The Job Board Buyer’s Guide for Associations

You might even have to bring forth an argument to convince your organization’s board of this new investment. So you certainly want to avoid having to change platforms a few months in because things didn’t work out.

This guide is designed to help you make an informed software decision to fit your association's needs. We will run you through the decision process and provide you with further tools to choose the perfect job board software for your association or non-profit.

1. Review your requirements & objectives

Who is your audience?

Job boards are two-sided marketplaces, meaning you need to cater to and understand both job seekers and employer organizations in your market. As an authority in your industry, your organization should be well-equipped to understand both sides of your audience.

Depending on the people you want to attract to your job board, you should select the software accordingly. For example, if you know a large part of your audience uses mobile devices, you must ensure that the job board is mobile-friendly from browsing, to login, and submission.

You know your members best, but here are some possible customer preferences to consider:

• Filtering options: Ability to filter job listings based on specific criteria, for instance job category or experience level.
• Enriched employer profiles: Organizations signing up on your job board might expect specific features such as detailed company profiles or the opportunity to show off their company culture.
• Mandatory fields: If you know that employers in your industry require specific certifications or references, you want to have the ability to set certain fields as mandatory in both application and job uploads.
• Social or SSL logins: If you want job board accounts to be tied to your existing organizational CRM or just make it faster for users, these are options you should look for in the job board software.

What industry are you in?

You might already have a deep understanding of your industry. But researching existing job boards in your niche or of adjacent organizations can give you a good overview of the job landscape in your market. Look at directories, industry publication, other professional associations, non-profits or chambers of commerce.

Analyzing your competitors can help your decision-making process in two ways:

1. Get exposed to different job board software and check out the job boards your competitors use. If you find the public-facing interface intuitive and easy to use, consider testing the same software to evaluate the administrative side of things. You can often find the software provider's logo in the footer of the job board or in the developer tool documentation.
2. You will get a feel for the types of job boards that already exist in your market—and those that don’t. Evaluate the existing job boards to see what features they have or lack. This can help you identify a niche or specific feature set that your job board could offer.

If you discover that your industry already has several successful job boards, consider narrowing your focus. For example, you might specialize in executive roles in your industry or focus on a specific region.

What is the goal of the job board?

A job board can be an extremely valuable asset for your association, boosting member acquisition and retention, building relationships with employers all while generating additional non-dues revenue.

When you’re starting a job board or switching software, define your primary goal for the new job board. Whether it's increasing membership, boosting revenue, or driving traffic to your site, your goal should influence your software choice.

Here are some common goals associations might have for their job boards:

a) Increase membership metrics

One of the primary goals for many associations is to offer a valuable service to their members, hence improving member retention and satisfaction. Offering a job board can also significantly enhance your value proposition to potential future members. Career development is a crucial aspect of professional growth and success. By providing a platform where members can find job opportunities, you support this drive—and make your association look good at the same time.

Members will see the job board as a valuable resource, making your association more attractive to join and remain a part of.

b) Increase non-dues revenue

With limited ways to generate additional revenue, this might be a critical goal for your associations. A job board can be a lucrative asset if it's built to be monetized. There are several ways to generate non-dues revenue through a job board:

• Job posting fees: Charge employers a fee to post job openings. You want your job board software to have different pricing tiers available, so you can set different prices, e.g. for member vs non-member organizations.
• Resume database access: Employers can pay to access a database of your job seeker’s resumes. This can be an additional revenue stream beyond job postings, but the software you choose needs to support this option.
• Upsells and ad options: You want to have the ability to provide employers with the option to purchase additional services, such as highlighted job postings, banner ads, or sponsored content.
• Data collection: Collecting and selling aggregate data (while maintaining user privacy) can create another revenue stream. Employers will be interested in trends and analytics about job seekers and job postings in your industry. To do this, make sure you are the one owning all job board data, not the software provider.

c) Build employer relationships

For associations, strong relationships with employers in their industry are an asset. A job board can facilitate these connections by providing a valuable platform for organizations to reach the industry’s job force. By promoting their job openings, you create a relationship that can lead to mutually beneficial partnerships and collaborations.

For example, you might negotiate long-term job posting deals, co-host industry events, or create joint marketing initiatives. Strengthening your network of connections ultimately enhances your association's impact and influence in the industry.

d) Drive traffic to your site

A job board can significantly increase traffic to your association's website. Both members and job seekers will visit your site regularly to explore opportunities. This influx of visitors not only boosts your site's visibility but also presents an opportunity to lead visitors to your association’s main website.

