As you evaluate whether or not your organization would benefit from a job board, cost is undoubtedly a factor. While the monthly or annual subscription fee is a good initial budgetary indicator, it’s not the only one.
We’re going to walk you through 4 hidden costs associated with building a job board that you should be aware of before launching your job board. But first, let’s take a quick step back and talk about standard job boards vs. customized job boards.
We believe first-time job boards will be most successful with a standard job board which can cost anywhere from $99-$1,000 for a monthly subscription. They’re easy-to-manage, robust, and come with basic features plus additional bells and whistles you might not even need. Customized job boards require an engineering budget for product development, which could easily inflate into more than a hundred thousand dollars. So, in this post we will explore the 4 unexpected costs associated with a standard job board.
Technical Expenses
It’s great to be handed the keys to your new car, but don’t sign the dotted line until you have a look under the hood. The same goes for your new job board. For example, if you plan on using a hosted solution, understand if the cost can increase pending activity and usage. Different job board software solutions have different pricing structures.
It’s also possible that you will want to add light customization to your job board that isn’t included in the standard package. For instance, maybe you like a competitor job board because of their unique branded elements and job seeker profile structure. Some job board software will charge additional fees for customized coding tweaks to their standard templates. Be sure to ask a lot of questions before you commit to one platform. There may be concealed technical add-ons that you’re not aware of.
Maintenance Expenses
You sign up for an annual job board subscription, now what? Well, unfortunately it’s not going to run itself. When thinking through the cost implications of what it takes to build a job board you have to think of who will set it up, maintain it, and grow it. It could easily turn into a full-time job, for more than one person.
When it comes to setting up your job board you may need to migrate an existing job board over to your new platform, therefore you’ve got to know the process. Pending the number of employer listings, profiles, and general data that needs to be transferred, it could turn into a hefty cost.
Aside from one individual maintaining the daily ins and outs of the job board, sometimes additional support is necessary. You might want to bring in a designer/developer to create customized features and assets to ensure your job board is on-brand and meets partner expectations. This will, of course, require an incremental budget as well.
Marketing Expenses
A job board is only as successful as it is visible (just like any other website). You can have the sharpest, most efficient job board in the world, but if nobody sees it, it isn’t going to work for your organization. There are a myriad of ways you can build a reputable job board, but that means utilizing a marketing budget to increase brand awareness for your organization and employer listings.
Some job board platform solutions offer add-on marketing capabilities and partnerships. Check out Job Board Doctor’s full list of third-party integration services. If you’re looking to bolster your job board offerings, like distributing to larger job search networks or providing email marketing and SEO support—it might cost extra. Determine what your organization needs to be successful so you can thoughtfully evaluate and build a marketing budget for your job board and its users.
Loss of Time Expenses
It’s tempting to go for the cheapest option sometimes, but that could come at a cost. Be sure to do your research when evaluating standard job boards through the lens of the platform’s quality, reputation, and credibility. If you choose a job board solution with poor customer service, that could end up wasting time and pushing your KPIs back. Lost time = lost money.
Review their customer testimonials to make sure the platform delivers what it says it will. Job Board Doctor’s 20/21 Job Board Software Buyers Guide recommends you ask the following questions to help affirm vendor credibility selection:
- How many clients are you currently supporting?
- How many years has your business been operating?
- Where is your technical staff located?
- What is its size?
- What hours do you offer technical support?
Get to the bottom of how a job board software operates and how it will support your team before making a purchase decision. This will help you save time (and a few headaches) down the road.
Before you pull the trigger on a standard job board platform, understand the direct and indirect cost implications when it comes to technical, maintenance, marketing, and potential loss of time expenses. This will guide you in your decision, as well as help you get the internal green light on a job board for your organization.
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