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Home » Job boards are not enough. How Programmatic Job Advertising helps you cut hiring costs by 70%

Job boards are not enough. How Programmatic Job Advertising helps you cut hiring costs by 70%

Hiring is more expensive than ever—but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s how top companies are reducing costs and hiring smarter.

The hiring problem no one talks about

HR leaders at big companies are under immense pressure to fill roles, and the challenges are piling up. Workforce shortages, rising competition for talent, and inefficient hiring tools are making it harder than ever to find the right candidates quickly and affordably.

Traditional job boards, often the cornerstone of hiring strategies, are still a key part of recruitment but are no longer enough on their own.

Why job boards alone are not enough

  • Traffic to traditional job boards is decreasing. Indeed, for example, saw a 10% decline in traffic last year. Despite the decline in traffic, prices for job boards continue to rise.
  • Job boards also provide little control over who actually sees your postings.
  • That means that companies are paying more per applicant, but receiving fewer qualified candidates.
  • On top of that, many job boards operate on a fixed-price model, forcing companies to pay upfront without guaranteeing results.
  • Finally, job boards target active job seekers, but most candidates are already employed. To hire effectively, you must also reach passive job seekers open to better opportunities.

The consequences? Wasted budgets, delayed hiring processes, and mounting frustration for HR teams. Businesses can no longer rely solely on active job seekers finding their listings, they need a proactive strategy to reach the right talent at the right time.

That’s where programmatic job advertising comes in as a way to enhance job board performance and expand your reach.

Job boards are becoming increasingly expensive, are not transparent and only reach active job seekers.

The solution: Programmatic job ads

Job boards remain an important recruitment channel, but programmatic job advertising takes hiring to the next level. It shifts the paradigm by proactively targeting and reaching the right candidates—wherever they are online.

How programmatic job advertising works

Rather than manually posting job listings to different platforms, programmatic job advertising automates the process. This ensures that job ads appear in front of relevant candidates across a variety of channels, including:

  • News websites.
  • Industry blogs.
  • Social media platforms.
  • Niche job sites that cater to specific fields and expertise.
  • Job boards.

By using intelligent algorithms, programmatic job advertising continuously optimizes ad placements. It reallocates budget toward the highest-performing channels. This means hiring teams spend less time on manual processes and more time engaging with quality candidates.

Programmatic job advertising automatically posts job listing across a variety of channels.

The key advantage: Pay only for performance

Unlike job boards that charge for visibility—whether or not an ad performs—programmatic job advertising ensures you pay only for real engagement. Your budget is used efficiently, targeting the candidates most likely to convert into successful hires.

Reach passive job seekers

One of the biggest limitations of job boards is that they primarily attract active job seekers—people who are actively searching for new opportunities. However, many potential candidates, especially in high-turnover industries like fast food, delivery, and retail, are passive job seekerscurrently employed but open to better opportunities.

With programmatic job advertising you can reach passive job seekers in high-turnover industries or unique talent.

Since they aren’t searching job boards, companies need a strategy to reach them where they naturally spend time online. Programmatic job advertising makes this possible by targeting passive candidates across news sites, industry blogs, and social media, expanding the reach beyond traditional job postings for a more comprehensive recruitment approach.

A smarter hiring strategy

Think of programmatic job advertising as the evolution of traditional recruitment marketing. Instead of manually managing multiple job boards, one streamlined platform optimizes the process, ensuring job ads reach the right people at the right time, at a lower cost.

Jobster: Brining learnings from the media industry to recruitment

Inefficient ad spend is exactly the challenge that Jobster’s founder, Slaven, set out to solve. Over 15 years ago, he was part of the transformation that reshaped the media industry through programmatic advertising. Back then, media companies struggled with inefficient ad placements and high costs, much like today’s recruitment market.

By automating and optimizing ad distribution, media companies saw lower costs and better-targeted audiences. Now, Slaven is bringing the same innovation to recruitment, ensuring that companies can find top talent in a smarter, more efficient way.

How companies are slashing hiring costs by 35-70%

Recruiting costs have skyrocketed in recent years as companies struggle to fill positions in an increasingly competitive job market.

Why programmatic job advertising is different

  • Programmatic job advertising charges per engagement, meaning you only pay when a candidate interacts with your ad.
  • Advanced automation ensures that your budget is allocated to the most effective channels.
  • Real-time data and optimization continuously improve results, reducing cost per applicant and increasing hiring efficiency.

Case study: Hiring cost reduction in retail

A retail company with multiple locations across the country faced rising hiring costs and a shortage of qualified applicants. It resulted in them not being able to open new locations.

By shifting their recruitment strategy to programmatic job advertising, they achieved:

  • A 60% reduction in hiring spend.
  • A 40% increase in qualified applicants.
  • More targeted outreach, ensuring job ads reached the right candidates at the right time.

This shift not only saved money but also significantly improved their ability to fill positions quickly with high-quality candidates.

“I’m already using job boards. Why should I add programmatic?

#1: Reduce reliance on job board traffic

  • Job boards used to dominate, but now they’re just one of many channels.
  • Their prices keep rising because their traffic is dropping.
  • With programmatic, you pay less per applicant and reach more people.

#2: More control over who sees your jobs

Instead of a “post and pray” approach, you can target based on:

  • Location
  • Job title
  • Industry
  • Online behavior

#3: Higher-quality applicants

  • Programmatic filters out spam and irrelevant applicants (unlike job boards).
  • Fraud detection ensures you’re not paying for fake clicks or repeat applications.

What does programmatic recruitment look like in practice?

Let’s say you need to hire 100 engineers in 3 months. Traditionally, you would rely on job boards and hope for the best. But that approach comes with significant drawbacks.

Old way (job boards only)

  • Pay upfront for job slots, regardless of performance.
  • Post jobs manually and hope the right candidates apply.
  • Receive a mix of qualified and unqualified applicants.
  • Spend valuable HR time sifting through irrelevant applications.

New way (programmatic job advertising)

  • Set a budget, and the system optimizes ad placements across multiple platforms.
  • Automatically distribute job ads to the most relevant channels, including niche websites and social media.
  • Continuously adjust targeting based on real-time performance data.
  • Reduce wasted spend by only paying for engaged candidates.

With programmatic job advertising, companies can achieve better hiring results, lower costs, and a more efficient recruitment process.

Programmatic job ads allow you to automatically distribute your ads across the most relevant channels, and you only pay when someone engages with your ad.

Getting started: how easy is it?

  1. Send us your job listings & budget.
  2. Define your goals (e.g., cost per applicant, hiring timeline).
  3. We run the campaigns for you—or you manage them yourself.
  4. Track results in one dashboard & optimize as needed.

No complex setup. No need to manage multiple job boards. Just better hiring, at a lower cost.

Ready to cut your hiring costs? Let’s talk.

If you’re still relying on outdated job board strategies, it’s time to explore a more effective way to attract top talent. Programmatic job advertising gives you more control, better targeting, and significantly lower costs per hire.

Why make the switch?

  • Reduce hiring costs: Save up to 70% compared to traditional job boards.
  • Improve applicant quality: Target only the most relevant candidates.
  • Streamline your recruitment process: Automate job ad placements and optimize in real-time.
  • Eliminate waste: Stop paying for ineffective job posts and unqualified applicants.

By leveraging programmatic job advertising, companies are filling roles faster, spending less, and improving hiring outcomes.

Book a free strategy call today to learn how programmatic job advertising can revolutionize your recruitment strategy.

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