Best Professional Job Boards
Professional job boards help employers reach qualified candidates who are a little further along in their career path, have the right credentials, and relevant experience. We've rounded up the best job sites for financial, law, journalism, and other professional careers.
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Why We Chose LinkedIn, Indeed, and Ladders:
Professional networking site LinkedIn has over 675 million members in more than 200 countries and territories. Clients can target specific groups of professional and semiskilled individuals, regardless of whether they are actively searching for employment. Ad options include sponsored content on users' homepages, inbox messages, and more.
LinkedIn's self-service clients can control their spending by setting a daily budget, or by indicating what they would like to pay per click (CPC), for every 1,000 impressions (CPM), or for each message that is delivered to members' inboxes (CPS). Managed campaigns, in turn, are priced on a CPC or CPM basis.
While also not a professional-only job board, Indeed is another great option for those seeking highly qualified individuals. Employers can reach candidates in over 60 countries through free ads, or via paid ads priced from $5.00 per day. Once more, pricing is on a CPC basis, and expenditure will never exceed clients' stipulated budgets.
Finally, Ladders is suitable for those looking to post vacancies with total compensation packages of at least $80,000 per year. Clients can choose from a free package, which includes the ability to post 20 jobs, or a paid plan that offers unlimited ads and access to a candidate database. Paid add-ons offer even more exposure.
Currently, over 25,000 recruiters use Ladders to search for executive staff in the U.S. and Canada. The site has a candidate pool comprising over 10 million members, 92% of whom hold bachelor's degrees.
Things to Consider When Evaluating Professional Job Boards:
- To attract suitable candidates, you ought to target the appropriate pool of prospective applicants. Be sure to investigate the audience of each job board under consideration.
- The size of each audience, as well as their level of engagement, will directly impact the quality and quantity of responses that you receive.
- Sites that deliver job alerts could help to expand the reach of your advertising efforts.
Best Job Boards for Professionals:
Rank | Name | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Self-service prices are determined by users, who set their daily budgets (min. $10.00 per campaign) or bids (min. $2.00 for CPC or CPM). Managed ad campaigns start at around $5,000.00 per quarter, depending on the region. | |
| 2. | Indeed | There are free and paid plans. The latter start at $5.00 per day. Clients can set their budget, and only pay when readers click on their ads. |
| 3. | Ladders | Users can post up to 20 ads using the basic account, which is free. Individual, promoted ads cost $397.00, the 5-pack costs $1,785.00, and the 10-pack costs $3,370.00. The Full Access plan costs $597.00 /mo. or $5,988.00 /yr. |
| 4. | LawCrossing | $199.00–$1,249.00 per month or $1,990.00–$12,490.00 per year, depending on the number of job postings required. |
| 5. | eFinancialCareers | Quote only. |
| 6. | Rigzone | Advertised prices range from $550.00–$990.00, depending on the number of job postings required. Prices for larger packages are available on request. |
| 7. | OneWire | $399.00–$1,399.00 depending on the number of job postings purchased. |
| 8. | JournalismJobs.com | $100.00–$1,000.00 depending on the number of job postings required. |
| 9. | Behance | Free. |
| 10. | Inside Higher Ed | $349.00–$749.00 per listing. |
Comparisons Between Leading Job Boards:
We compared LinkedIn, Indeed, and Ladders to identify the best options for recruiters looking to attract top talent.
Indeed (Free) vs. Ladders Basic:
Indeed allows users to post an unlimited number of ads at no cost, while Ladders' Basic package includes 20 free ads per month. Both offer applicant screening and phone support, but Ladders has the added bonus of live chat support.
Between the two, Indeed has a wider reach: it connects people in over 60 countries, while Ladders is restricted to the U.S. and Canada. Moreover, Ladders prohibits users from listing financial advisor, commission-only, part-time, and contract roles under 12 months, plus those with annual compensation under $80,000. Indeed has no such restrictions.
Also worth noting are ad processing times. Ladders screens and uploads ads within 30 minutes of receiving them — at least, on weekdays — while Indeed takes between four and 24 hours.
Indeed (Free) vs. Ladders Basic Comparison:
Offer | Indeed (Free) | Ladders Basic |
|---|---|---|
Free Forever | ✔ | ✔ |
Number of Free Ads | 20 /mo. | Unlimited. |
Geographical Reach | 60+ countries. | U.S. and Canada. |
Minimum Compensation | None. | $80,000 /yr. |
Other Restrictions | None. | Financial advisor, commission-only, part-time, and contract work under 12 months. Jobs that pay under $80,000 /yr. |
Time Between Submission and Upload | 4–24 hrs. | 30 min. on weekdays, possibly "longer" on weekends and holidays. |
Applicant Screening | ✔ | ✔ |
Customer Support | Phone, multilingual help center. | Live chat, phone. |
LinkedIn vs. Indeed vs. Ladders:
Of the three options, LinkedIn has the widest reach: the platform currently boasts over 675 million members who are located in more than 200 states and territories. Indeed is also widely available; it houses over 150 million resumes and serves more than 60 countries.
While Ladders' figures seem to pale in comparison to that of LinkedIn and Indeed — Ladders has over 10 million members — it must be reiterated that the job board specializes in high-paying jobs. Nonetheless, the company only serves the U.S. and Canada, which could be constraining for those looking to expand their workforces beyond these contexts.
Another key consideration is the type of work that recruiters can advertise on each site. LinkedIn and Indeed do not impose major restrictions in this regard. Ladders, however, prohibits clients from recruiting for a financial advisor, commission-only, part-time, and contract positions anticipated to last less than 12 months.
Ultimately, prospective clients should bear these considerations in mind along with pricing structures when choosing one or more job boards. LinkedIn offers the most flexible model: clients can set a daily budget, or bid on a CPC, CPM, or CPS basis. Minimum costs are fairly low, but exposure increases alongside bid sizes.
Indeed's pricing structure is also relatively flexible. Users can post an unlimited number of ads for free, and then choose to sponsor each ad for $5.00 per day in order to increase their exposure. Clients only pay when prospective candidates click on their ads.
Finally, Ladders allows clients to post an unlimited number of ads for a set monthly or annual fee. Optional sponsorships are somewhat expensive, starting at $337.00 per job (when purchasing a bundle), but this could prove to be worthwhile if recruiters manage to secure suitable candidates.
LinkedIn vs. Indeed vs. Ladders Comparison:
Offer | Indeed | Ladders | |
|---|---|---|---|
Base Price | Self-service: min. $10.00 /day or min. $2.00 (CPC or CPM). Managed plans: from approx. $5,000.00 /qtr. | $0.00 | $597.00 /mo. or $5,988.00 /yr. |
Sponsored Post | Min. $10.00 per campaign (varies depending on the target audience). | From $5.00 /day. | $397.00 for 1 job; $1,785.00 for 5 jobs; $3,370.00 for 10 jobs. |
Geographical Reach | 200+ countries and territories. | 60+ countries. | U.S. and Canada. |
Key Statistics | Over 675 million members. | Over 150 million resumes. | Over 10 million members. |
Major Restrictions | None. | None. | Financial advisor, commission-only, part-time, and contract work under 12 months. Jobs that pay under $80,000 /yr. |
Sends Email Alerts to Candidates | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Candidate Database | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |