When choosing a job board, recruiters have two main options. Recruiters can elect to use a niche industry site or a multi-industry "generalist" job board. The job board you select can influence the quality of candidates you attract, as well as the quantity. In today's weak labor market, finding quality candidates via job boards is not a problem. However, obtaining the right number of responses is. Today's recruiters struggle to effectively manage the large response volumes job postings often generate. In this article, we discuss the costs associated with high applicant volumes and explore strategies recruiters can use to reduce response volumes without sacrificing candidate quality.

Since they first hit the scene in the mid-1990's, job boards have brought many benefits to recruiters. Job boards boosted efficiencies by allowing recruiters to reach out to more candidates at a lower cost. However, some of these gains were reversed after the hiring boom. As the recession set-in, applicant volumes went through the roof. Today, one job posting can easily generate hundreds of applications, creating major logistical problems for recruiters. To deal with the volume, some recruiters continued to manually review resumes, despite productivity losses. Others turned to search agents and spiders to screen candidates, abandoning initial manual review all together. Though spiders are a sound solution, they also have their own costs. In addition to product and usage costs, over reliance on automated tools can cost recruiters the ultimate find, the 'diamond in the rough' candidate.

A basic way recruiters can reduce unwanted volume is by better utilizing niche sites, such as associations and industry-targeted job boards. Niche sites offer recruiters a more selective candidate pool, increasing the chances of obtaining focused results. In contrast to large mega job boards, association sites build relationships with their members, providing services and information beyond job postings. Due to their inclusive nature, associations not only attract higher-quality candidates, but also lucrative passive candidates as well. Niche job boards -- sites that specialize in a single industry -- provide similar benefits. Dice.com, a job board that focuses exclusively on technology jobs, offers candidates extensive professional and career-development resources. "Dice invests in its users, creating a community that technology professionals visit, whether they are actively looking for a job or not," say Jason Medick of Dice.

Although niche sites can help you target higher-quality candidates and reduce overall submission volume, they are not always the optimal resource to recruit non-specialists. Candidates that are not far along in their careers often turn to generalist sites, such as Monster.com and HotJobs.com, to search for positions in multiple industries. If you have an entry-level position to fill, chances are you'll find more of the right candidate on a generalist job site. However, the volume response generated from one of these large sites can be crushing. Large generalist sites do not offer prescreening tools to help recruiters manage the response volume postings generate. As a result, recruiters have little choice but to invest in additional internal resources to manage candidate volumes; increasing the cost and reducing the value of their postings.

One large generalist site that is trying to combat the problems associated with large applicant volumes is Revolution.net. Revolution.net is a new job board that offers recruiters prescreening tool to help them narrow the applicant pool and obtain focused results. The site offers tailored behavioral and compatibility assessments, applicant filters, skills tests, background checks, and other services to help focus the selection process. These services help recruiters gain insight into candidate potential through matching candidate profiles with enhanced job profiles. Candidates benefit from the screening services by taking self diagnostics that help them learn more about their career interests and abilities. Though the jury is still out on Revolution.net, the site represents a definite advancement; combating unfocused results and restoring lost efficiencies to online recruiting.

Lowering applicant volumes, without sacrificing candidate quality, is a difficult problem for recruiters to solve. However, like most aspects of recruiting, a little thought and creativity can go a long way. Take a close and careful look at the jobs sites you're using and the results your getting vis-à-vis your productivity goals. If you're not getting the results you need, try posting to a different size or type of job board. Remember: though candidates might visit multiple sites, they have their loyalties, just like any other service. Preferences change as well. Staying current with candidate trends can get you the focused results you need, cutting significant time and effort from the screening process.

Recruiters World Special Reports is a timely, in-depth news series that explores vital issues and trends affecting the human-capital industry. Published monthly, Recruiters World Special Reports is presented and distributed exclusively through Recruiters World in Review. Visit the Special Reports archive to read previous articles. Watch for new articles as they appear on the Recruiters World home page.