The main benefit for employers and recruiters is better distribution of their job listings and hence, increased reach.
Job board owners on the other hand get more relevant jobs on their job board and can attract more job seekers. While we don’t recommend solely relying on job wrapping to source your jobs, it’s a great way to get started with a job board business.
Read on to learn about the mechanics of job wrapping and how it can help job board owners and recruiters.
Understanding job wrapping
Job wrapping is a process that automates the extraction and aggregation of job postings from various sources, such as company websites, ATS systems, or other job boards. Instead of manually reposting jobs on different platforms, job wrapping makes distributing job listings much faster.
Similar to web scraping, job wrapping crawls different websites and extracts job posting data based on specific criteria set.
The mechanics of job wrapping
Job wrapping operates in three simple steps: data extraction, data transformation, and data distribution.
- The software scans websites, identifies job postings, and extracts relevant details such as job title, location, and company information.
- The extracted information undergoes a transformation process, where it is organized and standardized to fit the desired format.
- The transformed data is distributed and posted on various job boards for more visibility and reach.
Most commonly, this is done via XML feeds. This format is a standardized way for websites to share data, such as job postings. Most career sites run on an ATS will offer XML feeds.
The job wrapping software parses these XML feeds, extracting the job listing information. This data is then imported to be displayed on your job board.
Niceboard provides a bulk import via XML feed as part of our services for job board owners. All you need is the XML feed URL and you can automatically scrape and import jobs from any online resource.
The benefits for job board owners
Implementing job wrapping in your job board business can help improve your efficiency, visibility, and candidate quality.
1. Time savings
Job wrapping automates the process of importing job postings, saving you as a job board owner significant time. Since job wrapping usually syncs updates, your job board remains up to date with fresh job opportunities, making it more attractive for job seekers.
Furthermore, job wrapping streamlines the job posting process by eliminating the need for manual input. This reduces the chances of errors.
2. Increased visibility for job postings
Job wrapping expands the reach of a job board by aggregating job postings from other sources. As a result, job board owners can offer a larger number of job opportunities to their audience. This increased visibility attracts more qualified candidates for the posted positions.
3. Enhanced candidate quality
With more relevant jobs on your job board, more job seekers will flock to you. Which, in turn, will help you and the employers posting on your board to find more qualified candidates.
The benefits for recruiters and staffing firms
1. Efficiency in job distribution
By automating the job posting process, job wrapping saves recruiters hours spent on manually reposting jobs on different job boards. This increased efficiency ultimately translates into faster time-to-fill rates and a more productive recruitment workflow.
2. Better reach
Recruiters can tap into a wider talent pool by displaying roles on more job boards. Job wrapping also ensures that job postings are always up-to-date, reflecting any changes or amendments made by the company. Hence, providing candidates with accurate and relevant information.
Differences between job wrapping and job scraping
Job wrapping and job scraping are very similar methods used to gather job postings. Here’s how they differ:
- Mechanism: Job wrapping automates the entire process using advanced algorithms, while job scraping requires manual setup and maintenance of scraping scripts.
- Accuracy: Job wrapping offers more accuracy and real-time updates because it has direct access to the employers ATS, whereas job scraping may face delays and accuracy issues without regular script updates.
- Customization: Job wrapping tools allow customization and scalability, unlike job scraping scripts, which are often limited to specific websites.
The Future of Job Wrapping
With more and more specialized job boards and aggregators being created, job wrapping has become a common tool in the recruiting industry. AI and machine learning is being implemented in job wrapping services to analyze job trends and predict candidate behavior. This might help match candidates with relevant jobs and improve the quality and efficiency of hiring.
In conclusion, job wrapping can be a great tool for job board owners to fill a job board with relevant roles, especially in the beginning of a job board business.