A Job Board

Model Playbook
Discover six common models and what
they could mean for your business.
 Jobiqo empowers media brands and publishers to build
next-generation job boards and career marketplaces to
engage talent. By combining the benefits of a scalable
SaaS platform and the power of AI-enabled Smart Mat-
ching technology, customers can quickly react to chan-
ging market demands.
­ urrently, Jobiqo helps brands in more than 20 mar-
C
kets globally to engage talent and grow revenues with
job boards.

Introduction
Job board business models have diversi­
fied and evolved since their inception in the
early 1990s. However, instead of a single
model that all sites use, s
­ everal different
models operate at the same time; each with
different advantages and disadvantages.
What follows will provide you with a guide
to each of the six models. You may also
wish to consult our Business Model Canvas
for each, in order to gain additional insight
into the pros and cons of the different
approaches.

Perhaps the best way to determine which
model is best for your business is to look
at each separately and examine the pre­
requisites for success for the model, along
with any specific advantages.
As you read on, remember that Jobiqo can
provide the software support for most of
the models – an advantage to support your
job board’s growth and development, no
matter how the market changes.

Playbook
Overview
Job board models
Businesses come in all shapes and sizes, with their own individual
purpose, vision and commercial models. This applies to job boards
too. We at Jobiqo have identified the most common business
models for job boards and want to share our insights on how
specific business models can work, why you may consider them
and also which shortcomings to look out for along the way.

Traditional Aggregator Hybrid Candidate-pay Sourcing Network

page 4 page 6 page 8 page 10 page 12 page 14

Pay per post

Pay per click

Pay per appli­

cation

Pay per hire

Subscription

Mixed model

Candidate pays

Playbook
01
Traditional Site
The traditional job board is – as its name implies – the
original business model. It essentially took the newspaper
classifieds model and moved it to the internet. Most job
boards, until at least the mid-2000s, followed this model –
and many around the globe continue to find it profitable.

Description Prerequisites for success

A job board that offers duration-based job a) Strong traffic – to ensure dominant posi­
postings and (usually) a resume database. tion in the chosen market;
The revenue model relies primarily on job b) Capital – to maintain traffic and brand
posting sales. awareness.

Example Potential partners

A general job board that offers job postings SEO and SEM vendors; professional associ­
and resume access. Employers can buy ations (to power their job sites); career-re­
either product one at a time, or via a ­6- or lated affiliates.
12-mo. subscription.

Success metrics
Advantages
a) Site traffic;
If the target employer market lacks any b) Job ad views and applies;
­ ignificant competition (from other job
s c) Resume searches;
boards or recruiting sites), then a t­ raditional d) Percentage of employer advertisers in
model can be successful. target market that use site regularly.

Disadvantages
Most recruiting markets have multiple
­competitors of all types, so a traditional
model will unnecessarily limit the job
board’s rev­enue options. Also, competition
from aggregators and other sites that
focus on pay for performance may limit the
amount that can be charged for a
job posting.

Playbook 4
01 | Traditional Site

Key partners Key activities Key resources

• Software developer/supplier • Sell and promote job ads • Marketing capability
(for site)
• Sell resume access (promote site to candidates)

• Marketing partners (PPC, SEO, SEM) • Sales capability (sell to employers)

• Content providers • Technical capability
(site functioning & development)

• Content mastery
(knowledge of market segment)

Value proposition
• Provide candidates to view and apply for posted job ad
• Provide database of candidates for sourcing
• (Niche site) Provides access to specific subset of candidates
• Direct service (direct sales/CS)

Customer realtionship Channels Customer segments

• Self Service (ecommerce) • Email • Direct employer
• Telephone • Staffing firms
• SEO / organic web / search engine • Recruiters
• Social media
• SEM / PPC /
retargeting

Cost structure Revenue streams

• Fixed cost office, overhead • Job ad revenue - single, multiple
• Variable cost sales commissions • Resume database access revenue
• Variable cost marketing expenses • Subscription (jobs + resume)
• Variable cost - new product development • Banner ads

Playbook 5
02
Aggregator Model
The aggregator model first emerged in 2003 and, as its
name suggests, ‘aggregates’ job ad content from other
job boards, company sites, and even other aggregators.
The most famous aggregator is Indeed.

Description Prerequisites for success

A job board that gathers job ads from
other job boards, company career pages,
and other sites. The revenue model is
­usually pay per click (PPC), but sometimes
includes a pay per application (PPA)
model as well.
a) SEO expertise – aggregators live or die
based on their ability to appear on page
one of search engine results;
b) Capital – in addition to SEO, aggregators
usually have significant SEM spends to
gain and maintain awareness.

