who are unhappy in their current jobs, but they can't quit because no one is hiring. Some observers have called this combination of lower hiring and less quitting "the Big Stay," suggesting a kind of equilibrium after the chaos of the Great Resignation. But my colleague Emily Stewart has a better name for it: the "trapped in place" economy . I think professionals feel this trapped-in-placeness particularly acutely. After all, it wasn't that long ago that they were enjoying a "take this job and shove it" swagger, which was fun to watch. During the Great Resignation , they knew it'd be easy to find a new job, which meant it'd be easy to walk away from their current one. Even if they weren't planning to leave, the job market gave them a sense of freedom — the feeling that they no longer had to put up with a bad boss, or a brutal workload, or an arbitrary return-to-office mandate.

This, I think, is what explains what people are calling the " vibecession ": the weird state of feeling like we're in a recession even though all the standard metrics show we're not . What we're experiencing is actually a slowdown in white-collar hiring — and white-collar professionals (me and my angsty friends) are the people who shape the public discourse about the economy. "People feel that things are moving in the wrong direction," says Guy Berger, the director of economic research at the Burning Glass Institute, which analyzes the labor market.

And for the most elite professionals, things could get worse before they get better. Berger tells me he doesn't expect a full-on recession anytime soon . But he's keeping an eye on the unemployment rate for people with advanced degrees. Pretty much everyone else is doing OK, job-wise — but there's been a slight uptick for all the smarty-pants with master's degrees and doctorates. They aren't exactly struggling right now. "We're still talking about the people that have the highest pay in the job market and the lowest unemployment rate," Berger says. But for them, hiring is headed in the wrong direction. And as AI tools increasingly encroach on professionals' tasks — writing, coding, coordination, analysis — we'll likely see a lot more weakness at the higher end of the income scale than at the lower end.

This isn't the story we're used to hearing about employment. For decades the economy has been leaving workers with lower incomes and less education behind while professionals have reaped all the gains. But now those roles are reversed, and it's the high earners who are taking the hit. No wonder everyone is confused about how the economy is doing. "We're having some trouble collectively digesting that," Berger says. And the longer the white-collar hiring lull continues, he warns, the more the resentment will build.

"Even if there's no big surge in layoffs, people are just going to get grumpier and more dissatisfied," Berger says. "If it continues for three or four more years, it's going to cause a lot of discontent and low morale in corporate America."

Aki Ito is a chief correspondent at Business Insider.

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