Some advice needed re Recruitment Companies

[5aq1b]

Hi all

I'm in the process of building a job board which is specific towards a certain business area. The job board will have your usual features such as candidate database, featured jobs, featured recruiters, etc.

Part of my plan is obviously to invite recruitment companies to list their vacancies on my site. i know the site won't be well established in the market (obviously) to start with but it can only start to become established once a) candidates start to register with the site and b) recruitment companies start to list on the site. I think those 2 things wont happen without each other.

I've planned to make it free listing to start with but what's the best way to invite the recruitment agencies to list on my site? Sinc it's free - is it down to the recruitment consultant? Or is there someone higher in a managerial position that makes these decisions?

 

[filtuh.com]

start networking with recruiters imo - places like 4n and local business networking groups

 

[Billmccallum]

Look at what the competition offer and find your USP see http://www.fish4.co.uk/ecom/recruitment

 

[Richie N]

Look at what the competition offer and find your USP see http://www.fish4.co.uk/ecom/recruitment

Fish4 have a bad name in the recruitment industry....

If you want to target recruiters then visit www.ukrecruiter.co.uk and check out the forum on there.

 

[5aq1b]

some websites like milkround have a list of graduate vacancies for hundreds of companies. Is it possible for me to "leech" some of these and put them up myself on the website to give the site some 'beef' when potential recruiters visit the site in its early days?

 

[5aq1b]

anyone??? ?

 

[GainfulEmployment]

As you have already worked out this is a classic chicken and egg situation, candidates won't go to your site if there are no jobs and recruiters will be reluctant to post jobs if there is no traffic.
You said your site would be "specific towards a certain business area" and I think this may be the key because if you are targeting a small select group that are not well served by the big guys (Monster, CV Library etc.) you'll stand a better chance of breaking into the market.
I agree with Billmccallum about getting a good USP (but not about fish4) and filuh.com about networking. Recruiters have plenty of places to get together so that should be easy but do candidates in your target group get together on a forum, do they have an association, can you get a list of names from a governing body? If your target group is small (and there is nothing wrong in that) don't forget direct mail, it may be old fashioned but it still works. (I get scores of emails every day and most get deleted unread, but I still open the mail each morning).
As to "leeching" some graduate vacancies, I wouldn't bother unless they match your target group then it may be worth you going to these companies and asking if you can post these jobs on your site. Then you can try Facebook and Linkedin to drive candidates.
My final bit of advice, for what it's worth, is write a Marketing Plan so you know exactly what you are trying to do before you do anything else.


Best of luck,
Steve

 

[5aq1b]

As you have already worked out this is a classic chicken and egg situation, candidates won’t go to your site if there are no jobs and recruiters will be reluctant to post jobs if there is no traffic.
You said your site would be “specific towards a certain business area” and I think this may be the key because if you are targeting a small select group that are not well served by the big guys (Monster, CV Library etc.) you’ll stand a better chance of breaking into the market.
I agree with Billmccallum about getting a good USP (but not about fish4) and filuh.com about networking. Recruiters have plenty of places to get together so that should be easy but do candidates in your target group get together on a forum, do they have an association, can you get a list of names from a governing body? If your target group is small (and there is nothing wrong in that) don’t forget direct mail, it may be old fashioned but it still works. (I get scores of emails every day and most get deleted unread, but I still open the mail each morning).
As to “leeching" some graduate vacancies, I wouldn’t bother unless they match your target group then it may be worth you going to these companies and asking if you can post these jobs on your site. Then you can try Facebook and Linkedin to drive candidates.
My final bit of advice, for what it’s worth, is write a Marketing Plan so you know exactly what you are trying to do before you do anything else.


Best of luck,
Steve

steve , thanks for your reply. Helpful and informative. Thank you.

 

[mountrecruitment]

As you have already worked out this is a classic chicken and egg situation, candidates won’t go to your site if there are no jobs and recruiters will be reluctant to post jobs if there is no traffic.
You said your site would be “specific towards a certain business area” and I think this may be the key because if you are targeting a small select group that are not well served by the big guys (Monster, CV Library etc.) you’ll stand a better chance of breaking into the market.
I agree with Billmccallum about getting a good USP (but not about fish4) and filuh.com about networking. Recruiters have plenty of places to get together so that should be easy but do candidates in your target group get together on a forum, do they have an association, can you get a list of names from a governing body? If your target group is small (and there is nothing wrong in that) don’t forget direct mail, it may be old fashioned but it still works. (I get scores of emails every day and most get deleted unread, but I still open the mail each morning).
As to “leeching" some graduate vacancies, I wouldn’t bother unless they match your target group then it may be worth you going to these companies and asking if you can post these jobs on your site. Then you can try Facebook and Linkedin to drive candidates.
My final bit of advice, for what it’s worth, is write a Marketing Plan so you know exactly what you are trying to do before you do anything else.


Best of luck,
Steve

I have just stumbled across this thread and as an IT Recruitment Consultant who gets contacted by Job Boards daily i wanted to say that i agree with Steve's message here. I would just add / reiterate that your offering to the recruiters has to get them onboard with your idea. Even if you have a good site but nothing on it, don't promise 000's of candidates will be on there if it is going to be a slow process. As long as they are informed and there is some progress to be seen then they will keep coming back to take a look and post the odd job or two.

Also, perhaps further down the line, have a look at services such as Broadbean. I don't know what they charge job boards to be on there but that is the type of service that will keep the vacancies coming in. Make sure the vacancy submission process is as simple as possible, try to follow the standard web form formats.

Best of Luck!
Mount Recruitment - www.mountrecruitment.co.uk