Example Potential partners

A multi-national aggregator that gathers Job boards; SEO firms; programmatic ven­
jobs from the U.S. and EU. The revenue dors.
model is primarily PPC, although about 10%
of its revenue comes from PPA.
Success metrics
a) Site traffic;
Advantages
b) clicks per job;
If the target market is large enough, both c) total reach of job ads
geographically and in terms of number of (aggregator site + partners)
employers, becoming an aggregator allows
for the possibility of significant growth in
customer count and revenue.

Disadvantages
Aggregators are usually ‘generalists’ – in
other words, they list all jobs from all sec­
tors. The basic model is also easy to
duplicate, so competition is considerable.

Playbook 6
02 | Aggregator Model

Key partners Key activities Key resources

• Software developer/supplier • Promote client job ads • Marketing capability
(for site) (promote site to candidates)

• Marketing partners (PPC, SEO, SEM) • Sales capability (sell to employers)

• Technical capability
(site functioning & development)

Value proposition
• Provide candidates to click to view and/or apply for posted
• job ad

Customer realtionship Channels Customer segments

• Self Service (ecommerce) • SEO / organic web / search • Direct employer
• Direct service (direct sales & service) engine • Staffing agencies
• Agency service • SEM / PPC / retargeting • Job boards
(via ad and recruitment agencies)
• Recruiters
• Ad agencies

Cost structure Revenue streams

• Fixed cost office, overhead • Pay for performance (PPC, PPA, PPH)
• Variable cost sales commissions • Job ad revenue - single, multiple
• Variable cost marketing expenses

Playbook 7
03
Hybrid Model
The second model is the hybrid job board model – pos­
sibly the most widely used of the business models. As
its name implies, it’s a hybrid of different approaches,
­providing maximum flexibility and is likely the reason for
its popularity.

Description Prerequisites for success

A job board with a mix of products and ser­
vices, as well as revenue models.
Example
A niche site that focuses on a particular
industry. Includes: pay per post; subscrip­
tions; targeted candidate emails; employer
branding; candidate assessment and back­
ground screening.
Advantages
Allows a model that meets the specific
needs of a particular set of niche employ­
ers (for example, those that require certain
types of candidate credentialing or assess­
ments), and also multiple, complementary
revenue streams.
a) Research: to determine employers’
unique and specific needs;
b) Capital: to build out specific services;
c) Marketing: to promote multiple services
to employers successfully.
Potential partners
Assessment vendors; background screen­
ing vendors; email marketing vendors;
market research firms; other job boards;
recruiting firms; programmatic networks.
Success metrics
a) increase overall revenue per customer;
b) derive 60% or less from duration-based
job ads;
c) increase differentiation from competi­
tors.

Disadvantages
If employers only demand duration-based
postings and/or resume search, then there
would be no demand for other services.
the amount that can be charged for a job
posting.

Playbook 8
03 | Hybrid Model

Key partners Key activities Key resources

• Software developer/supplier • Sell and promote job ads • Marketing capability
(for site)
• Sell resume access (promote site to candidates)

• Marketing partners • Sell access to candidates • Sales capability

(PPC, SEO, SEM) (sell to employers)

• Content providers • Sell other recruiting-related • Technical capability

­services to employers
• Services providers (site functioning & development)

(ATS, email, recruiting firms, assessment ven­ • Content mastery

dors, back- ground check vendors, etc.) (knowledge of market segment)

• SEM / PPC / retargeting

Value proposition
• Provide candidates to view and apply for posted job ad • Provide employer branding services
• Provide database of candidates for sourcing • Provide additional employer services such as ATS,
• (Niche site) Provides access to specific subset of assessment,
­candidates • background check
• Provide sourcing/matching tools for reaching candidates

Customer realtionship Channels Customer segments

• Self Service (ecommerce) • Email • Direct employer
• Direct service (direct sales & service) • Telephone • Staffing firms
• SEO / organic web / • Recruiters
search engine • Associations
• Social media

Cost structure Revenue streams

• Fixed cost office, overhead • Job ad revenue – single, multiple
• Variable cost sales commissions • Resume database access revenue
• Variable cost marketing expenses • Subscription (jobs + resume)
• Variable cost - new product development • Sourcing tools and services
• Variable cost - licensing for 3rd party services • Employer services (ATS, etc.)
• Candidate contact services (targeted emails, etc.)
• Banner ads
• Pay for performance services (PPC, PPA, etc.)