Now that you understand you current market position and specific needs when it comes to job board software, we can dive into two important aspects of job boards: features and pricing models.

2. Software pricing models

Choosing the right pricing model is important for long-term success. The best choice will depend on your association's specific needs and resources available.

Here are the most common pricing models available for job board software and their benefits and drawbacks.

a) Fully-managed solution with recurring payment

Arguably the easiest and fastest option is a fully-managed & hosted software where you pay a recurring subscription fee (like with Niceboard).

The main reason to choose this model is the fact that it’s a one-stop shop: you don’t need to worry about domain registration, hosting, data management and storage, SEO optimizations, mobile responsiveness, filters, accounts, and more. You simply upload your information and can go live within days.

• Control over revenue and data: This model also usually allows your association to retain full control over all the data collected and revenue generated from job postings and other services.
• Continuous support: Providers of fully-managed solutions usually offer robust customer support, which includes technical assistance, troubleshooting, and guidance on maximizing the software’s potential. There is a reason these companies are called SaaS = software as a service. You’re not just buying a product, but for the ongoing service.
• Feature development: A provider committed to ongoing development and updates ensures you’ll have access to the latest features and improvements, keeping your job board competitive.
• Advanced security: Security and compliance are also typically stronger with fully-managed solutions, as they often include advanced security features and data management setups.

However, there are some drawbacks to this model. The ongoing subscription fees can be substantial, especially if your job board isn’t generating significant revenue initially. Additionally, your job board’s functionality and improvements are tied to the provider’s development schedule, which may not always align with your immediate needs. Some fully-managed solutions may offer limited customization options compared to other models, which can be restrictive if you have very specific requirements for your job board.

"A big win for AICAD was that Niceboard payed for itself very quickly. And without a ton of effort. It was something that we were concerned about accommodating in our budget line at first. But after a short time even my boss said: “Oh that’s easy, it paid for itself”."
—Ryan O’Keefe, AICAD

b) Revenue-share job board software

A revenue-share model can be an attractive option, particularly for associations looking to minimize upfront costs. This model usually requires little to no initial payment but charges based on the success of your job board; often a percentage on your revenue. This means, it’s usually great if you’re generating very little revenue and it might hurt when you’re financially successful.

Another key benefit is that since the vendor’s earnings depend on your success, they are typically motivated to help you optimize your job board and increase revenue.

However, there are notable drawbacks to this model.

• Reduced profits: Sharing a percentage of your revenue means that your profit margins will be lower compared to other models. This can be particularly damaging if your job board becomes highly successful.
• Conflicts of interest: The vendor’s goals may not always align with yours, especially regarding pricing strategies and feature priorities since incentives lie solely with your profits.
• Lack of support: Since you are not paying a continuous fee to the provider, you might not get the support and new features you expect.

c) Plug-in with one-time payment

Opting for a plug-in to your website is another viable model. These apps are usually available for a flat-fee, which is very cost-effective.

Like the subscription model, you keep all the revenue generated from your job board, maximizing your earnings. This model also provides more control over the job board’s design and customization, which can be ideal for associations with very specific requirements. Keep in mind however, that you will need the technical expertise to manage the software independently.

Despite these benefits, there are several downsides to consider.

• No support: Plug-ins with one-time payments often come with no support, meaning you will need to handle technical issues and updates independently. This can be very challenging without in-house expertise.
• Lack of updates: One-time payment solutions may not receive regular updates or new features, potentially leading to your job board becoming outdated over time. And you really don’t want to set yourself up to switch software again…
• Time intensive: Maintaining a plug-in can require significant time and work. Another large drawback is the susceptibility to spam users while providing limited capabilities to restrict and filter through them automatically.

"Probably the biggest issue was that we had 40,000 spam users…So on the previous job board with a WordPress plug-in I was spending a lot of time just trying to get rid of spam. I mean, it was a nightmare."
—Melissa Williams, Truckee Chamber of Commerce

Regardless of the pricing model, it’s crucial to ensure that your job board software integrates with a trusted payment provider like Stripe. A reliable payment gateway ensures secure transactions for employers and simplifies the payment process. This not only builds trust but also provides a seamless experience for employers.

