I’ve seen a few posts lately from recruiters claiming job boards are “dead.” Now, I’m hardly an unbiased source here – my day job is literally helping recruiters get the most from job boards – but honestly, they’re not dead. Not even close.

What is dead?

• The idea that job boards are an easy win without thought or strategy.
• The idea they work for every market.
• And definitely the idea that any role will magically fly once you post it.

The “golden days” of sticking an ad on a load of boards late Friday, for the cost of a decent takeaway, and coming in Monday to a pile of great CVs? Yep, that’s over.

These days, smart recruiters don’t just use job boards — they use them strategically. That means:

• Knowing which boards actually work for your market and role.
• Constantly tracking what’s pulling in quality candidates.
• Monitoring how many good CVs are hitting your CRM from each source.

The top performers don’t wait for renewal time to check results. They’re reviewing performance constantly, tweaking their approach, and putting adverts exactly where they’ll deliver.

We always aim for our clients to get at least £5 back for every £1 they spend on a job board. If it drops below that, we figure out why — fast. This review process is a big part of what we do at TRS Media. It’s how we help clients squeeze every bit of value from their advertising. As one client put it:

“Since working with you, we get more return from less spend.”

Job boards are changing and evolving. Some much faster than others to try and keep up with both the every changing candidate and the sheer pace that the recruitment market (UK in particular) moves at. Some have been much better at this that others and knowing what board works for your business in which role has never been more important.

So no, job boards aren’t “dead” but some of the people writing they were may well have been right when saying this for either the roles or market they specialise in. However for the right role and the right market, they can still be a main player in your candidate attraction mix. The trick is knowing what’s worth your budget — and what’s not.