We have launched an new exciting website for Exeter – Yourjobsboard.co.uk and the first step is to make sure as many recruiters start using it as soon as possible

Here’s some background

Over the last ten years we’ve worked closely with many recruitment companies in the South West and especially Exeter. We’ve built over 10 recruitment based websites and been involved in online marketing strategy for many more in that time. Many of them have become good friends of the company.

We recognise what makes successful recruitment work and what the challenges are. One of the biggest marketing challenges all recruiters have is accessing the best candidates and they quite often pay through the nose for this service. Traditionally job ads were placed in newspapers (which cost a fortune), now much of the searching is done online. So this is where we find ourselves now. On average an independent recruitment company or business recruiter in a town like Exeter will have to pay and access CV’s from at least two or three of the large job websites. These sites are (in our opinion) quite faceless and also quite expensive but they are a necessity for our clients because they attract the candidates to the roles they need to fill.

Roll on YourJobsBoard.co.uk – We’re all about local at Optix. We have been working in Exeter since 1999 and our directors were students of the University before then. We love working with local people and businesses and supporting the local economy. About a year ago, Alastair Banks (one of our directors) had the idea of building a local jobs board to take on the nationals (well sort of). “Why don’t we build a jobs board for Exeter, purely aimed at Exeter recruiters, including Recruitment Agents (of which there are over 120!), Exeter companies and Exeter Candidates”, Alastair said.

There are two reasons that James Dawkins (fellow director) and the team at Optix got behind him:

1) It’s Niche – In the current economy it’s important to focus – working in a niche is more important that spreading yourself thinly – you are far more likely to get better results this way. The likes of Google are paying far more attention to offering up the best local results they can.

2) Relevancy – If we can build a site that is so relevant to Exeter then it should be able to gain traction in the search engines and show the most relevant results to both candidates and companies alike, helping the local economy

The idea of YourJobsBoard.co.uk was born. Initially we went to our recruitment clients and sounded them out about the idea. They loved it and helped us hugely with new ideas and challenges to overcome, that we would never have come up with ourselves – we thank them for that.

What makes the concept unique?

There are a number of factors that make this unique – here are just a few:

• A truely local jobs board for a local market – run from Exeter, about Exeter, with Exeter Jobs, People and Places
• Integrated with Social Media – A candidate can link up their Twitter Feed/LinkedIn and Blog if they have them
• Candidates can also use video to promote themselves
• It’s completely free for recruiters to post jobs
• Recruiters can add tips and career advice for free- We embrace and encourage collaboration
• It’s linked up with the local University to promote their job schemes

How you can help?

Without the people of Exeter behind this it will be a far harder job to take on the nationals so please tell people wherever possible about this new and exciting jobs board. If you know people looking for work, make sure they register and if you have a placement then get it online – it’s free after all.

The address is http://www.yourjobsboard.co.uk

If you have any feedback then as always we’d love to hear it.

You can find us on Facebook http://goo.gl/Zs9r4 

and on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/YourJobsBoard