Another important consideration is scalability. Assess how each pricing model will support your job board as it grows. A model that works well initially might become less advantageous as your user base expands.

3. Job board software features

We’ve reached the section you were probably looking for in the first place. While features are important, we highly recommend to consider your needs and goals first (section 1 & 2) to be able to decide which features are truly important to your association—and not just choose based on features that sound good.

a) User-friendly interface

A user-friendly interface really is a non-negotiable for the success of any job board. Today’s users are spoilt: any website that is slow to load, confusing to navigate or leads to frustration will usually be left immediately. There’re just too many other options out there.

So you want to ensure that members can easily navigate the site, filter for jobs, and apply for positions or upload roles. An intuitive design minimizes the learning curve for new users and encourages repeat visits. The interface should be clean, logically organized, and responsive for mobile devices.

Profiles & login
A well-designed job board should include easy login and profile features. Job seekers should be able to create profiles that store their application data, such as resumes, photos, and job preferences. Their profile can then act as a digital resume, making it easier and faster for them to apply to jobs. Similarly, employers should have profiles where they can save company information, streamlining the process of posting multiple job listings.

"[The #1 problem Niceboard solved for us is] the management of all the various profiles. I know that was something that we previously spent a lot of time and energy on. So the fact that people can create accounts, manage things on their own, mark a job as filled and remove it is a huge, huge time savior for us."
—David Tierney, Medical Alley Association

Mobile optimization
Another critical aspect of user-friendliness is mobile optimization. Many job seekers use mobile devices for their job search, so your job board software must be optimized for mobile viewing, scrolling, and applications.

b) Customizable filter options

This one is for your job seekers! A robust job board should allow users to filter job listings based on various criteria such as location, industry, job type, keywords, salary, and remote work options. The benefits are obvious.

Advanced search capabilities might include Boolean search functions, which allow users to combine keywords with operators like AND, OR, and NOT to refine their search further. For instance, a job seeker could search for "marketing AND remote NOT entry-level" to find remote marketing positions that are not entry-level.

c) Integration with your association's website

You want the software to create a seamless experience for users going between your existing website and the job board. A well-integrated job board also ensures that members can easily access job opportunities and career development resources in one centralized location.

When deciding on job board software, look for just enough customization options, without having to configure every single button. This should include the ability to match the job board’s design and layout with your association’s branding, colors, and style.

If you want further customizations, look for a job board software that allows you to add custom CSS code in addition to the standard settings, like Niceboard.

"What I like about our job board is that for our members it looks and feels like AIA Colorado but we’re not hosting it. It takes a lot of technical work off my hands."
—Jon Bell, AIA Colorado

d) Automatic job alerts for members

Automatic job alerts keep members informed about new opportunities without them having to constantly check your site. A simple way to keep passive job seekers engaged and returning to your job board.

The job alert systems should be built-in and fully-automated for you. Job seekers should be able to set specific criteria for the types of jobs they are interested in. For example, they might set alerts for jobs in a particular location, or at a certain salary range.

For your association, automated job alerts are a valuable tool for maintaining member engagement and driving traffic to your job board.

e) Marketing & reporting

Effective marketing capabilities are essential for driving traffic to your job board. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a main aspect, as it helps your job board rank higher in search engine results, such as Google’s. Look for job board software that offers built-in SEO features, such as customizable meta titles and descriptions, automatic sitemap generation, and integration with Google Jobs.

A social media integration can also be beneficial for expanding your job board’s reach. The software should enable easy (ideally automatic) sharing of job postings on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

The software should also provide you with simple reports on key metrics such as the number of job postings, applications, and revenue. This data can help you identify trends, measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, and make informed decisions about future enhancements.

4. Making the decision: social proof & testing

You’ve reached the final stretch of decision-making! Once you have your individual shortlist of software providers that match your criteria, it is finally time to decide.

But first, we recommend looking at user reviews and association-specific case studies to hear from real users and understand the software's potential benefits and limitations. A great way to find independent reviews for job board software is via third-party review sites, such as SoftwareAdvice, Capterra, or GetApp.

But nothing beats your actual user experience. Hopefully, the job board software provider offers a free trial, or at least an interactive demo that allows you to test the platform yourself.

You’ve made it! By following this guide, you can confidently select the job board software that meets your association’s needs, supports your goals, and provides a great experience for your members and employers.