Playbook 9
04
Candidate-pay Model
The candidate-pay model flips the traditional model
­upside down, and instead of charging employers to post
ads, it charges candidates to view job ads. It has been
used by larger sites such as Ladders and smaller sites in
specific niches.

Description Prerequisites for success

Typically a niche job board that requires a) The correct target market (too many can­
candidates to pay to gain full access to job didates, too few jobs);
ads and related features. Employers usu­ b) previous experience in B-to-C marketing;
ally (but not always) post jobs at no charge. c) ability to provide customer service for
Candidate pay sites make up less than candidates with memberships
10% of job boards overall, and are usually
in niches where there are an oversupply
Potential partners
of candidates.
Aggregators; career services firms such as
resume writers, assessment companies,
Example
etc.
A niche job board focusing on careers
in sports. Candidates pay for a 1-, 3-, or
Success metrics
6-month membership to view jobs.
a) Candidate membership conversion rates;
b) membership renewal rate;
Advantages
c) volume of relevant jobs captured on the
If the target market has an oversupply job board.
of candidates for the available jobs, then
the likelihood that candidates would be
willing to pay for any kind of advantage is
higher. Also, when there is an oversupply
of candidates, employers are less willing
to pay for job ads.

Disadvantages
The vast majority of job boards are free
for candidates to use; in essence, candidates
have been ‘trained’ to expect free access.
Even in a market with an oversupply of can­
didates, it can be challenging to persuade
those candidates to pay to access jobs.

Playbook 10
04 | Candidate-pay Model

Key partners Key activities Key resources

• Aggregators • Sell candidate subscriptions • Marketing capability
• Software developer/supplier • Sell access to candidates (promote site to candidates)

(for site) • Technical capability

• Marketing partners (PPC, SEO, SEM) (site functioning & development)

• Candidate services providers • Candidate support services

(resume services, career guidance, etc.)

Value proposition
• Provide job ads for candidates to view and apply for
• Provide other job finding services for candidates

Customer realtionship Channels Customer segments

• Self Service (ecommerce) • Email • Candidates
• SEO / organic web / search • Direct employers
engine
• Social media
• SEM / PPC / retargeting

Cost structure Revenue streams

• Fixed cost office, overhead • Subscription revenue from candidates
• Variable cost marketing expenses • Revenue from 3rd party affiliates
• Variable cost - licensing or affiliate fees • Misc. revenue from employers
for 3rd party services

Playbook 11
05
Sourcing Site Model
The sourcing site model is actually an outgrowth of the
explosion in online candidate data. It is tailored to serve
those employers who actively source candidates rather
than relying on job ads.

Description software to assist the recruiters – and

matching software is always challenging to
Although a sourcing site may look like a
create and implement.
traditional job board, it is designed to cap­
ture as much information as possible
about the job seeker, including a resume Prerequisites for success
and profile. This information is used to
a) The correct target market of employers
allow the site to ‘source’ or match the can­
willing to pay extra for the right candi­
didate in response to an employer’s request.
date ‘match’;
b) technological capability for matching
Example platform;
c) adequate capital to acquire the required
A niche site focused on tech candidates
candidate database.
encourages them to fill out a specialized
profile, which the site’s recruiters use
to match to open positions submitted by Potential partners
employers. Users pay an annual or semi-­
Aggregators; software companies special­
annual fee for the service, based on the
izing in parsing and matching; investment
number of matches.
firms.

Advantages
Success metrics
A sourcing site can be effective at maxi­
a) Size of candidate profile database;
mizing revenue from employers, and also
b) number of successful candidate/posi­
providing better results for higher-skilled
tion matches;
open positions. It can also target candidate
c) revenue per employer client.
populations that are underrepresented on
‘open profile’ sites like LinkedIn.

