Part 1

Are you scrambling to come up with a game plan because of Indeed’s recent job posting policy change? As of January 7, 2019, any jobs sent to Indeed from recruitment-based companies will no longer be eligible for inclusion in organic search results, thus requiring recruiters in the US and Canada to pay for a sponsored listing on the recruitment giant’s job board.

Is there a flip side to the coin? A glass-half-full outlook to this shocking, frustrating, and hugely-impactful decision? Some in the industry are predicting a cleaner, less distracting result as the sheer volume of postings on Indeed decreases, along with the number of duplicates and/or inaccurate listings. A less cluttered, sleeker end product.

If posting on job boards is, or was your go-to advertising strategy, you can choose to see this situation as an opportunity to evolve your firm’s marketing strategy. Hey, it’s time to switch things up, anyway. To broaden and diversify your reach. To examine the advantages of attracting applicants via other effective strategies.

This policy change leaves you and every other staffing agency with two options: pony-up the money for sponsored ads on Indeed or replace that avenue for attracting, engaging, and converting qualified job candidates.

The reality is that awesome Indeed results in the past warrant the exploration of paying for sponsored postings in the present. It’s a good bet that not every previous job posting is worth the cost of sponsorship now, but the best-performing listings may well merit at least a trial run. Pull together several prospective posting campaigns, and then ring up the good folks at Indeed for a cost analysis of each.

With those figures in hand—

  • Choose the campaign that appears to combine the best of cost vs. return while also providing a benchmark of data for making future decisions.
  • Set a budget amount and a time-frame that stays within those financial parameters.
  • Plot a detailed strategy of how to track the effectiveness of this new “pay to play” option.
  • As always, when entering into a contractual agreement, digest the fine print thoroughly.
  • Dive in and test the waters.

Keep a watchful eye on the results and couple it with conscious avoidance of a this-is-never-going-to-work mindset. Times, trends, and policies change, and you would be doing your firm a huge disservice if you refused to evaluate all options fully.

Check out our future blogs as we discuss more ways to grow and advance your recruiting strategies in these changing times.

Let ASJ Partners walk with you through these uncertain times in the world of staffing and recruitment. Our comprehensive marketing solutions are poised to guide you through this evolving workforce environment. Give us a call today!