What is a job recruitment website and how does it work?

The terms job recruitment website and job posting website are often used interchangeably, but they actually describe different things. While all job search websites post open positions for hire so interested applicants can submit their resumes, job recruitment websites take the process many steps further and have different goals, needs, and outreach efforts. Here's what you should know.

What is a job recruitment website?

While a job posting site is a website that posts available positions at various companies and in various industries, allowing job seekers to click a button to apply instantly or visit the company website and apply there, job recruitment websites (think ZipRecruiter) are focused on helping companies with a long-term strategy. Their goal is to assist their clients—employers—on finding the best candidates possible to join their organization.

For this reason, job recruitment websites typically cater to companies looking to fill higher-level management positions or ones that require very specific and highly sought-after skills.

Job posting sites focus on advertising specific positions so employers can sift through and evaluate applicants, set up interviews, and fill them. Job recruitment websites help more with the ongoing hiring process, building a company's profile and reputation to help attract the best candidates to that company over a span of time. Some even help employers discover and reach out to highly qualified individuals before they actively apply. It's a continuous process that sometimes doesn't even require a vacant position: if someone talented expresses interest and fits with company culture, an employer may recruit them and find or create a role for them, or keep them on their radar should a role ever open up for which they would be a good fit.

The end goal of a job recruitment website is to continuously help employers attract top talent to their organization, matching companies with job seekers (or those browsing available positions or attractive companies) who are looking, or might be looking in the future, for a new, or even first, career position.

How do job recruitment websites work?

Job recruitment websites work by offering employers packages where they can post multiple positions each month on a consistent and ongoing basis. Many job recruitment websites offer tiered options so employers can choose add-ons, like the ability to promote open jobs and/or their company in general to prospective and qualified candidates. Special algorithms scan for applicants who fit the company's needs and work to match them together. This can be accomplished through highlighting the job and/or company in e-mails, mobile push notifications, moving the ad to the top of a search page, or even by means of direct outreach to someone who is identified as having the potential to be a tremendous asset to the company.

There are promoted options for employers as well, like the ability to rate candidates so intelligent matching technology can source similar ones, (as with ZipRecruiter); the ability to invite candidates to submit short videos answering questions right in the site, (as with LinkedIn); and live virtual interviews, (as with Indeed).

Unlike traditional job posting websites, recruitment sites put a lot of effort into matching qualified candidates with employers seeking people with their skills, abilities, education, and experience. They put a lot of power in the hands of job seekers and give employers the best opportunity to reach top tier talent.

What's the difference between a recruitment website and a job recruiter?

Job seekers can look to a personal job recruiter versus a recruitment website, which has its advantages. On the plus side, a job recruiter handles everything, searching for suitable positions, applying, arranging interviews, and even negotiating a salary. They can also provide valuable information and insight into the interview process and specific company details based on the knowledge they have acquired through a long-term relationship with them. This makes the process effortless.

However, with a job recruiter, those researching career opportunities have to stick with a recruiter or recruitment company and must only select from the pool of open jobs they present. Often, signing on requires a locked in period of time where only that recruiter can be used, which can range anywhere from three months up to a year. If the recruiter doesn't have a good relationship with an employer a client has their eye on, this could put them at a disadvantage. So, job seekers need to conduct research carefully and read all the fine print before signing on the dotted line with a job recruiter.

While there's a bit more work in using a recruitment website, the process can be seamless with the right ones. You can post personal details to the recruitment website, or even multiple ones. This usually involves a short sign-up process, adding a profile, and uploading a resume or creating one right in the recruitment website interface. There's often an option for job seekers to pay a nominal fee for extras to boost a personal profile.

The more detail that is added, the better chance a recruitment website's intelligent algorithms and matching technology can find suitable employer and position matches. Likewise, the more information an employer adds about who they are looking for and what skills a potential candidate needs to possess, the more likely it is that a recruitment website can effectively help bring matched partners together.

While both a job recruiter and a recruitment website act effectively as middlemen in a job search, there's more control over the process by using a job recruitment website because job seekers handle what they post, when and who they respond or reach out to, and what positions they apply for. Many job recruitment websites are free for job seekers to use, with small fees for upgraded options that might still work out to be more affordable than enlisting a recruiter or recruitment firm for a set period of time. With a recruitment site, members can also update or even remove information at any time.

What are the best job recruitment sites?

There are some wonderful job recruitment websites, some of which offer basic job postings and application processes as well as function as full-on recruitment sites.

ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter is described by many who use the site a personal recruiter, but in digital form. Using proprietary matching technology, the site manages and rates candidates as they apply based on skills, education, and experience to help employers with their search. Favored candidates can receive a pre-written personal message inviting them to apply. Like with LinkedIn, as employers sort, rate, and review candidates, ZipRecruiter learns and gets smarter so it can send the best match candidates.

Job seekers can include their name and phone number so hiring parties can get in contact with them directly if desired, and there's an option to create a profile on the website as well as upload a resume to stand out more to potential employers. There's even a neat "am I qualified?" feature where job seekers can make sure they fit a position before applying, thus reducing the number of unqualified candidates employers receive (and likewise, preventing job seekers from wasting their time applying for positions they likely would not get hired for.) Resumes that fit a particular company culture and/or specific job are hand-picked by the site's intelligent algorithms and sent directly to prospective employers for review.

Recruit candidates with ZipRecruiter

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is among the top options. Its core purpose as a professional business networking website give the site an instant database with tons of detailed profiles of individuals that act as introductory resumes for potential employers. Employers can filter and even rate candidates as being a good fit or not so the site better learns what they are looking for over time to ensure the right job seekers are matched with the right employers for suitable positions. Employers can even sign up for smart alerts that let them know when a qualified individual applies for a position, and they can invite candidates they're interested in to submit a two-minute video to get a feel for their personality and communication skills.

Meanwhile, with a paid subscription (there's a trial option), members can get a list of available jobs where they would be considered a top applicant based on their profiles and resume, and can track their applications. With the featured applicant feature, job seekers can see who has viewed their profile, be contacted directly by recruiters (or contact them), or even see who the other applicants are for the same position.

Recruit candidates with LinkedIn

Indeed

Indeed is another top job recruitment website, with job matching and features like live, virtual interviews. Applicants who meet the requirements of a position are automatically grouped together and appear at the top of an employer's dashboard. Employers can also run sponsored jobs to invite qualified candidates to apply, offering better visibility in search results. It's easy for job seekers to apply for positions, and there's even a section for job seekers to post questions for employers for their own vetting process.

Recruit candidates with Indeed

Other great job recruitment websites worth checking out include Monster, CareerBuilder, GlassDoor, and Nexxt.