The Benefits of Using Local and Regional Job Boards for Hiring and Job Searching

The Value of Local Job Boards for Employers and Job Seekers

In today's digital age, the job search process looks much different than it did even 10 years ago. While sites like LinkedIn and Indeed are still popular for finding and posting jobs, local job boards have emerged as a valuable tool for connecting local employers and job seekers.

For employers, especially small and mid-sized companies, local job boards provide a way to easily reach qualified candidates right in their geographic area. Posting to a city or region-specific job board allows companies to target job seekers who already live in or want to relocate to that location.

For job seekers, local job boards are an excellent resource for finding openings with local employers. Focusing your search on a hyperlocal site means you'll mostly see jobs that are commutable from where you live. Many local boards also allow you to set custom location filters to pinpoint openings within a certain mile radius.

In this article, we'll explore the key benefits of using local job boards and provide tips for employers and job hunters looking to leverage these niche sites.

Benefits for Employers

Here are some of the main advantages of using local job boards for sourcing and hiring candidates:

• Targeted reach - Local sites allow you to get your job listings right in front of people living and looking for work in your geographic area. This means less wasted spend showing your jobs to irrelevant candidates.
• Qualified applicants - Candidates from the local area are more likely to be serious about roles they can easily commute to. This increases your chances of receiving applications from qualified, interested candidates.
• Lower cost - Pricing to post jobs on hyperlocal sites is typically very affordable, especially compared to large national boards. This allows smaller companies to get exposure without breaking the bank.
• Less competition - You'll be up against fewer other employers than on massive national boards, giving your listings more visibility.
• Brand awareness - Getting your name and openings in front of local job seekers raises awareness of your company and builds your employer brand locally.

Tips for Employers Using Local Job Boards

To maximize your results from local job board posting, keep these tips in mind:

• Research niche and industry-specific local boards beyond just general regional sites.
• Enhance your listings with detailed job descriptions, company info, images, and videos.
• Partner with local colleges and organizations to promote openings to their student and alumni bases.
• Post jobs regularly instead of relying on old listings - fresh content will get more visibility.
• Use geo-targeted social media ads to drive relevant talent to your listings.
• Make applying easy by integrating your careers page and the job board platform.
• Be responsive and engage interested candidates to showcase your employer brand.

Benefits for Job Seekers

For job seekers, here are some of the key upsides of focusing your search on local job sites:

• Convenient options - Results will showcase openings with short, easy commutes near where you live.
• Hyperlocal targeting - Options to filter by city, zip code and radius help you zero in on the exact areas you want.
• Less competition - You'll be up against fewer applicants than on massive national boards for local openings.
• Relationships matter - Smaller local employers often prioritize relationships and cultural fit over credentials.
• Job seeker resources - Many boards offer helpful libraries of content and tools for local candidates.
• Community feel - Forums and events can connect you with other professionals in your area.

Tips for Job Seekers to Use Local Sites Effectively

Here are some tips to help maximize your local job search:

• Look beyond the big players like Indeed and link up with targeted, niche local boards.
• Set up job alerts tied to specific locations and keywords to be notified of new relevant postings.
• Watch for local career fairs and networking events hosted by the sites and attend them.
• Follow and engage local employers you're interested in on social media to raise your visibility.
• Pitch yourself for local openings by highlighting community ties and interest in the area.
• Check new listings frequently as turnover happens quickly with many local employers.
• Browse company pages to research the culture and values of places you're applying.

Popular Types of Local Job Boards

While options vary by region, some popular types of local job boards include:

• Major city boards - Sites like NYCJobs, ChicagoJobs, SeattleJobs, etc. focused on a single major metro.
• Regional boards - Broader sites like JobsInME, FindTexasJobs, CarolinaJobs, etc. covering an entire state or multi-state region.
• Community boards - Hyperlocal sites for individual suburbs/towns like CaryJobs, JobsInPasadena, HiringInHoboken.
• College boards - School-specific boards listing openings aimed at students/alumni like UTJobs, ASUJobLink, etc.
• Industry boards - Local sites for specific sectors like HospitalityJobsHawaii, DETechJobs, AustinAccountingJobs.

Choosing the Right Local Sites for Your Needs

With so many niche local boards now available, it can be tricky choosing where to focus your efforts. Here are some tips on selecting the best local job sites for you:

• Search for boards specific to your geographic area of interest, whether that's a neighborhood, city, region or state.
• Consider both general community boards as well as industry-specific ones relevant to your field.
• For very localized roles, explore hyperlocal neighborhood and suburb-level boards.
• Research which sites are most widely used and trusted by local employers and job seekers in your location.
• Pay attention to user experience - the best boards will offer robust search features, job alerts, candidate applications and more.
• Look for sites that integrate social media and offer content/resources beyond just job listings.

The Local Job Board Landscape

While local job boards have exploded over the past decade, there are still a few major players that dominate most markets:

Indeed

Indeed established itself early on as the leading job aggregation engine, indexing openings from thousands of sites. Users can filter Indeed listings by location down to the city and zip code level.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn's massive professional network and powerful employer pages make it popular for both job posting and searching. Location filters and proximity preferences help connect local employers.

ZipRecruiter

Known for its job matching technology, ZipRecruiter recommends openings to candidates based on their skills and location. Employers can target local areas.

GlassDoor

In addition to listing jobs, GlassDoor's extensive company reviews provide users local employer intel and insights not found many other places.

Facebook Jobs

Facebook Jobs provides employers and job seekers a local-focused option leveraging many users' existing town and city networks on the platform.

Google for Jobs

Google surfaces job listings right in search results based on location and keywords. For seekers, it's an easy way to find local postings.

Craigslist

The community classifieds site offers regional and city-based job boards that are still widely used, especially by small, local businesses.

Local Newspaper Classifieds

Despite declining print readership, many community newspapers still operate popular regional classified and job listing platforms.

The Future of Local Job Boards

While the digital recruitment landscape keeps evolving, local job boards show no signs of losing relevance. Here are a few predictions for their future:

• Even greater fragmentation, with boards for every imaginable geographic niche and industry.
• Integration with social media tools like neighborhood Facebook and Nextdoor groups.
• Customization based on collaborative filtering and machine learning for better job matching.
• Curated local hiring event calendars and talent communities.
• Services catering to flexible and remote work for localized virtual roles.
• Hyperlocal advertising and employer branding capabilities.
• Robust talent pools of high interest passive candidates through partnerships.

For both recruiters and job seekers, local job boards will continue providing value connecting the right opportunities in the right places. Their niche focus positions them to thrive even as recruiting tech advances.

FAQs

What are the main benefits of local job boards for employers?

Local job boards allow employers to easily target and reach qualified candidates right in their geographic area. Key advantages include a focused, localized candidate pool, more affordable posting costs, less competition for listings, and increased brand awareness locally.

What are the biggest perks of using local job sites for job seekers?

For job seekers, local boards provide openings with short, convenient commutes close to where they live. Job hunters can target and filter searches by specific cities, zip codes and radii. There is generally less competition for local openings.

How are major national job boards used for local hiring and job search?

Major sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, and ZipRecruiter allow users to filter and focus their searches by location. Employers can geo-target their openings to reach local job seekers in specific cities and regions.