blogs with jobs

Blog: Crunchboard
Category: technology
Alexa ranking: 231,169
Google Pagerank: 7/10
RSS: Yes
Cost: $200 per posting
Time: 30 days
Born: Aug., 2006

Introduction
Following the lead of Crunchboard, GigaOM Jobs hopes to cash in on the popularity of tech product and start-up business blogger and reporter, Om Malik. All professional categories are included, but the site skews heavily toward technology. Both California and New York opportunities are prominent.

Pros
As a well-known face and contributor to publications like Business 2.0, Om is a prominent go-to guy when it comes to tech, particularly when discussing start-ups and new product offerings from recognizable brands like Blackberry and Skype. As a result, his blog commands a readership of some of the best and brightest in the entrepreunurial set. Those hoping to conquer the world, or least go along for the ride.

The job search interface is clean. Postings are in date order and easily laid out via tab navigation. Adding jobs is equally easy, taking a page from Craigslist’s playbook. Interestingly, employers are asked to add a Skype username and AIM address as contact options. Jobs integrate LinkedIn data as well. Now that’s ‘Nu Skool.’

With approximately 50 jobs currently posted, the content is intimate in nature. Kind of like knowing a secret. This number, however, is sure to increase as the site grows into other markets and employers become more comfortable and aware of blogs with jobs.

Another nice feature is the fact that job listings are easy to find via site navigation, as well as the fact that more recent jobs are promoted on the blog’s homepage.

Cons
The site is currently heavy with job content from the Left and Right Coast. This may not be so great if you’re in Chicago or Austin, Texas. As with all new blogs with job offerings, we have to give the site the benefit of the doubt and believe this will balance out. We also hope the site will support HTML in job descriptions soon.

As with Crunchboard, most employers won’t be fazed by the $200-per-job pricetag, particularly to get in front of Om’s audience. However, for smaller companies, Craigslist’s pricetag (free - $75) will be easier to swallow and may deliver similar results, particularly on each Coast.

Jobs are currently being picked-up by vertical job search engines such as Indeed. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on how targeted you want your ad and how passive you want your traffic. From a search engine optimization perspective, GigaOM Jobs isn’t currently using a tag, so links are indexed to help with Google rankings. Considering the PageRank advantages alone, GigaOM Jobs may be a good investment.

Summary
GigaOM Jobs is an impressive offering. We love how it integrates the job content with the blog centerpiece. For finding professional go-getters and those who embrace a start-up mentality in havens like Silicon Valley and Alley, this blog with jobs gets two thumbs way up. Like the site itself says, “Want to hire amazing people for your awesome startup? Post a job listing and get in front of thousands of hi-tech professionals who read our site every day.”

Blog: Crunchboard
Category: technology
Alexa ranking: 29,552
Google Pagerank: 7/10
RSS: Yes
Cost: $200 per posting
Time: 30 days
Born: Aug. 3, 2006

Introduction
Crunchboard was born out of the very popular technology blog, Techcrunch, in Aug. 2006. The job content currently consists primarily of technology jobs on the West Coast.

Founder Michael Arrington says, “Our goal with CrunchBoard is to build the ultimate Web insider’s network. A thirty day ad costs $200. I’ll consider CrunchBoard a success if we manage to put the right people together and make the entire ecosystem a little more efficient. RSS feeds are available for all listings as well as for each category.”

Pros
There’s no doubting the popularity of Techcrunch with the technology set, particularly on the West Coast, where the blog was founded. As a result, the job board has hit the ground running in terms of targeted traffic and job postings. The blog also piggybacks on traffic generated by other Crunch properties, such as MobileCrunch.

The job search interface is clean and the search technology is adequate. Posting a job is equally easy, taking a queue from popular classifieds site Craigslist.

With approximately 100 - 150 jobs currently posted, the content is relatively fresh, particularly for a newer blog with jobs. This number is sure to increase as the site grows into other markets.

Cons
The site is currently heavy with job content from the West Coast and Silicon Valley. This isn’t so great if you’re in New York or Boston. We do, however, have to give the site the benefit of the doubt and believe that will balance itself over time.

For most employers, the $200-per-job pricetag won’t cause any concern, particularly to get in front of Techcrunch’s high-demand audience. However, for smaller companies, Craigslist’s pricetag (free - $75) will be easier to swallow and may deliver similar results, particularly in the Bay Area.

Jobs are currently being picked-up by vertical job search engines such as Indeed and SimplyHired. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on how targeted you want your ad and how passive you want your traffic.

Summary
If you’re looking to employ technology professionals on the West Coast, and particularly the Valley, Crunchboard looks like a sound investment of recruitment advertising dollars. The rest of the country will have to hold on.