What are the best job posting sites for employers? Where should you list your available jobs in order to attract the best candidates for employment? How about if you’re looking for freelancers or contractors?
It can be a good idea for employers to post job openings on multiple websites, especially if the company has a lot of positions to fill in a short time frame. On the other hand, it may not be a good idea for employers to post jobs everywhere if they are very selective in who they hire and don’t want to be overwhelmed with a large applicant pool.
Don’t limit yourself to one or two sites until you’re sure you can get a strong selection of applicants. Choose some sites to try out and see which work best for your hiring needs.
Free vs. Paid Job Posting Sites
Even though there are free and low-cost sites you can use, not all job posting sites are free, and not all paid job posting sites are a bad thing. Sometimes you get what you pay for when it comes to quality keyword-optimized postings and candidates.
Depending on the site, there may be free basic postings, a certain number of free postings, or fees for premium services. Check the fine print before you sign up.
Best Sites to Post Jobs
Here are some of the best sites you can use to attract qualified applicants for available jobs, free job posting sites, current (April 2019) fees to list for those that charge, what type of applicants the site is geared to, and tips for getting the most out of the sites you use to hire talent.
Indeed – Payroll Employees
Indeed remains a job seekers’ favorite site, due to its resume-building tools and mobile-friendly usability. It is also free for those using basic features: this goes for both job seekers and employers. For employers that want to feature or target ideal candidates more specifically, plans start at $5/day.
LinkedIn – Payroll Employees
Employers can take a few different approaches with LinkedIn. For one, companies can search profiles for talent and contact candidates through the In-Mail messaging system (this is free).
Also, companies can simply post job openings or hire LinkedIn to recruit ideal candidates (posting a job is free but using LinkedIn’s recruiting tools does cost money).
For best results with LinkedIn, employers should make sure that they have a current company profile (this is free), and that key personnel are linked to the company in their individual profiles. Additionally, updating one’s personal profile to “Premium’ (particularly for those managing the company profile) allows for additional features, granting more direct access to qualified candidates.
Upwork – Freelance/Independent Contractors
From coding to software/website development to writing/editing, Upwork is quickly becoming one of the top freelance websites for both freelancers and employers looking to outsource.
Posting jobs on Upwork is free. Employers also have the ability send offers to highly-rated freelancers and to accept bids on jobs. All freelance members are expected to demonstrate sufficient portfolio content to help employers choose the perfect mix of pricing, value and quality.
FlexJobs – Payroll Employees & Freelancers
While employers often use FlexJobs to find payroll employees working remotely, this is also a site widely used to find independent contractors as well. FlexJobs offers both a free, basic employer membership and a paid membership.
The site is specifically suited to remote workers. Telecommuters can often work for slightly less, since they do not have to pay to commute to work each day.
Glassdoor – Payroll Employees
For those of you familiar with Yelp, Glassdoor is quickly becoming the “Yelp of job seeking.” Not only is it a place for companies to create a profile with job openings, it is also a place for employees and former employees to rate the quality of their employment at said company.
Employers can use Glassdoor for free for a week, after which job posts start at $65, with options for standard or premium membership.
Ladders – Executive Jobs
This site is free for up to 20 job postings. Employers seeking executive or director-level employees should use this site to narrow their search and to weed out job seekers lacking expert credentials and experience.
After 20 postings, Ladders’ rates range from $200-$600/month or comprise one-time payments starting at $400.
Google For Jobs – Payroll Employees & Freelancers
Technically, this is not a job posting site. Instead, Google will optimize a company’s job post on its website if registered properly. As with most Google services, it is free to employers and strongly recommended for posting jobs.
Less tech-savvy employers may need to employ the help of their webmasters. Using this service does involve creating a web page and updating the site map. Once complete, the job posting is highly searchable to job seekers using the Google search engine to find their ideal job.
Mighty Recruiter – Payroll Employees
This website is free to employers and recommended for posting jobs for companies seeking payroll employees. Mighty Recruiter is unique in that it partners with all of Snagajob, ZipRecruiter, Recruit.net, SimplyHired, LiveCareer, Glassdoor, Ladders, CareerBuilder, LinkedIn, Jobinventory, Juju, Jooble, and My Perfect Resume. That means that if employers post an opening on Mighty Recruiter, the post is automatically sent to all the other job boards listed above.
As a side benefit, posting a job to Mighty Recruiter can help the company’s website rank higher in search engine results, since it will increase the website’s domain authority.
Post Jobs Free – Payroll Employees & Freelancers
Post Jobs Free resembles Craigslist in its look and user-friendliness. The main advantage to this site is that it is free to both employers and job seekers. There is a 10-job posting limit for free users.
For employers seeking sponsored placement, there are paid options with a “Premium” plan starting at $30/month. The Premium plan also allows employers to post more than ten jobs if they wish.
Monster – Payroll Employees
Monster is a straight-forward, tenured job board for both employers and job seekers. It works similarly to Indeed, except that plans run anywhere from $280-$600/month. If employers wish to use Monster they can easily find promotional discounts for first-time users.
WeWorkRemotely – Payroll Employees & Freelancers
Similar to FlexJobs, WeWorkRemotely targets telecommuting workers. What makes this site different is that job seekers tend to be more skilled freelance/remote workers. For that reason, job postings start at $300 per job, with the option to pay more for premium placement.
Dice – Tech Jobs
With the growth of software engineering, SaaS (software as a service), and artificial intelligence, demand for tech workers is at an all-time high. Dice specializes in targeting qualified tech job seekers. Job postings begin at $400 per job, with lower rates per job as employers post additional openings.
Idealist – Nonprofit Jobs
For nonprofit or more altruistically-driven organizations, Idealist targets job seekers looking to devote their careers to a cause that aligns closely with their values. Their mission is “To close the gap between intention and action by connecting people, organizations, ideas, and resources.”
While it is free for employers to sign up for Idealist and to promote volunteer openings, there is a charge to post job openings. Nonprofit posts start at $95 per job, and for-profit employer posts start at $125 per job. There is a discount for employers offering internships.
Tips for Posting Jobs Online
For employers posting openings, here are a few things to keep in mind:
• Not all job posting websites are keyword optimized, meaning that job seekers may have difficulty finding the job posting unless they are already members of that site.
• Employers will always need to verify their business so that the website can weed out scammers.
• Many job posting sites require a credit card to verify an account, but that does not always mean that there is no free option for posting jobs. Often job posting sites, if not entirely free, allow for a free trial or a limited number of postings before an employer has to pay.
• Often, the best job postings (regardless of being paid or free) come down to the quality of the content in the post. Employers should compose their posts carefully to attract the best candidates.
• Employers should understand the pros/cons of hiring independent contractors and freelancers versus hiring a payroll employee. Many job posting sites are specifically targeting freelancers, while others are focused on hiring payroll employees.
