Job boards and matching and hiring platforms both connect employers and prospective workers, but they traditionally have served different functions in the recruiting and hiring process.

A job board primarily provides a place for employers to advertise job openings and for job seekers to find and apply for positions. The model has historically depended largely on job seekers finding openings and submitting applications. Job boards may offer both free and paid or sponsored job postings. Paid postings generally provide greater visibility or placement and may be priced through flat fees, subscriptions, cost-per-click, cost-per-application, or other performance-based models. Employers increasingly evaluate these expenditures through measures such as cost-per-application and cost-per-hire and may shift recruiting resources among job advertising, candidate sourcing, employee referrals, career sites, professional networks, and other channels.

A matching and hiring platform generally provides a broader range of services intended to help employers identify, evaluate, connect with, and hire candidates. Depending on the platform, these services may include candidate search and sourcing, skills or qualifications matching, applicant screening, candidate communication, interview scheduling, applicant tracking, and other steps in the hiring process.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is making the distinction between the two categories less clear. Job boards and recruiting platforms increasingly use AI and automation to recommend candidates and jobs, identify potential matches, search candidate databases, support outreach, and assist with screening and other recruiting activities. Some platforms that began primarily as job-posting services are therefore evolving into broader sourcing, matching, and hiring systems.

Job boards and matching and hiring platforms should not necessarily be viewed as competing or mutually exclusive approaches. Employers may use job postings to attract active job seekers while also using matching, sourcing, referrals, professional networks, and other approaches to identify prospective candidates who may not be actively applying for jobs.

See: Job Board / Platform | Learn & Work Ecosystem Library

See: Job Aggregators | Learn & Work Ecosystem Library

See: Candidate Sourcing | Learn & Work Ecosystem Library