Disadvantages
In order to effectively source candidates,
the site must have a relatively large num­
ber of profiles. Acquiring those profiles can
be expensive. Also, sourcing sites depend
to some extent on effective m­ atching

Playbook 12
05 | Sourcing Site Model
Key partners
• Software developer/supplier
(for site)
• Marketing partners (PPC, SEO, SEM)
• Aggregators
Value proposition
• Provide database of candidates for sourcing
• Provide sourcing/matching tools for reaching candidates
Customer realtionship
• Direct service (direct sales & service)
Cost structure
• Fixed cost office, overhead
• Variable cost marketing expenses
• Variable cost sales commissions
• Variable cost new product development
Playbook
Key activities Key resources
• Sell resume access • Marketing capability
• Sell access to candidates (promote site to candidates)
• Provide sourcing and placement • Internal sourcing capability
services to employers
(source/place candidates)
• Sales capability (sell to employers)
• Technical capability
(site functioning & development)
Channels Customer segments
• Email • Recruiters
• Telephone • Direct employer
• SEO / organic web / search • Staffing firms
engine
• SEM / PPC / retargeting
• Social media
Revenue streams
• Resume database access revenue
• Candidate screening & placement revenue
• Sourcing tool revenue
• Job ad revenue (single, multiple)
• Candidate contact services (targeted emails, etc.)
13
06
Professional Network Model
The professional networks model was made popular
by LinkedIn, but is actually an online representation of
the t­ ypical professional association. It has been used in
­niches as disparate as skilled trades and physicians.

Description Prerequisites for success

A site that allows members to connect and
interact with each other. Usually includes
member profiles as well as career-related
features and content.
Example
A niche site focused on architect that
allows them to post their portfolios, profes­
sional profiles, and future projects. Reve­
nue model depends on job ads, membership
subscriptions, and site advertising.
a) Clearly defined target candidate market
that is seen as high value to employers;
b) Ability to reach and convert this market
cost-effectively;
c) Lack of existing direct network compet­
itor.
Potential partners
Professional association; aggregators; SEO
and SEM firms.

Success metrics
Advantages
a) Percentage of total target candidate
If the target candidate market is clearly audience that is part of the network;
defined and highly skilled, a ­professional b) candidate engagement with the network;
network may be more effective than a c) candidate awareness in the target sector
­traditional model in attracting and engag­ of the network.
ing the candidates. It may also be success­
ful if there are previous examples of
offline networks for the same audience
that have done well.

Disadvantages
If the target candidates are not clearly
defined, or if there are no clear benefits for
the candidate in becoming part of a net­
work, this may not be a successful model.

Playbook 14
06 | Professional Network Model

Key partners Key activities Key resources

• Aggregators • Sell access to candidates • Marketing capability
• Software developer / supplier • Sell other recruiting-related (promote site to candidates and employers)

(for site)
• Marketing partners (PPC, SEO, SEM)
• Professional associations
services to employers • Sales capability (sell to employers)
• Sell subscriptions/memberships • Technical capability
to candidates
(site functioning & development)

• Content mastery
• Sell candidate-focused (knowledge of market segment)
advertising

Value proposition
• Provide candidates to view and apply for posted job ad
• Provide platform for candidates and employers to connect
• Provide database of candidates for sourcing
• Provide employer branding services
• Provide sourcing/matching tools for reaching candidates

Customer realtionship Channels Customer segments

• Direct service (direct sales & • Email • Direct employer
service) • SEO / organic web /search engine • Candidates
• SEM / PPC / retargeting • Staffing firms
• Association partners • Recruiters
• Social media • Associations

Cost structure Revenue streams

• Fixed cost office, overhead • Resume database access revenue
• Variable cost marketing expenses • Job ad revenue
• Variable cost sales commissions • single, multiple
• Variable cost • Sourcing tools and services
• new product development • Pay for performance services (PPC, PPA, etc.)
• Banner ads
• Employer services (ATS, etc.)
• Candidate subscriptions

Playbook 15
Conclusion
As you can see, each model provides both pros and cons.
Depending on the candidates and employers you are
planning to target, one specific model may be the obvious
choice. However, flexibility is critical for success in the job
board industry – you must be able to respond effectively
to the ups and downs of your particular employment
­market. That’s a key reason for choosing a software plat­
form that offers both technical superiority and flexibility.

Jobiqo powers job boards around the world utilizing a

variety of different models. By providing you with multiple
options for revenue and business models, it can also help
you respond to your market by providing integrations with
your strategic partners. It also gives you the opera­tional
data you need to succeed – now and in the future.

Contact us today

Martin Lenz Ling Wu Katherina Skripnik

CEO, Jobiqo Head of Sales, Jobiqo Business Development Manager, Jobiqo
martin.lenz@jobiqo.com ling.wu@jobiqo.com katherina.skripnik@jobiqo.com
+44 020 3286 3653 +43 676 898 778 288 +43 676 898 778 599

www.jobiqo.com
Mariahilfer Strasse 103/2/44
1060 Vienna, Austria